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An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

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  • An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

    I was going to just mark this to Uncle Buck because he needs to purge his feelings. But I thought it would be best to get everybody's thoughts on this.

    Again I'm going back to Buck because of what he said in another post & to be honest he said the same thing last year as well when Artest was gone.

    The Pacers are not a good team right now, this is paraphrasing Uncle Buck btw, and we have only one player who would start for a championship team.

    Ok, if we believe this theory (I'm not sure I do but for argument sake let's agree with this) why were we not calling for changes over the last two seasons?

    Now if we just wanna say that he (& other Artesions) are just bitter & can't let go then I think we can all understand & just move on. But if he really believes this, as it sounds like many of you do, then why were we ok with just riding out the season with the same team?

    Yes, no one will dispute that Ron is a great player, but was he really so good that he will take a team from championship contender to a team (as U.B. put in another thread) that depending on what Walsh can bring in might be able to win a playoff round?

    I guess the question is this.

    Do you think this team is fundamentally flawed?

    If your answer is yes, then how flawed is it?

    a. Totally screwed, needs to start all over
    b. Just a little screwed, we need to make one good trade
    c. Not really screwed, time & patience will right the ship

    Now how would you improve this team.

    Would you build a team that Carlisle can use to his own devices or would you put together a team that you liked & force Carlisle to either change or get rid of him?

    There's more, but this is a good starting point.


    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

  • #2
    Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

    Start Granger at the 3

    Realize that Sarunas is completely useless without the ball so play him as the backup pg.

    Trade Pollard and Ron to New York for Tony (only partially serious but we need a big rebounder/Enforcer in the middle)

    Let Rick coach as Rick pleases to an extent. If he over uses a bad player then trade the player so he cant wreck the team with his use of said bad player. Make him realize that the young sf that he refuses the start is the exact same mistake he made in Detroit.

    I dont think we need a top to bottom make over. I do wish we had a big C who can rebound pass and shoot but clearly the Pacers did not think they needed that.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

      OK, I'll bite. This team is a totally screwed. When Artest was playing we could afford to play Foster or Croshere at pf/c with ONeal. The fact that Artest was a huge sf afforded us the luxury of not really playing a center.

      Another thing that I have been thinking about is that when Reggie was here, even when he wasn't scoring much, he spread the defense to a degree.

      People have written a lot about player attitudes. I don't want to rehash all of that, but with a few of our players (mainly Jackson and Harrison), I feel like we have players that think they are better than they are. Maybe better isn't the right word. Jackson acts like he is Kobe sometimes. He moans about every call against him, good or bad. He pouts when he doesn't get the ball. We all know about his temper. With Harrison, we have someone who I think spent a lot of time over the summer reading about how he was the next starter. Then when he plays and shows no understanding about where he should be on offense, and draws a foul every possession on defense, he can't understand why he isn't starting....so he breaks things.

      Tinsley is IMO a high quality NBA pg. However, he needs to play a certain style. I don't think that we have the players to play that style. Who can run with him? WHo can he dish to that is a deadeye three point shooter? The other thing that drives me crazy about Tins is his incosistency. He does seem to pout when things don't go his way, but to me he just doesn't seem like a guy that will ever be an emotional leader. Also, none of our guards (well except Freddie when he is in the mood) are even average defenders.

      Then there is the issue of Carlisle playing practically everyone out of position. It is driving me insane to see Saras playing sg. I personally think that Carlisle has completely lost this team. Besides JO, Croshere, and Foster who has shown all year that they respect and buy into what Carlisle is doing? I think that either Carlisle has to go, or the team needs to be blown up and created to fit his coaching style. Personally, I would like to see him stay and us trade Jackson and Harrison, and either Tinsley or Saras....oh and AJ who should never get in the game if Tins and Saras are both on the team.

      We need a backup pg or starting sg that can put pressure on the ball. If we keep Tins we need a sg who can shoot like Saras, but is capable of playing defense. If we keep Saras we need a sg who is a great defender and can slash to the basket.

      To me Jax needs to go, but I don't know what we could get for him. I would rather start Freddie or Granger or both if we have to. I have actually thought that Jackson would be a great 6th man if he would accept that role. Unfortunately, he thinks that he is Tracy McGrady.

      The whole center thing is sort of a puzzle to me. If we get someone who is a big sf who can score and defend (harrington or Odom), I don't necessarily think that we need to bring in a new center. If we get a Maggette type in a trade, then I think we need another physical presence.

      I also hate the fact that we don't move on offense. Watching both the Spurs and especially the Mavs the last couple of days was like a clinic in how to move without the ball and use screens to get guys open. It seemed like the Mavs were screening on every play. That is much more fun to watch. One of the problems with our dump it in to JO offense the past few years is that #1 JO is not a great passer (although I will admit that he is considerably better this year) and that no one is moving often there is no where for him to go with the ball.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

        Fundamentally flawed? I don't think so, er maybe I do, I think it needs some changes.

        I would do this

        Harrison/Pollard/Foster
        O'Neal/Croshere
        Granger/
        BLANKSPACE/Jones
        Sarunas/

        Put Foster on the IR until he is physically able to take the backup center spot from Pollard.

        We aren't going to trade for a legit center. Just won't happen. Our best chance at getting one is developing David.

        Trade Jax for a backup PG who is a solid overall player who guards quick PGs, and also a backup SF. I'm going to say Watson and Najera.

        Trade Artest, Tinsley, and AJ, and Gill if you have to, but get a really good SG in return. I like to think some team would -have- to bite on that.

        Although, realistically, the best we'd probably get in return is something like Marquis Daniels + Pick + salary cap dump out of a three team trade.


        If Harrison flops, we bring back a hopefully healthy Jeff and go with him at center. When healthy, he's not the worst of options.


        Leaves us with

        Harrison/Pollard/Foster
        O'Neal/Croshere
        Granger/Najera
        Daniels/Jones
        Sarunas/Watson


        Okay, maybe that didn't work as well as I thought it would.
        Well I gave it a shot anyway.
        You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

          My overall point is the team was built around J.O and Artest. Just like the Lakers 2000-2004 were built around Shaq and Kobe. Or the Jazz were built around Stockton and Malone or the Bulls around Scottie and Michael.

          Rememeber when some of the Bulls role players went elsewhere and how bad they were. Same with the jazz, I honestly thought Howard Eisley and Bryon Russell were very good players, but when they left the, I soon realized they were horrible when they weren't protected by Karl and John.

          Some of you will no doubt mention how well the Pacers did in March and April last season when they were without J.O, Artest and Tinsley. Well that is a head scratcher. But Reggie played great and so did Dale (until he wore down) and those two veterans, who really know how to win, were able to help the other players. Remember how well some of the role players played during that time.

          OK, lets skip ahead to today. What do we have besides J.O.

          Foster is about 50% physically. He has never had any problems catching the ball until now.

          DH - has talent but he has no clue how to play basketball.

          Granger is going to be very good in a couple of years, but right now he's a rookie.

          Fred, Cro, Scot, AJ are all good role players but are only role players.

          That leaves us with Jax and Tinsley,. They are the two key players on this team, and they aren't getting it done. They might have good individual games, but they don't really help the team win.

          Saras - as many have said he needs to be the starting point guard or the backup point guard. He is not being used correctly by Rick. But I think I know why. Something Mike Wells said in one of his articles last weekend. Wells hinted that Rick was wise in cutting off any possible point guard controversy by inserting Saras into the starting shooting guard role. I didn't think too much of that comment, but right now I think that is one reason why Rick decided to start Saras at shooting guard. Rick will self correct himself very son, probably Friday night

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

            Originally posted by recap
            . When Artest was playing we could afford to play Foster or Croshere at pf/c with ONeal. The fact that Artest was a huge sf afforded us the luxury of not really playing a center.


            I agree 100%. Ronnie made Foster an effective player for the Pacers. Remember Jeff has been the only Pacers player who has had any kind words for Ron since 12/10 (date Ron asked for a trade)


            here is what Jeff said

            http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...plate=printart

            "I don't know why he would feel that way," Foster said. "Obviously we would have gotten a lot further with him last year. . . .
            "He and J.O. complement each other real well. Hopefully this is just a state he's going through right now. He's out, he's hurt and he feels like he can't play. We all know we need him. He makes us a better team when he's out there."

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

              Originally posted by Unclebuck
              I agree 100%. Ronnie made Foster an effective player for the Pacers. Remember Jeff has been the only Pacers player who has had any kind words for Ron since 12/10 (date Ron asked for a trade)
              :jackson:
              You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                To both uncle Buck & recap, please please please explain to me why haveing a powerfull small foward allows you to have a weak center?

                What does Ron Artest bumping James Posey have anything to do with Jeff being plowed over by Shaq?

                Or what does Ron stopping Prince....er um scratch that, what does Ron playing against Prince have anything to do with Jeff being blown away by Ben?

                U.B. has been spouting this for years & I do not even slightly understand what one has to do with the other.

                Center spot has been our weakest link for going on three seasons now.


                Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                  Also, Jeff had some of his best games ever last year against Detroit.... funny enough, Ron wasn't playing.
                  You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                    Originally posted by Unclebuck

                    OK, lets skip ahead to today. What do we have besides J.O.

                    Foster is about 50% physically. He has never had any problems catching the ball until now.

                    DH - has talent but he has no clue how to play basketball.

                    Granger is going to be very good in a couple of years, but right now he's a rookie.

                    Fred, Cro, Scot, AJ are all good role players but are only role players.

                    That leaves us with Jax and Tinsley,. They are the two key players on this team, and they aren't getting it done. They might have good individual games, but they don't really help the team win.

                    Saras - as many have said he needs to be the starting point guard or the backup point guard. He is not being used correctly by Rick. But I think I know why. Something Mike Wells said in one of his articles last weekend. Wells hinted that Rick was wise in cutting off any possible point guard controversy by inserting Saras into the starting shooting guard role. I didn't think too much of that comment, but right now I think that is one reason why Rick decided to start Saras at shooting guard. Rick will self correct himself very son, probably Friday night
                    I agree with all of this. I'm not quite sure what you mean about Tins/Saras. Do you think that Carlisle is just trying to eliminate friction during this wierd time, or do you think this is somehow increasing Tins trade value?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                      I think we're modestly screwed. We need two big changes to right the ship, IMO. I think whomever we get for Ron will help immediately in some ways, but not enough to turn straw into gold. But I think what it will do is prime us to be another move away from being in a good position again. This team needs a makeover, not open-heart surgery.

                      Let's look at our PGs.

                      I'm ready for Anthony Johnson to leave. Rick is clinging to him at Jasikevicius' expense and that is unacceptable. Sarunas should start and Tinsley should be backing him up, even though individually Tinsley is better. Let Tinsley score more with the second unit, and give what's usually a weak offensive bench some scoring power with those bullet passes, while Runi get the starters all involved to start the game, not to mention he's back where he should: With the ball in his hands. He's smart enough to get people involved, take opportunity shots, and to drive. Yes he does make mistakes, but it's not like there's a perfect PG out there, and as a rookie he's already made large strides in his game.

                      With that said, it's not going to happen. Tinsley's too "proud" to play backup, and Rick clings to AJ like he did Michael Curry. That being the case, Tinsley or AJ has to go. Preferably AJ, because I can live with Sarunas being the backup to Tinsley a lot more than I can AJ still being here backup up Runi.

                      Time for SGs.

                      This is a mess. Sarunas Jasikevicius should never play shooting guard. It ruins him. It's like playing Jalen Rose at PG. No, no, no. Fred Jones is what he is. And undersized SG who Rick plays for his defense, only his defense just isn't that great. It's fine, but not good enough to be earning him special privilages (playing extended minutes). His jumper is hit and miss, he's never been a serious threat on the drive, he can't dribble, and his passing is merely OK. You can do worse for a backup 2, but he's just not special. We don't have a starting SG right now.

                      Moving on to SF.

                      Stephen Jackson has really sunk in my eyes. I was high on him last Fall pre-11/19, and I thought he was pretty good after he came back. But this year his attitude seems worse, his defense has disappeared, and his shot selection (and the ability to make them) is as bad as ever. That with his battle to rival Artest as worst headcase means I think he should go. Behind him we have Danny Granger, who really belongs at PF as much as SF in this discussion because of where Rick plays him. I truly believe Danny will be our next star SF. He just has the talent, the right head on his shoulders, and the effort is there too. It's only a matter of time, but I'm very uneasy about Rick Carlisle being his coach at this stage in his career. I'm afraid we're seeing Tayshaun Prince Part II, and that bothers me considerably.

                      Next we have PF.

                      Jermaine O'Neal has been as good as he ever has been. He's blocking shots, he's putting forth as much effort as he ever has, he's always been an offensive monster, and though of late it's been waning, he's rebounding has been very good as well. He's even making an obvious effort to pass more often out of the block, and all that combined with him taking over the leader reigns makes me do nothing but applaud him. After him, depending on how you look at it, we have Granger, or Croshere. I'll leave what I said about Granger alone other than to say that I'm OK with him at 4, but I really believe the sooner we lock him into SF, the sooner he'll become something truly special for us. Croshere has been as good as ever, and once again he's getting screwed over by a coach who prefers to be submissive to his opponent night in and night out with matchups and strategies, rather than forcing his own to dominate.

                      Finally we have the C position.

                      Foster is deadweight right now. He's always been an offensive liability, but right now he's not healthy and/or in shape enough to even bring his trademark hustle, defense, and rebounding to the table enough to make him worthy of playing time. He should be in street clothes right now, spending his free time working out hard to get back in game shape. Scot Pollard looked good last night, but he's being used even less than before by Rick because of his infatuation with playing small ball. He is what he is, and I don't have an issue with him really. David Harrison is a tease, I think. He looks like he'll be better than he really is. Bad rebounder, so-so defender, a limited offensive game, but I do love the space he takes up on the floor when he's in there. But when that's your biggest strength, simply "being big", and you've also shown signs of being yet another headcase on a team that collects them, you don't play, nor should you unless it's absolutely necessary.

                      I'm also going to comment on coaching.

                      Rick is frustrating me. I like him. I have liked him before, but his style is wearing thin. I can't stand the idea of always playing to our opponent's strengths, rather than forcing our own style. We don't even have a style aside from ultra-conservative offense, and good team defense. Beyond that, we play as small as the other team wants, rather than using what we have to our advantage. I'd rather decide what I like best, and play that and the other team be damned. Extreme situations call for big adjustments, but Rick just conceded immediately to the whim of the other coach. Always, always, always worried more about the defensive mismatch than the offensive mismatch, to the detriment of an already poor offense. This is the reason he plays AJ instead of Sarunas at the PG, but I'll say right here and now that it's better to give up defense from playing Sarunas at the 1 than it is to give up his offense by playing him at the 2. Absolutely. What he'd doing now is taking 1 step forward, 2 steps backwards.

                      I also wish he'd throw Danny out there at the 3 and let him learn. We are not contenders. We are not going to be contenders. When that is the case, you let your rookie who has a boat load of talent learn as much as possible as quickly as possibly against the best competition he can face. Especially when the kid is already capable of guarding whomever he's matched up with, and brings intangibles to the floor.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                        Originally posted by recap
                        I agree with all of this. I'm not quite sure what you mean about Tins/Saras. Do you think that Carlisle is just trying to eliminate friction during this wierd time, or do you think this is somehow increasing Tins trade value?
                        I was so very confused by Saras playing SG that I thought it was a way to keep him in game shape while not creating a PG controversy...in preparation for trading Tinsley. Man, that sounds crazy...but what would you do if you were going to trade Tins?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                          Originally posted by Peck
                          To both uncle Buck & recap, please please please explain to me why haveing a powerfull small foward allows you to have a weak center?

                          What does Ron Artest bumping James Posey have anything to do with Jeff being plowed over by Shaq?

                          Or what does Ron stopping Prince....er um scratch that, what does Ron playing against Prince have anything to do with Jeff being blown away by Ben?

                          U.B. has been spouting this for years & I do not even slightly understand what one has to do with the other.

                          Center spot has been our weakest link for going on three seasons now.
                          Well if I haven't convinced you yet, I likely won't be able to now.

                          Let's look at offense first. Ron likes to dominate the ball and so does Tinsley, so the last thing we need is a center or power forward who even wants to touch the ball. Reggie fit well, because he worked without the ball. But you add Jax into the mix and we had what we had to begin the season. So Ron and Jeff just fit together. They did win 61 games together, two years ago.

                          On defense: They are great one-on-one defenders, J.O is a great help side defenders, so the frontline made an excellent (second only to the Pistons defensive front line. That is not just me saying this. Many experts where saying the Pacers were the 2nd best defensive frontline in the NBA after the 2004 season.

                          OK, maybe I haven't addressed your real question Peck. "how does having a strong small forward allow a weak center" that is your question. A team has to fit together, if you have a poor shooting small forward then you need a good shooting guard. If you have a shooting guard who is a horrible ball handler, then you better have a point guard who can really handle the ball.

                          If you have a weak rebounding power forward then you better have a center who can really rebound.

                          This all begs the question. Why must you choose to settle with having certain players who can't do certain things. Why can't you get a power forward and center who can rebound or a small forward and shooting guard who can really shoot. Well unless you have an allstar team you will always have players who have weaknesses, and therefore you must have players who help compensate for other players weaknsesses

                          So I guess my point is, sure I'd rather have Shaq then Jeff Foster, but having Ron at small forward helps offset the weaknesses that you see in Jeff or for that matter in J.O.

                          Hope that helps a little.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                            b. Just a little screwed, we need to make one good trade
                            c. Not really screwed, time & patience will right the ship

                            Now how would you improve this team.

                            Would you build a team that Carlisle can use to his own devices or would you put together a team that you liked & force Carlisle to either change or get rid of him?


                            My random thoughts.

                            Walsh will be patient. He said in another article he is not interested in a "big package deal" involving three or four Pacers. He likes to move one piece at a time and see what he has before making another.

                            I think he took the lead on Artest because Bird was ready to just cut Ron. I think Bird scouting in Europe was a good thing. Notice when Bird came back he talked about getting a draft pick for Ron, while Donnie wants a player.

                            Bird and Walsh obviously work good together. However what about the coach? In one respect he is good, because he has patient too. He will give a change several ballgames to see if it works.

                            I think Rick's main problem is after JO everyone is about equal in ability. He's got to shuffle though all these equal in ability players to see who makes the best fit. The problem is his patience drives the rest of us crazy.

                            JO is one problem because he is both our best C and PF. Cro is a problem because he only plays well with lots of minutes. Foster is a problem because he's out of shape and just plays defense. You can go though the whole lineup that way. Etc.Etc.Etc.

                            We are obviously not going anywhere with the team we have now. So . . . Saras should start at the point, Granger at SF, and Harrison at C, so that we can see what we have before the trade deadline. JO obviously starts at PF, so that leaves shooting guard. Jax? Fred? Even Tins?

                            Management is confused about this team. Bird has admitted to it. I think we have too many emotional disruptive players.

                            We should do the package deal Donnie doesn't want to do!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: An open honest discusion about the Pacers....

                              I would say a little screwed but I think we need to got a couple good trades. I really think we need to rid our team of bad eggs. Anyone that doesn't put the team first needs to go. In my opinion, Tinsley, Harrison and Jackson appear from my viewpoint to be the main ones that need to head out but that's just an outsiders perspective.

                              I don't have much hope of a championship this year so I really want a 2006 lottery pick and maybe a decent player for Artest. I'd trade Tinsley/Johnson/Jackson/Harrison for a good defending PG, decent SG that can hit treys and defend the 2 spot, decent big man, and maybe an expiring contract.

                              With the lottery pick that we got for Artest, I would hope to get a great shooting guard.

                              That's what I hope to see happen but I don't think we'll trade that many players. I think after the Artest trade, we will only see minor tweaking.

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