PacersRule07 wrote:Wait until Dunleavy gets back before we start the "tanking" philosophy. The season is way too early, and a lot can change. With that said, I think there's a lot of positives for this team going forward. We aren't quite there, but I think we're a front-court player away from really having a strong team.
People are always going to want to tank. It's pointless to argue with them.
Reasons for concern:
1. Closing games out. You have to play 48 minutes, not 40. Granger has proven he can take the big shot, but as defenses start focusing on him. He's going to have to learn when to shoot, and when to pass. Even LeBron struggled with this concept, so it's going to be a learning process. Tonight against Miami, Granger forced it down the stretch.
I agree with this. I saw several comments on PD saying that they wished we were just getting blown out, rather than not knowing how to win. That's ridiculous. Right now, we have a team that is learning to play together and playing hard that has some very correctable issues. If we're doing the same thing in February, I'd be concerned. However, as much as we'll regret losing these games, I think that later in the season, we'll be winning the games like Philly, Orlando, and last night.
I don't think this is limited to Danny, but he's a big part of it. Friday night, I thought he let the game go away from him a little too much. Last night, he made a couple of dumb turnovers, perhaps while forcing it. I actually think that shows progress. He also picked up 6 assists.
I look at this team, and see one that is much closer to being able to win games. I also see it in the context of a 35-45 win team. We're pretty much on schedule.
2. No low post presence. Hard to win long-term without this.
I also agree with this, but this is the team. I think the important part is for the team to figure out to win with what they have, while trying to add that piece in the future. Keep in mind that all of about six months ago, we were sitting with an oft-injured $44mm contract and a train wreck at the point guard position. Now, we've rearranged that contract and greatly improved the PG position.
3. No shotblocking. Foster, Murphy, and Rasho are all blue-collar, but yeah....
This is actually wrong, but may have a point. The Pacers are 2nd in the league (behind Orlando) with 6.9 blocks per game. They're tied for second with 83 total blocks. Last night's game was the first time they've had fewer than 3 blocks, and only the third time they've had fewer than 5. In fact, in the six games preceeding last night, the Pacers had blocked 10, 5, 10, 10, 9, and 10 shots, respectively. They've also had two games with 8 blocks.
Back to the point, they may not have any "intimidators", but they certainly have blocked plenty of shots.
4. Marquis Daniels ability to shoot 3. I have yet to see him hit a 3 this year, and he's often left wide open. Jarret Jack's free throws?
For as well as Marquis has played, I'd still prefer that he play less. The shooting is a huge part of it, but beyond that, I just think that part of the reason he gets so many opportunities to score is that it's what the defense is giving us. In other words, I think the defense prefers Marquis to have the ball, rather than Danny or TJ, as examples. He's just more predictable. He's a really good finisher, but he has no shot, to speak of, outside of 12 feet, and he's a poor decision maker/passer.
Yes, Danny is turnover prone. Yes, he is inconsistent in attacking the basket. No, he hasn't established a post game. However, he is getting to the line 6.3 times a game, while Daniels is only averaging 2.8 FT's a game. Danny has gotten 5 FT's in 8 of the 11 games he's played, while Marquis has done it in only twice. In fact, if you remove the 9 FT game Quisy had against Atlanta, he's only getting 2.2 per game. Daniels has gone without FTA's on 4 separate occasions. (As a reference, Junior averaged just under 5 FTA's per game last year.)
As for Jack's FT's, his percentage (.775) isn't bad, but it does feel like he (and a number of other Pacers) are missing seemingly crucial FT's. I have to assume Jack, a career 88% FT shooter (on over 3 FTA's per game) coming into the year, will sort it out.
I'm frustrated with the losses, but I'm not frustrated with the team. I think they're much better than they were last year, and I believe that they will be competitive, perhaps even strong, by the end of the season. I would like to see Roy go back to getting the 10-14 minutes a night, and I'd like to see a little less time for TJ Ford, but on the whole, I'm pretty happy.