Pacers will finish 7th or 8th in the East

zab_tabak01 · Post #1 » by **zab_tabak01** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 1:15 am

Yes. I am confident you will make the playoffs. why?
1) Tj Ford + Rasho have never missed the playoffs since entering into the NBA.
2) Granger can control more offense with JO gone. expect huge numbers
3) dunleavy + murphy will have huge years because TJ is the perfect pg for spot up outside shooters.

there will be a battle between the Hawks, pacers and philly for 7 and 8.
I think you will get it.

btw i am not a pacers fan. but i like what bird has done.

Post #2 » by **Grang33r** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 1:22 am

Is 7th or 8th even considered making the playoffs?

But it's all way too early to say. Philly may be close to getting Elton Brand, which would change alot in the East. The Magic about to get Pietrus and i think that will make them a top 4 team again. Toronto will be strong. East is building up.

Dcbaseballer52 · Post #3 » by **Dcbaseballer52** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 1:30 am

The Magic are already a top 4 team. But to say 7th and 8th will be between pacers, 76ers and hawks is to say that it will play out like last year and the Bulls and Heat won't even be factors, which I can not agree with

Tier 1: Celtics, Magic, Cavaliers, Pistons
Tier 2: Bulls, Raptors,Wizards
Tier 3: Hawks, Heat, Pacers, 76ers, Bucks
Tier 4: Bobcats,Knicks
Tier 5: Nets

Post #4 » by **Grang33r** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 1:55 am

Dcbaseballer52 wrote:The Magic are already a top 4 team. But to say 7th and 8th will be between pacers, 76ers and hawks is to say that it will play out like last year and the Bulls and Heat won't even be factors, which I can not agree with

Tier 1: Celtics, Magic, Cavaliers, Pistons
Tier 2: Bulls, Raptors,Wizards
Tier 3: Hawks, Heat, Pacers, 76ers, Bucks
Tier 4: Bobcats,Knicks
Tier 5: Nets

Yahoo sports is reporting Brand will in fact sign with the Sixers tomorrow, and IMO that moves them from Tier 3 to Tier 2. They are in a higher class then we are. Maybe it keeps them in tier 3 but moves us to tier 4? lol I don't know, either way, Sixers improved by alot.

Grangerous · Post #5 » by **Grangerous** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:00 am

if sixers sign brand i think you can almost but them in tier 1 if he's the same brand of 2 years ago.

FreeRon · Post #6 » by **FreeRon** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:19 am

That's a big if. I'm not about to say he's garbage, but I don't think that he moves them up a tier until he proves he's got his game back. Also, I know that a lot of people said Rose was better than Beasley but who honestly sees Rose - B Gordon - Deng - Gooden - Noah being better than Banks - Wade - Marion - Beasley - InsertNameHere?

joew8302 · Post #7 » by **joew8302** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:58 am

I think 7 or 8 for this team is about their ceiling. It will be interesting to see how all these new guys work together though.

Dcbaseballer52 · Post #8 » by **Dcbaseballer52** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 3:25 am

Andre Miller/Louis Williams
Andre Iguodala/Willie Green
Thaddeus Young/Rodney Carney
Elton Brand/Marreese Speights
Samuel Dalembert/Reggie Evans

assuming brand is still the double double machine he has always been... I would say they move to tier 2 with a ceiling of #3 or#4m while likely being in the 4-7 range

cdash · Post #9 » by **cdash** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 6:28 am

First of all, they need to resign Igoudala. Second, they need to sign at least one long range shooter...but that team looks awfully strong on paper.

Post #10 » by **Miller4ever** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 8:27 am

I don't think Elton Brand will have quite an effect on Philly's win-loss.

The case against Brand is as follows. Pay careful attention.

The season that the Clippers advanced to the second round of the playoffs was due to the grit and experience of their guard combo: Cuttino Mobley still had some gas and was coming up clutch, and Sam Cassell just scared people with his scoring ability and...face. Now, Brand was averaging monstrous numbers the seasons prior, alongside other supporting luminaries (more on this later) such as Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette, Darius Miles, and Quentin Richardson. His 20-10 line has always been astoundingly consistent, but his team's win-loss has always been shaky. Then, Cassell mumbles and the Clippers are back to their bottom-5 position in the Western Conference.

Why is this? Because he is a support-star. A support-star is somebody who gets numbers, and is integral to the team's success, but are hardly a factor when a game comes to the clutch time when sheer will and effort wins games. Examples are: Jermaine O'Neal, Yao Ming, Shawn Marion, David West, Ray Allen, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Antawn Jamison, Richard Jefferson, among others. They post all-star numbers, but they haven't the late-game fire like the leaders whose desire to win trumps the other team (Reggie Miller on Knicks, Lebron James on Pistons, even Pierce on Lakers).

So, he's basically transferring himself to the Eastern version of the Clippers.

FreeRon · Post #11 » by **FreeRon** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 5:49 pm

I don't know that you can put David West on any list of players you say don't have fire or desire. It may be that when I turn on the TV he magically plays with intensity, but regardless I've never seen him slack. Just because he doesn't yell and wave his arms and throw stuff doesn't mean he doesn't have passion.

Post #12 » by **count55** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 7:48 pm

FreeRon wrote:I don't know that you can put David West on any list of players you say don't have fire or desire. It may be that when I turn on the TV he magically plays with intensity, but regardless I've never seen him slack. Just because he doesn't yell and wave his arms and throw stuff doesn't mean he doesn't have passion.

While M4E's wording is a little problematic, I don't think he was saying that those guys didn't play hard, with intensity, or have "fire and desire". I believe the key word was will.

That's a tough benchmark, and can be confusing. To me, there have been very few players in the NBA capable of "willing" their team to win. These guys include Magic, Larry, Michael. Today's players might be Duncan or LeBron, maybe Kobe and Wade. I don't believe that not being included in this group should be considered an insult. Quite the contrary: the vast majority of players, including HOFers, wouldn't qualify. I believe he was talking about that certain undefinable something that makes the difference between an excellent player and an all-time great.

That make any sense?

Post #13 » by **PR07** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:28 am

Definitely better than us: Celtics, Pistons, Cavs, Magic

Should be better than us: Raptors, Wizards

Dogfight: 76ers, Hawks, Bulls, Heat, Bucks

I think we have a good shot at acquiring the 7th or 8th seed. I see the 76ers getting in with Brand. I see the Hawks losing ground because I think Josh Smith is a goner there. The Bulls and Heat could be a lot better depending on how ready Rose and Beasley are, right now, it looks like Beasley has the edge. Bucks could surprise with Richard Jefferson now in the fold, but I see them just missing out.

Post #14 » by **Miller4ever** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:08 am

Wording's always going to be fuzzy when you talk about intangibles. I wish I could say what I meant.

cdash · Post #15 » by **cdash** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:08 pm

I think the rest of the league is sleeping on the Pacers...just like they did the Sixers last year. They finished the season before strong, nobody thought much about them, and they crash the playoffs and give the Pistons a decent enough series. We made some moves, but our lack of starpower and the big name acquisitions by teams like the Sixers, Bulls, and Heat have people focused elsewhere. I have never been much of a homer, but I really think we could get as high as the 5th seed in the East. I suspect at least one team will falter big time (my bet is on Washington, Atlanta, or Orlando), and we will play better than expected.