Pacers Offseason Predictions

[OnFire]

i know it's Bleacher Report
but they did mention us
quite a number of times
in their slideshow.

may just show how much
we're going to be players
in free agency and how
we're a team on the rise.

any case, here are links
that mentioned us and
their rationales:

David West Signs With IND
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/750759-nba-50-bold-predictions-for-the-offseason/page/17

George Hill Starts At PG
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/750759-nba-50-bold-predictions-for-the-offseason/page/19

Jamal Crawford Signs With IND
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/750759-nba-50-bold-predictions-for-the-offseason/page/35

Danny Granger Will Be Shopped
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/750759-nba-50-bold-predictions-for-the-offseason/page/39

your thoughts.

[Pacersike]

Yes.

Not bold at all.

Dear god, I hope not.

Coïncidence? A Timberwolves Featured Columnist?

Kahn
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/7507 ... on/page/50

[mizzoupacers]

I doubt any of the four actually happens. And the only one I would want to happen is the first one, and only if the price is right.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Hill acquisition a lot. I just don't think he's our next starting point guard, nor should he be. He's our next sixth man, and (my bold prediction) one of the two or three best sixth men in the league next season (assuming there is a season).

[FreeRon]

I can see number 1 and number 4 happening. West fills a need for us and we are one of the few teams with space to sign him and a need at PF. If McRoberts is going to be overpaid I would prefer someone else do it, and I can't see us re-signing him if we sign West. I can also see Granger being shopped as he still has a lot of value (I think) and he doesn't really fit our team. I love him to death, but JOB turned him into a 3-point chucker and from my perspective we did better shooting the shots we could actually hit. I gather from Spurs fans that Hill is more of a SG, so we could start DC-Hill-George-West/Tyler-Hibbert and have Price-Rush-DJones-Tyler-Foster off the bench. It's really hard saying, though, as I can't even put a projected lineup on paper without big question marks. The core of our team is set, but I think there will be a lot of changes in the supporting cast. I also think signing Jamal Crawford would be a ridiculous idea when we have more pressing needs. That's why they pay Larry the big bucks, though.

[mizzoupacers]

There is absolutely no reason for the Pacers to get Jamal Crawford now that they've added George Hill.

[23artest23]

Id be surprised if we managed to snag Jamal but if we did, I would be stoked. To me, he is wildly . underrated. Incredibly underrated as a clutch player and just flat disrespected offensively. In my opinion, JC can match any player in the league point for point on the offensive side of the ball. He gives a bit on defense and that is about my only gripe about JC. I'll take him over Hill any day of the week and if he still has it in him to run an offense, I might just take him over DC as well.

[glasket]

Id be surprised if we managed to snag Jamal but if we did, I would be stoked. To me, he is wildly . underrated. Incredibly underrated as a clutch player and just flat disrespected offensively. In my opinion, JC can match any player in the league point for point on the offensive side of the ball. He gives a bit on defense and that is about my only gripe about JC. I'll take him over Hill any day of the week and if he still has it in him to run an offense, I might just take him over DC as well.

Must admit I like both players, and maybe at this stage JC more then Hill, but only becuase I haven't seen too much of Hill.
Now that we have Hill, we don't need JC in my opinion

[Boneman2]

There is absolutely no reason for the Pacers to get Jamal Crawford now that they've added George Hill.

Seems pretty logical that the Pacers cannot invest that kind of money in the backcourt, basically signing Crawford suggests Hill will not be resigned.

I have thought about #2 quite a bit. The reason being is that we just invested a ton in Hill, while Collison was virtually free. It doesn't make sense to give up so much for a player and not expect him to start. If Bird is sure Hill and Stephenson can man the position, right now is the time to move Collison because GM's still remember his stats in New Orleans. However, Bird suggested there was ample time for Collison and Hill to play a lot of minutes. I just don't know where that leaves the " Best player on the team" (Lance). A lot of mixed signals are the norm with this regime.

I guess we need to expect the unexpected because nothing is certain. I could've sworn Bird also liked Marshon Brooks, but obviously not enough to acquire a virtually-free 1st to select him with.

Good luck predicting. Based off all of the predictions from the draft, nobody even came close.

[mikefly3113]

I could see 1 or 4 happening but not both. absolutely not to 2 or 3, DC will be better next season and he is a perfect pg for this team. I like jamal crawford but you already signed him his name is george hill, plus george hill is a superior defender

[Moooose]

I don't think Granger is still untouchable, especially if George develops some more. By dealing Granger, we could easily get the player we wanted to fit our system, notably a bigtime starting SG.

[FreeRon]

I could see 1 or 4 happening but not both.

I think the opposite actually. The idea of getting West would be to set us at the 4. That would mean little to no of the DC-Hill-George-Granger-Hibbert lineup that I think we could see a lot as of now. It would definitely depend what we got in return and a lot still depends on who we re-sign, but I see Granger being moved much easier (on our part) if he's not needed for minutes at the 4.

[chube]

I have thought about #2 quite a bit. The reason being is that we just invested a ton in Hill, while Collison was virtually free. It doesn't make sense to give up so much for a player and not expect him to start. If Bird is sure Hill and Stephenson can man the position, right now is the time to move Collison because GM's still remember his stats in New Orleans. However, Bird suggested there was ample time for Collison and Hill to play a lot of minutes. I just don't know where that leaves the " Best player on the team" (Lance). A lot of mixed signals are the norm with this regime.

I truly think Bird is banking on a guard rotation of Collison, Hill, Stephenson, and maybe Price. Hill and Stephenson are versatile/just big enough to play both guard positions off the bench. I wouldn't think Bird is counting on moving Collison at the moment. He performed nicely last year, especially under Vogel and really found his footing after the change. Also don't forget, he just finished his second year and has already had four coaches (Byron Scott and Jeff Bowers in New Orleans, Jim No'Brain and Frank Vogel here.) Learning all those systems while trying to learn the league would hamper a lot of young players. Bird said that he was trying to build a knockout bench and I truly think with the acquisition of Hill, it was part of that.

[Boneman2]

^^^ Paul George also figures heavily into the guard rotation. You figure he'll start at the 2 and play atleast 20-22 minutes there, his other 10-14 minutes should come backing up the 3.

At this point there are only 66 backcourt minutes to split between Hill, Collison, and Stephenson. Making matters worse for Lance is that his counterparts are 30+ m.p.g. players, leaving no time for ' the best player on the team.

Also I believe George Hill showed great competitiveness out in SA, while filling in for the injured Parker. I believe he aspires to be a starter in this league, based off of the way he played behind TP. Ultimately, I don't think he'd think twice about taking DC's job. I guess the competition should benefit both players, but I just don't want anyone walking around on eggshells, like they did with Obie. If Vogel and Shaw can shape these players to compete for one another, instead of against one another, we have a chance to improve by 8-12 wins next season.

What if we were to offer DeAndre Jordan 4 yr/ 40 mill. If LAC matches it'll tighten their budget to retain Gordon, if not we've got a very good up and coming shot-blocker/rebounder/post-scorer. I'd just rather offer that kind of money to Jordan over the likes of West, Landry, & Humphries. Nene is the only other player I'd want over Jordan out of all the f/a's, restricted or not.

[Miller4ever]

DeAndre Jordan has a shot at becoming a presence like Tyson Chandler. I would welcome him.

[mizzoupacers]

Jordan looks to me to be strictly a center. I can't envision him and Hibbert on the court at the same time. If you want to pay Jordan $10 million a year, you're saying you want him to start over Hibbert and play lots of minutes. You're basically relegating Hibbert to minor status. I guess I need more convincing that Jordan is good enough to be worth all that.

As for the backcourt, with Hill I see the Pacers using mainly a three-guard rotation next season, with Hill backing up both guard spots and getting 30 minutes a game. Stephenson is the fourth guard if he shows he's ready for it. I doubt Price plays very much unless someone higher in the rotation gets hurt.

[Boneman2]

Jordan is very athletic for his size, and he is quick enough to guard most 4's imo. I liken him to Noah from the Bulls, in that his impact is not always felt in the statistics. Much like JO in Portland, DeAndre has been developing behind better players, just marinating. In the meantime he has added a lot of muscle to his frame.

To me he could make Hib expendable, if they couldn't play together.

[Solid]

Jordan's high on my list too. If he can really guard most of the forwards in the league I think Danny, Tyler and PG can cover the rest of them.

If we get one more player I'd like Nene then Jordan.
If we can swig two I'd take West and the best l defensive 5 we can afford. Delembert, Okafor, Varejao, Udoh, Biyombo.

[paulgeorge24]

Crawford is not out of the realm of possibilities now that our chance to get Mayo fizzled. Crawford can definitely create for himself and to an extent others. He thrives coming off the bench as well. Not likely but not unreasonable.

With Nene and West you have an interesting comparison. Nene puts up his best year in a contract year so he's possibly prone to getting paid and underperforming. West has been consistently good for years but now a knee injury puts his future in question. Nene might bring more defense and rebounding but West gives you a bona fide scorer from inside the 3 point line and into the paint.

Guys like Jordan are a dime a dozen. Go back through the draft threads and through other past posts. Athletic big guys are not hard to come by.

[Miller4ever]

Athletic big guys who produce are hard to come by, though. Jordan can do just that.

[Boneman2]

Crawford is not out of the realm of possibilities now that our chance to get Mayo fizzled. Crawford can definitely create for himself and to an extent others. He thrives coming off the bench as well. Not likely but not unreasonable.

With Nene and West you have an interesting comparison. Nene puts up his best year in a contract year so he's possibly prone to getting paid and underperforming. West has been consistently good for years but now a knee injury puts his future in question. Nene might bring more defense and rebounding but West gives you a bona fide scorer from inside the 3 point line and into the paint.

Guys like Jordan are a dime a dozen. Go back through the draft threads and through other past posts. Athletic big guys are not hard to come by.

Our chance to get Mayo or Crawford fizzled once we got Hill. The fact Hill expires after this season should tell you we are not interested in any other wings. Also, we have another player, maybe you've heard of him, his name is Paul George. Also, don't forget ' the best player on the team. The very last thing Bird would do is commit what it would take to sign a PF, and give that money to Jamal Crawford. This is not even close to realistic.

Agreed on Nene and the contract yr. theory. West, on the other hand, is not only too old, but he is coming off a significant injury. That combination screams for anyone to avoid the situation.

You missed on Jordan.... at 6'11" 265 lbs. and only 23 y.o. the sky is the limit for him. He will only improve, and I say his ceiling is 16 pts/ 11 rbs/ 2.8 blks. A guy like DeAndre should really hit his stride, in a couple seasons.