What is our biggest need?

[Miller4ever]

The offseason has started for us, and it's time to look at what this team needs the most to improve. It'd be great to solve all these problems at once, but realistically, they have to be dealt with one at a time. Remember, this is the biggest need to WIN GAMES, not fill seats or unnecessarily round out a team towards some formula that gets broken every year anyway.

Post defense-between Hibbert and Murphy, opposing centers enjoyed extended time at the charity stripe. Jeff Foster and Rasho Nesterovic both played good defense, but when they are your best post defenders AND they play limited minutes, there's a problem.

Post offense-while Troy Murphy can fill it up, he does most of his scoring from outside, and Roy Hibbert isn't usually on the floor long enough to give the Pacers a consistent scoring threat inside.

Pure distributor-None of the Pacers point guards can be classified as pure distributors (except Jamaal Tinsley, but...c'mon). The lack of ball movement leads to too much iso and makes it difficult to generate inside threats from backdoors and pick-and-rolls. This is a huge problem in tandem with lack of post offense.

Coach-Everyone knows O'Brien is not perfect, and although he does implement some good strategies, he has made a few questionable decisions. He continuously had Jarrett Jack guarding larger players, and opposing SG's would often go to town on the Pacers defense.

[cdash]

I voted post defense. I think Granger and Rush can anchor the defense on the wings, and if Jack stays with the team and continues to start, that's a solid defensive backcourt. Our post defense this year was dreadful. Murphy is a terrible defender, Hibbert fouls like it's his job, Foster is okay, but we need an upgrade defensively in the post. I think Hibbert will be able to fill the void of a post scorer a little bit better next year, but offense wasn't our problem. We can score all day. We need to stop the other teams from scoring. A defensive enforcer with decent athleticism in the post would be huge. I wouldn't be shocked to see us revisit the Tyson Chandler trade.

[Granger da OG]

I thought maybe a Chandler trade would be re-visited too, but i dont think it will happen without Rasho

[count55]

[Miller4ever]

^^Pacer needs, not Pacer fan needs, but I'll take it

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I voted for a new coach.

Our biggest on court need is clearly a defensive post presence, but thats not going to make a difference when our coach doesn't know how to teach defense. Obie improved a lot after the All-Star break, but he was absolutely awful before that, and even had a few games after that were terrible. If you have Jarrett Jack playing SF for any reason at any point in the season, you need to go.

[chatard5]

I said post defense. I personally don't like the up-tempo style of play. It doesn't win championships. If we didn't have such an up-tempo style of play we wouldn't give up so many points. I want to give O'Brien a chance with the new core, but he really needs to focus on defense, in my opinion.

[count55]

I voted for a new coach.

Our biggest on court need is clearly a defensive post presence, but thats not going to make a difference when our coach doesn't know how to teach defense. Obie improved a lot after the All-Star break, but he was absolutely awful before that, and even had a few games after that were terrible. If you have Jarrett Jack playing SF for any reason at any point in the season, you need to go.

Absolutely...you have to be clueless about defense to coach three different top ten defensive teams.

[count55]

Second...Post Defense ain't the problem. Nobody pounds the ball inside on us...they don't have to..they spread us out and cut us to pieces. We need team speed. We need an interior defender who can protect the rim, and we need more speed on the outside.

Regarding this whole "fast paced" offense myth...this offense is S-L-O-W. The only reason it looks fast is that the rest of the league is glacial. We have an entire generation ruined by the '90's, and the clutch-and-grab **** perpetuated by the Pistons the Knicks. While the Bulls were a great team, there is not another champion or finals team that has played since the early '90's that would have even played for a title in the '80's, when the league was about 10% faster, and the defense was actually better. In fact, this year's average defensive rating would have been tied for the worst during the '80's.

Side note on defense: The Pacers gave up 106 pts per game, while the Mavs gave up just a tick under 100. Mavs are an OK defensive team, while the Pacers suck, right? Wrong...actually, they're both mediocre to bad. Per 100 possessions, the Pacers gave up 109.2 points, while the Mavs gave up 108.4. So the Mavs bored you and called it defense. (How did they win so many more games? They were a more efficient offensive team, thanks in no small part to the presence of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, two future HoFers.)

In response to Jordan, teams slowed things down, and now we've spent almost 20 years polishing a turd and calling it basketball. They aren't playing defense so much as they're playing keep away.

I despise the Lakers, but if they win the title this year, they'll be the fastest paced team since the 94 Rockets to win it. It ain't fast, but at least it would go some way to dispelling this bizarre notion that you have to stage greco roman wrestling matches to win a title, and we can get back to playing basketball.

Do you realize that this "up tempo" style of play is only one possession faster than the first Detroit Bad Boys Champion?

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I could care less what hes done in the past, he can't get our guys to play defense to save his life. He uses all these excuses, but we really have some better defenders than our stats would show. JO used to be a 22/10 guy...maybe we should bring him back too! Yes, I realize that was the worst analogy ever made, hence me making it(figured I'd be the guy to do it), and that coaching is different than playing, but we were terrible on the defensive end all year long, when really we have about a mediocre defensive team, talent wise. We need a post defender for sure, but even Murphy wasn't all that bad this year, it was Obie's rotations and style that screwed us.

Also, who is that second girl in your photos?

[cdash]

Second...Post Defense ain't the problem. Nobody pounds the ball inside on us...they don't have to..they spread us out and cut us to pieces. We need team speed. We need an interior defender who can protect the rim, and we need more speed on the outside.

Regarding this whole "fast paced" offense myth...this offense is S-L-O-W. The only reason it looks fast is that the rest of the league is glacial. We have an entire generation ruined by the '90's, and the clutch-and-grab **** perpetuated by the Pistons the Knicks. While the Bulls were a great team, there is not another champion or finals team that has played since the early '90's that would have even played for a title in the '80's, when the league was about 10% faster, and the defense was actually better. In fact, this year's average defensive rating would have been tied for the worst during the '80's.

Side note on defense: The Pacers gave up 106 pts per game, while the Mavs gave up just a tick under 100. Mavs are an OK defensive team, while the Pacers suck, right? Wrong...actually, they're both mediocre to bad. Per 100 possessions, the Pacers gave up 109.2 points, while the Mavs gave up 108.4. So the Mavs bored you and called it defense. (How did they win so many more games? They were a more efficient offensive team, thanks in no small part to the presence of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, two future HoFers.)

In response to Jordan, teams slowed things down, and now we've spent almost 20 years polishing a turd and calling it basketball. They aren't playing defense so much as they're playing keep away.

I despise the Lakers, but if they win the title this year, they'll be the fastest paced team since the 94 Rockets to win it. It ain't fast, but at least it would go some way to dispelling this bizarre notion that you have to stage greco roman wrestling matches to win a title, and we can get back to playing basketball.

Do you realize that this "up tempo" style of play is only one possession faster than the first Detroit Bad Boys Champion?

Keep in mind, its allllll relative...

[kdawg531]

Bring in Antonio McDyess

[Miller4ever]

One reason why we don't defend well under Obie's man-to-man is because as a team, we lack athleticism. We simply get outmaneuvered, and then the guys inside have little choice but to hack.

To count, I say that I wish we were also back in the heyday of the NBA, but for a variety of reasons, the games has slowed down, and it's within that context that we are discussing. Also, if we had the Mavs defense, we might've won about 5-8 more games, if the ppg margin went to us by .5 per game. So it does make a difference. Not all of it was better offense, and even then, the Pacers look atrocious at times on both ends of the floor, but our defense looks sadder than our offense. Our offense looks like it's coming along fine, if the end of the season was any indication. To me, our defense is our weakest link, and since perimeter athleticism and size is something lacking in this year's draft (at least the 13th pick that we'd likely have) it's both easier to acquire (and more probable) a defensive presence in the post, who blocks shots rather than hacks.

[chatard5]

Maybe pre 90s it was just really fast and the 90s was normal? We are fast-paced for the current NBA, which is what I compare it to. If the stats disagree, then I didn't realize we were that great at offense (I know we are pretty bad at D).

[IndieRuso420]

Post Defense and I got someone in mind.

[Miller4ever]

^^Rhymes with Thasheem Habeet.

[Gremz]

We need two things. Tinsley removed from the books, and time to grow.

This seasons' performance is where I had imagined, short of the playoffs but with promise shown.
The biggest need is to keep this core group of guys around to allow them to gel in a manner that will see us progress to the the playoffs.

[cdash]

Jarvis Varnado. He declared for the draft, but isn't hiring an agent. He's listed at 6'9, he's really athletic, he's a great rebounder, and the best shot blocker in college basketball (that includes Thabeet). Chad Ford projects him at mid to late first round. Screw it, let's take him at 13. I like this guy. He could step in and give us minutes at the four, rebound, and defend. He's not much on the offensive end, but he could be a solid rotation guy for years.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Jarvis Varnado. He declared for the draft, but isn't hiring an agent. He's listed at 6'9, he's really athletic, he's a great rebounder, and the best shot blocker in college basketball (that includes Thabeet). Chad Ford projects him at mid to late first round. Screw it, let's take him at 13. I like this guy. He could step in and give us minutes at the four, rebound, and defend. He's not much on the offensive end, but he could be a solid rotation guy for years.

I really haven't heard of him before, but from the sounds of it, he'd actually be a guy I'd reach for...just not Patterson or Blair.

[granger05]

I clicked into this thread specifically to write "Jarvis Varnado." I see I was beat out. I also noticed that he just declared for the draft. I think he'll be available at our pick, and he does the exact things we need. I doubt he'll ever be a star player of any kind, but getting someone out of this draft that can actually contribute seems like a big win.