State of the cap evaluation is nbadraft.net's annual feature. They summarize good/bad/future in respect of each team and give a grade in the end.
Yesterday they published one on the Pacers.
http://www.nbadraft.net/2006stateofthecapindiana001.asp
State of the Cap: Indiana Pacers
2006/07 Indiana Pacers Payroll: $61.1 million
2006/07 Estimated NBA Salary Cap: $52 million
Roughly: $9.1 million over cap
The Good: Indiana's cap situation starts to improve this off-season. Scot Pollard and Reggie Miller come off the books, saving the team $12.3 million. And despite the fact that the Pacers owe Austin Croshere and Jonathan Bender a combined $17.3 million next season, that will be the final years of both their contracts. Croshere and Bender have been sore spots for a long time and Indiana will not be sad to see them go. Better yet, both of their contracts will be valuable trade assets heading into next season.
The Bad: Not even their superstar, Jermaine O'Neal, is immune from entering the "Bad" section. There is no doubt that O'Neal is an incredible talent and a team leader. He led the Pacers in points (20.1), rebounds (9.3), and blocks (2.3). Plus, were it not for O'Neal calling out his teammates in public to play better, Indiana might not have made the playoffs at all.
However, Jermaine's contract is massive. He will earn an average of $20.5 million dollars for the next 4 years. He also hasn't played in more than 51 games in any of the past two seasons. Indiana needs their leader to be on the court. They also don't need him to simply be good, he must be great, especially with the money they are paying him (one of the top ten salaries in the league). We all know O'Neal has the ability to earn his contract, but he must stay healthy and elevate his game a little more.
Jamaal Tinsley still has 5 long years left on his contract for roughly $6.7 million per season. First of all, Jamaal has a lot of trouble just staying on the court. The often-injured point guard hasn't played in more than 52 games in any of the past three seasons. Secondly, Anthony Johnson, a player who makes half as much money as Jamaal, is outplaying him this year. Last I looked, Johnson wasn't playing very well either. The Pacers are probably stuck with Tinsley for a long time.
Jeff Foster will make about $17 million dollars the next three years. He is a rebounding fool, grabbing 9.1 a game in just 25 minutes of play. Foster has also had his own health issues the past two years and he provides absolutely nothing on offense and rarely blocks a shot. His pay isn't outlandish, but it's a bit steep for such a one-dimensional player.
The Future: The Pacers had to endure another difficult and emotional season. The injuries, the Ron Artest uncertainty, and poor play nearly caused the team to miss the playoffs.
As difficult as it was, trading away Ron Artest was a great move by this franchise. Even though Ron is playing well as a King, he simply had to go. Peja Stojakovic has played pretty well for this team, scoring 19.5 points a game, grabbing 6.3 rebounds, and shooting an incredible 90% from the free throw line this season. If he leaves as a free agent, the Pacers will get some much-needed cap relief, but the team is planning to keep him. At the right price, Peja would be a nice shooting guard to hang on to.
Indiana's top rookie, Danny Granger, had some really nice games this year. The team was ecstatic when Granger fell to them in the first round. So far, he looks like a keeper.
The biggest need for this team is at point guard. The three-headed monster of Tinsley, Johnson, and rookie Sarunas Jasikevicius will not get them anywhere. Even though they are over the cap, Indiana does have some expiring contracts they could use to acquire a good point guard.
Bonus Points… for handling the Ron Artest situation so well. I thought the Pacers did an excellent job of keeping him and his attitude away from the team as well as having the patience to work out a good trade. They could have unloaded Ron for nothing (like Toronto with Vince Carter), but they hung around and got an excellent shooting guard to replace him. Hopefully they can resign Peja this summer.
Grade: C-
Yesterday they published one on the Pacers.
http://www.nbadraft.net/2006stateofthecapindiana001.asp
State of the Cap: Indiana Pacers
2006/07 Indiana Pacers Payroll: $61.1 million
2006/07 Estimated NBA Salary Cap: $52 million
Roughly: $9.1 million over cap
Jermaine O'Neal AP Photo/Mel Evans |
The Bad: Not even their superstar, Jermaine O'Neal, is immune from entering the "Bad" section. There is no doubt that O'Neal is an incredible talent and a team leader. He led the Pacers in points (20.1), rebounds (9.3), and blocks (2.3). Plus, were it not for O'Neal calling out his teammates in public to play better, Indiana might not have made the playoffs at all.
However, Jermaine's contract is massive. He will earn an average of $20.5 million dollars for the next 4 years. He also hasn't played in more than 51 games in any of the past two seasons. Indiana needs their leader to be on the court. They also don't need him to simply be good, he must be great, especially with the money they are paying him (one of the top ten salaries in the league). We all know O'Neal has the ability to earn his contract, but he must stay healthy and elevate his game a little more.
Jamaal Tinsley still has 5 long years left on his contract for roughly $6.7 million per season. First of all, Jamaal has a lot of trouble just staying on the court. The often-injured point guard hasn't played in more than 52 games in any of the past three seasons. Secondly, Anthony Johnson, a player who makes half as much money as Jamaal, is outplaying him this year. Last I looked, Johnson wasn't playing very well either. The Pacers are probably stuck with Tinsley for a long time.
Jeff Foster will make about $17 million dollars the next three years. He is a rebounding fool, grabbing 9.1 a game in just 25 minutes of play. Foster has also had his own health issues the past two years and he provides absolutely nothing on offense and rarely blocks a shot. His pay isn't outlandish, but it's a bit steep for such a one-dimensional player.
The Future: The Pacers had to endure another difficult and emotional season. The injuries, the Ron Artest uncertainty, and poor play nearly caused the team to miss the playoffs.
As difficult as it was, trading away Ron Artest was a great move by this franchise. Even though Ron is playing well as a King, he simply had to go. Peja Stojakovic has played pretty well for this team, scoring 19.5 points a game, grabbing 6.3 rebounds, and shooting an incredible 90% from the free throw line this season. If he leaves as a free agent, the Pacers will get some much-needed cap relief, but the team is planning to keep him. At the right price, Peja would be a nice shooting guard to hang on to.
Indiana's top rookie, Danny Granger, had some really nice games this year. The team was ecstatic when Granger fell to them in the first round. So far, he looks like a keeper.
The biggest need for this team is at point guard. The three-headed monster of Tinsley, Johnson, and rookie Sarunas Jasikevicius will not get them anywhere. Even though they are over the cap, Indiana does have some expiring contracts they could use to acquire a good point guard.
Bonus Points… for handling the Ron Artest situation so well. I thought the Pacers did an excellent job of keeping him and his attitude away from the team as well as having the patience to work out a good trade. They could have unloaded Ron for nothing (like Toronto with Vince Carter), but they hung around and got an excellent shooting guard to replace him. Hopefully they can resign Peja this summer.
Grade: C-
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