Future Rankings
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:49 pm
Does anyone have ESPN Insider and get to check out the Future Rankings by Ford? I'm interested to see where they ranked the Blue and Gold.
20. Indiana Pacers | Future Power Rating: 469
PLAYERS MANAGEMENT MONEY MARKET DRAFT
158 (22nd) 101 (15th) 107 (11th) 40 (20th) 64 (9th)
It's been almost five years since the infamous brawl in Auburn Hills, and the Pacers are still recovering. Ron Artest, the main culprit among the Pacers, is now in Los Angeles trying to win a championship. Indiana, meanwhile, is nowhere near the franchise it was then, when it appeared to be the league's best.
The Pacers succeeded in trading away Artest and other bad seeds, but the transactions have left Indiana with a depleted roster that has just one All-Star, Danny Granger. The rest of Granger's supporting cast would be pretty good role players on a championship contender but struggle to carry the load while starting for the Pacers. While young players Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush and Tyler Hansbrough have some talent, not one looks like the kind of star Granger needs to play alongside.
The good news for Pacers fans is that team president Larry Bird and GM David Morway have a plan. They have been methodically cleansing the roster and saving up salary cap space for 2011. Once Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Foster and T.J. Ford come off the books, the Pacers can go strongly after a couple of top-tier free agents to play with Granger.
If the Pacers can lure stars to Indiana, their future should be a lot brighter than our rankings suggest. On the other hand, if we assume their acquisitions will be more modest, the Pacers appear to be a marginal playoff contender in future seasons.