Pacers vs. Pelicans

[boomershadow]

I didn't watch. Did anyone here? I tend not to during the preseason.

I did read the game recap at http://www.nba.com/pacers/rewind/pacers-pelicans-151003. I also read somewhere that PG was -17 for the game. The team is still very new to all this. It's going to take some time. I'm not worried.

[mizzoupacers]

Didn't watch the game, but read Paul George's comments afterward. Sounds like he is less than thrilled with playing power forward. The game was meaningless, but PG being so public about not wanting to play the four gives me a bad feeling.

[mikepacernation]

Well let's play the one bright light on this team a position he doesn't want to play.. That's just gonna make him wanna leave..


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[RollingWave]

Just boxscore watching this a bit it seems like the starting lineup with George at PF got destroyed pretty badly. he finished with a -17 in just 23 min, yikes.

[ThirtyOne]

Didn't watch the game, but read Paul George's comments afterward. Sounds like he is less than thrilled with playing power forward. The game was meaningless, but PG being so public about not wanting to play the four gives me a bad feeling.

Kinda upset with PG's attitude based on his post-game quotes. He comes across as whiney. Like Larry said, hes not the guy to make decisions around here.

"I don't know if I'm cut out for a four-spot," he added. "I don't know if this is my position. We'll sit and watch tape and I'll talk with Coach. I'll talk with Larry (Bird, team president) as well. I'll get their inputs on how the first game went."

Cant believe he sounds so defeated after one preseason game. The success of this depends on how much everyone buys in to the system. He also mentioned how other teammates are not happy with it. Smh. Weve played one preseason game for gods sake. Not sure hes there mentally to accept this challenge. If he wants to be in the category of MVP level guys like Lebron, Carmelo then he needs to be more adaptable and have the ability to play multiple positions.

[pacers33granger]

Didn't watch the game, but read Paul George's comments afterward. Sounds like he is less than thrilled with playing power forward. The game was meaningless, but PG being so public about not wanting to play the four gives me a bad feeling.

Kinda upset with PG's attitude based on his post-game quotes. He comes across as whiney. Like Larry said, hes not the guy to make decisions around here.

"I don't know if I'm cut out for a four-spot," he added. "I don't know if this is my position. We'll sit and watch tape and I'll talk with Coach. I'll talk with Larry (Bird, team president) as well. I'll get their inputs on how the first game went."

Cant believe he sounds so defeated after one preseason game. The success of this depends on how much everyone buys in to the system. He also mentioned how other teammates are not happy with it. Smh. Weve played one preseason game for gods sake. Not sure hes there mentally to accept this challenge. If he wants to be in the category of MVP level guys like Lebron, Carmelo then he needs to be more adaptable and have the ability to play multiple positions.

Yeah which is why I was more than fine with Bird's comments about Hibbert. We can't have guys making excuses and not buying in. I totally get where George is coming from here, but at least give it a try. I'd assume we wouldn't play him much at the 4 in a regular season game againt NOP and Davis. He should be more than fine with it once it's against someone like Melo.

And the comments about having to box out are weird. I didn't watch the game, but Vogel said before he still wants him on the perimeter on defense.

[boomershadow]

Didn't watch the game, but read Paul George's comments afterward. Sounds like he is less than thrilled with playing power forward. The game was meaningless, but PG being so public about not wanting to play the four gives me a bad feeling.

Kinda upset with PG's attitude based on his post-game quotes. He comes across as whiney. Like Larry said, hes not the guy to make decisions around here.

"I don't know if I'm cut out for a four-spot," he added. "I don't know if this is my position. We'll sit and watch tape and I'll talk with Coach. I'll talk with Larry (Bird, team president) as well. I'll get their inputs on how the first game went."

Cant believe he sounds so defeated after one preseason game. The success of this depends on how much everyone buys in to the system. He also mentioned how other teammates are not happy with it. Smh. Weve played one preseason game for gods sake. Not sure hes there mentally to accept this challenge. If he wants to be in the category of MVP level guys like Lebron, Carmelo then he needs to be more adaptable and have the ability to play multiple positions.

Still, having a guy start at 3 different positions over the span of a relatively short career is asking a lot. Most NBA players cant play even one position at an elite level.

[mizzoupacers]

I'm torn here. On the one hand, it's never good to have the "inmates running the asylum"--PG probably needs to let management manage, and he definitely needs to not publicly second-guess the front office and coaching staff.

On the other hand, playing him out of position at power forward just seems like a bad idea. Offensively, it's a wash--George will be tough for power forwards to guard, but he is already tough for small forwards/perimeter defenders to guard. Defensively, it clearly is to George's disadvantage--PG is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league because he is bigger than most perimeter players yet athletic enough to keep up with them; put him inside, and you put him at a size disadvantage by asking him to body up against bigger, stronger guys.

The only reason to play him at the four is to cover a glaring weakness--which, admittedly, the Pacers might have at power forward. Playing George at the four might help the Pacers to put their five best players on the court together. But for this year, with this nonchampionship-caliber team, I'm not sure it is worth making your franchise player unhappy.

[Scoot McGroot]

Especially surprising since he seemed to produce very well at the 4, and throw off Anthony Davis as well.

[pacers33granger]

From Vogel's comments I really believe that George will almost always only play significant time at the 4 on stretch 4s and guys like Melo/Lebron when they play there. Vogel said he still wanted him guarding guys on the perimeter primarily.

It's the first preseason game and playing him there a lot early on in meaningless games is the best way to try things out and see where it may work.

[Scoot McGroot]

From Vogel's comments I really believe that George will almost always only play significant time at the 4 on stretch 4s and guys like Melo/Lebron when they play there. Vogel said he still wanted him guarding guys on the perimeter primarily.

It's the first preseason game and playing him there a lot early on in meaningless games is the best way to try things out and see where it may work.

Especially with a team like New Orleans. Who else would you rather he guard than their star, a not yet filled out fast PF in Anthony Davis?

[boomershadow]

From Vogel's comments I really believe that George will almost always only play significant time at the 4 on stretch 4s and guys like Melo/Lebron when they play there. Vogel said he still wanted him guarding guys on the perimeter primarily.

It's the first preseason game and playing him there a lot early on in meaningless games is the best way to try things out and see where it may work.

This is why i dont think starting him at pf works. What happens when we start PG and they start an experienced low-post banger like AD, bad things are gonna happen.

[pacers33granger]

From Vogel's comments I really believe that George will almost always only play significant time at the 4 on stretch 4s and guys like Melo/Lebron when they play there. Vogel said he still wanted him guarding guys on the perimeter primarily.

It's the first preseason game and playing him there a lot early on in meaningless games is the best way to try things out and see where it may work.

This is why i dont think starting him at pf works. What happens when we start PG and they start an experienced low-post banger like AD, bad things are gonna happen.

In the regular season I'd expect us to start someone else at the 4 against guys like Davis, Griffin, Randolph, etc.

We don't know either way for sure, but everything Vogel/Bird has said seems to point to this being matchup dependent and George's high minutes at the 4 in preseason seems just a way to gather as much data on how/when it could work.

[Scoot McGroot]

From Vogel's comments I really believe that George will almost always only play significant time at the 4 on stretch 4s and guys like Melo/Lebron when they play there. Vogel said he still wanted him guarding guys on the perimeter primarily.

It's the first preseason game and playing him there a lot early on in meaningless games is the best way to try things out and see where it may work.

This is why i dont think starting him at pf works. What happens when we start PG and they start an experienced low-post banger like AD, bad things are gonna happen.

See, I don't consider Anthony Davis a low post banger, since he can play every inch of the court offensively, and face you up just as much, if not more, than back you down.

[8305]

The way Larry has handled this with the media is perplexing. He could be delivering a message of "we're playing smaller and quicker, there will be times when all of our wings will be matched up against opponents 4's." Instead I keep reading quotes attributed to Larry where he's saying Paul will be our 4. Seems like he's just asking for this discussion between Paul and the media and a position change. I'd like to think Larry is smarter than that.

Coming off game one its sounds like Paul doesn't want the responsibility of making the block out on the bigger stronger player. He'd rather be the guy who clears the rebound. Said another way "let someone else do the dirty work." And, that's probably the way it should be. Let someone who isn't going to be asked to carry the team in so many other ways carry some of the load and match up with the bigger guy. Now CJ Miles may not be the best guy for that assignment. So might a solution involve taking a look at Budinger, Solo or Robinson as the starter?

[pacers33granger]

The way Larry has handled this with the media is perplexing. He could be delivering a message of "we're playing smaller and quicker, there will be times when all of our wings will be matched up against opponents 4's." Instead I keep reading quotes attributed to Larry where he's saying Paul will be our 4. Seems like he's just asking for this discussion between Paul and the media and a position change. I'd like to think Larry is smarter than that.

If I had to guess, I'd say Bird is just tired of placating guys and wants to send a message that he won't be dealing with it anymore and that it's management/coaches call.

Maybe not the right thing to do or the right place (if this is the case), but it's kind of understandable. Since being in Indy, he's been burned by prominent guys not buying in with Artest, Tinsley, Jackson, Lance, and Hibbert, and even to an extent O'Neal. On another note, one of the many reasons I'd like to keep George Hill around even if we start out poorly is because he always buys into what the team wants from him and does his job and we need our vets to be like that.

[Scoot McGroot]

The way Larry has handled this with the media is perplexing. He could be delivering a message of "we're playing smaller and quicker, there will be times when all of our wings will be matched up against opponents 4's." Instead I keep reading quotes attributed to Larry where he's saying Paul will be our 4. Seems like he's just asking for this discussion between Paul and the media and a position change. I'd like to think Larry is smarter than that.

If I had to guess, I'd say Bird is just tired of placating guys and wants to send a message that he won't be dealing with it anymore and that it's management/coaches call.

Maybe not the right thing to do or the right place (if this is the case), but it's kind of understandable. Since being in Indy, he's been burned by prominent guys not buying in with Artest, Tinsley, Jackson, Lance, and Hibbert, and even to an extent O'Neal.

Not to an extent. Clearly. JO had no interest in playing team ball. He did want he wanted, when he wanted. He was just in his prime, and so good, that he got away with it. If he didn't want to practice? He just walked off the court. For most of those years, Scot Pollard was the starter in practice because JO just "didn't want to do it".