ESPN David Thorpe chat- Pacers mentioned.

[JarrettJackSG]

kenny (liberia): hey do you think my pacers need to fire jim o'brien i mean though they are competing they continue to give up big leads and i believe it is his system...your thoughts?

SportsNation David Thorpe: Gosh no. Relax

Dan (lincoln, NE): Looking at your player rankings of those in the 20 to 30 range, who has the most chance to rise to the top 15 by seasons end? pass the stuffing!

SportsNation David Thorpe: Maybe Brandon Rush or Westbrook.
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Melo (Denver): What rookie are you most disappointed with this season?

SportsNation David Thorpe: Westbrook and Rush, a little.
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Gerry: (Indy): Does Jamaal Tinsley have value?

SportsNation David Thorpe: Only to his family.
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Eric(Indy): Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush! Was this another BAD DRAFT year for the Pacers?

SportsNation David Thorpe: Unclear as of now.

Full chat here:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=23818

[glasket]

Roy Hibbert and B Rush: unclear if they were bad picks?

How can this be? Going on early form B Rush is showing great signs of maturity and development and getting well earned minutes.
Hibbert is also showing promising signs.

[JarrettJackSG]

pretty sure he thinks B-Rush is under performing..should have more explosion coming back from an ACL than he has had.

[count55]

The only way Thorpe thinks this is a bad draft is if he's not watching them play. Hibbert is playing about what you'd expect out of the 17th pick. Rush doesn't have spectacular numbers, but after starting the season 20 of 60 from the floor, he's hit 21 of his last 37 shots. Over the last three games, he's averaged 13 points on 65% shooting.

[huskyfan224]

Ya know count55, i have to disagree with u on that. Hibbert is not playing well for a man of his size, he hasnt shown any promise and he needs to be more physical. Rush was a good pick at the end of the lottery but we had bayless whom is better. I like Rush tho. I think we need an upgrade in the frontcourt. Foster isnt cutting it. He needs to know his game, rebounds and putbacks, thats it. No jump shots. I still think we should trade dunleavy for a solid post man bc since we already have Granger, Daniels, and Rush, Dunleavy is the odd man out. Its not bc i hate him, but he isnt better than the first 2 and Rush will be better than him.

[count55]

Hibbert's fine. The game's just moving too fast for him, right now. Obie's focused on Rush right now. If Rush can cement his improvement, and Obie get comfortable there (which seems to be happening pretty quickly), I think you'll see Roy get back to getting steady minutes. He won't average more than 10-12 for the season, but I think he'll be a contributor by the end of the year.

Rush was a good pick at the end of the lottery but we had bayless whom is better.

Based on what, exactly?

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

Rush was a good pick at the end of the lottery but we had bayless whom is better.

Based on what, exactly?

Well... summer league!

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I think they are both considered dissappointments because they were both two of the most "NBA Ready Players" according to most scouts. So, in their eyes, two of the most NBA ready players, can't even break the top 20 for best rookies so far.

[cdash]

Rush is coming on nicely, but I'd be lying if I said I wasnt a little disappointed by Hibbert so far.

[notque]

I don't understand the disappointment this early. My honest feeling having watched every Pacers game this year.

Rush - Higher than I thought. Farther along than I thought. I want Rush and Granger on the floor at the end of the game. He was terrible in the first few games, and it's starting to come together in a big way. He went from bad scrub to starter quality in a few games. Will it stay? No idea, but seeing what he can do, and how his defense affects the game is really an eye opener.

I would take Rush over Bayless right now if given the chance. Tweeners are always an issue, and Rush has the length and size, plus the speed to be a complete package in the NBA. I'm blown away as I didn't think he'd be anywhere near this good. I'm not even talking about developing, on the floor right now he is better than I thought his ceiling was.

Hibbert - Mildly higher than I thought. He looks like a rookie. He plays like a rookie. But you can see flashes of it coming together like his defense on Yao Ming. He played Yao perfectly, and felt comfortable. He's hit a few turnaround jumpers that I didn't know he had in him.

He's going to take half a season just to learn not to foul, and to watch for the point guard picking your pocket on the back down, and numerous other things. But you can see it coming. You can see it clicking in his head.

One thing he's learned already from Jeff is keep your legs wide. That he didn't do in the first few games, and got backed down. Now his legs are wide, and guys aren't able to back him right down into the post anymore.

The progress is there. I don't know what you guys want these rooks to look like at this point. They look much better than they should in my mind, and that's a huge plus at this stage. More to come as we see more.

[huskyfan224]

Ok well i can live with Rush, he will be solid. But I dont think he is as good as Marquis, how could u want Rush over Daniels at the end of the game. Daniels is the best player on the team besides Granger and Ford. He has been doing very well this year and i think i mentioned that earlier this year. I think we should try and trade Dunleavy for a solid block scorer and draft picks. Dunleavy is gna be the odd man out when he gets back. Trade him while his values high.

[TSC25]

Bottom line is there both rookies,and it takes bigmen longer to come around in this league so I have no problem with Hibbert,and as for Rush I think he's played well.And feel they couldnt bring him along as slow as the might have thought they would with the injury to Dunleavy!

[notque]

Ok well i can live with Rush, he will be solid. But I dont think he is as good as Marquis, how could u want Rush over Daniels at the end of the game. Daniels is the best player on the team besides Granger and Ford. He has been doing very well this year and i think i mentioned that earlier this year. I think we should try and trade Dunleavy for a solid block scorer and draft picks. Dunleavy is gna be the odd man out when he gets back. Trade him while his values high.

Because Rush can hit a 3 and drive, and Daniels can only drive with about equal defense.

[huskyfan224]

Rush can hit the 3 better than Marquis, they are both good at driving but id give the edge to Daniels and Daniels is slightly better on defense. I like Rush the more and more i think about it, he is growing on me. They are both upgrades over Dunleavy

[cdash]

Easy tiger. Your hatred of Dunleavy is well documented, but saying that Rush and Daniels are an improvement over him is far from being an accurate statement.

[huskyfan224]

How? Just bc Dunleavy had a good year last year doesnt mean it will happen again. Rush is a rookie and Daniels hasnt had much opportunity in the league. He is getting his opportunity and is doing very well. When Dunleavy comes back, he will not do as well bc the team has gotten a lot better. He will do what he did back at GS and avg about 12 ppg.

[cdash]

That line of logic makes absolutely no sense. He wont do as well because the team has gotten a lot better?

[huskyfan224]

Ok, led me spood feed u. The Pacers were worse last year, correct? Their guards/SF's were not as good and were different last year, correct? When Dunleavy gets back, he is not gonna look so good bc the Pacers r entirely different and are more talented than last year. Marquis is getting PT and is producing, he is much more versatile than Dunleavy. Then theres Rush and Granger, leaving Dunleavy the odd man out. He also hasnt played a game this year, what makes think he will come back and do as good on a better team. Not me.

[cdash]

I got news for you UConn, when Dunleavy gets back, he wont be the odd man out. He will be the starting shooting guard and it is likely that Rush is the odd man out.

[Scoot McGroot]

Ok, led me spood feed u. The Pacers were worse last year, correct? Their guards/SF's were not as good and were different last year, correct? When Dunleavy gets back, he is not gonna look so good bc the Pacers r entirely different and are more talented than last year. Marquis is getting PT and is producing, he is much more versatile than Dunleavy. Then theres Rush and Granger, leaving Dunleavy the odd man out. He also hasnt played a game this year, what makes think he will come back and do as good on a better team. Not me.

Yet, Dunleavy is playing with the same SF, PF, and essentially the same center in the starting lineup (with Granger, Murphy, and Foster/Rasho), yet you think that Dunleavy feasted off the scraps of last season? What about the season before when he first came to Indy? What about the concept that now that he's playing with a decent PG for the first time in Indy that that might actually help him improve as it has for Granger?

I'm not saying it's going to happen. I'm just saying it's just as likely, if not more likely that if/when Dunleavy gets healthy, that he'll improve with a consistent and effective player at PG in TJ Ford.


Also, how the heck is Daniels more versatile than Dunleavy? Wasn't Dunleavy lauded by all the pundits last year as a huge improvement in his career by statements of how versatile he was?


Man, this had to be my first post back.