I aqgree 100% with all of this. His comments about Green are right on and it bugs me when many in this forum get excited about his dunks. I don't care about his dunks
http://www.indystar.com/article/20121115/SPORTS04/211150364/What-s-wrong-Pacers-NBA-scouts-weigh-in?nclick_check=1
The Indiana Pacers' goals for the season didn't change when they learned leading-scorer Danny Granger would miss at least three months.
How they achieve those goals did, though.
What was a team that clicked offensively and was solid defensively last season has been brutal on offense and experiencing defensive breakdowns at the wrong time this year.
Those two problems are the primary reasons why the Pacers are 3-6 heading into tonight's home game with Dallas.
The Star recently talked to three NBA scouts who have watched the Pacers in person or on film this season to get their take on what has gone wrong.
Biggest problem
Scout No. 1
"They're searching for who should get the ball at the right time. (Coach Frank) Vogel has condensed his offense to only a handful of plays and runs them all the time. You know what's coming. They're easy to defend because you can play everybody straight up without the concern of getting beat. There's only occasional times where Roy Hibbert is going to go off. You know how he's getting the ball, the plays that are coming. They don't strike fear in anybody."
Scout No. 2
"You hate to compare what a guy is making like in Hibbert's case, but the reality is when you pay him all that money you expect him to easily get you double figures in points and rebounds. The shots he's missing are point-blank shots; it's not like he's shooting jumpers. You're talking about jump hooks, two or three feet from the basket. You see his confidence is not there."
Scout No. 3
"They're just a careless team. They don't know how to pass the basketball, that's why they're near the top of the league in turnovers. It's simple passes that aren't being made. You can't have an offensive structure if you don't know to feed the ball into the post."
Replacing Granger
Scout No. 1
"David West is a legitimate pro, but he's too unselfish of a player and he's not going to go out there and give you 20-plus points a night. That's not his nature. The two people who should be doing that are Hibbert and (George) Hill. Hibbert has never handled pressure well in his career. Hill has more pressure on him to think while he's playing point guard. He's a better instinctual player. Playing off the ball (at shooting guard) will help him. It'll allow him to just play and score."
Scout No. 3
"You would think it would be Paul George since he's supposed to be the heir apparent at small forward for the Pacers. But he hasn't had the same impact that he had last year. Maybe it's because without Danny he's the focus of more team's scouting reports. The other thing about Paul is, he's not a good ball handler. You can't put the ball in his hands and tell him to make a play. You have to be able to handle the ball to do that."
Bench woes
Scout No. 2
"I thought (D.J.) Augustin was going to be better than what he is. He's way too laid back when he plays. It's almost like he doesn't care. He needs to get back to playing aggressive the way he did in Charlotte. Gerald Green is who he is. He was successful in New Jersey because they were basically playing one-on-one basketball out there. That's his strong suit. But that's not how the Pacers play. If you (isolate) him then they're not going to get a lot of ball movement. You know what you're going to get from (Tyler) Hansbrough. A lot of energy from an undersized power forward."
Scout No. 3
"Remember the play in Minnesota where Green got beat for the winning basket when Chase (Budinger) went backdoor? That summed up Green right there. Freakishly athletic but not a smart basketball player. You'll be fine with him if you like dunks. You just can't depend on him in key moments of the game."
http://www.indystar.com/article/20121115/SPORTS04/211150364/What-s-wrong-Pacers-NBA-scouts-weigh-in?nclick_check=1
The Indiana Pacers' goals for the season didn't change when they learned leading-scorer Danny Granger would miss at least three months.
How they achieve those goals did, though.
What was a team that clicked offensively and was solid defensively last season has been brutal on offense and experiencing defensive breakdowns at the wrong time this year.
Those two problems are the primary reasons why the Pacers are 3-6 heading into tonight's home game with Dallas.
The Star recently talked to three NBA scouts who have watched the Pacers in person or on film this season to get their take on what has gone wrong.
Biggest problem
Scout No. 1
"They're searching for who should get the ball at the right time. (Coach Frank) Vogel has condensed his offense to only a handful of plays and runs them all the time. You know what's coming. They're easy to defend because you can play everybody straight up without the concern of getting beat. There's only occasional times where Roy Hibbert is going to go off. You know how he's getting the ball, the plays that are coming. They don't strike fear in anybody."
Scout No. 2
"You hate to compare what a guy is making like in Hibbert's case, but the reality is when you pay him all that money you expect him to easily get you double figures in points and rebounds. The shots he's missing are point-blank shots; it's not like he's shooting jumpers. You're talking about jump hooks, two or three feet from the basket. You see his confidence is not there."
Scout No. 3
"They're just a careless team. They don't know how to pass the basketball, that's why they're near the top of the league in turnovers. It's simple passes that aren't being made. You can't have an offensive structure if you don't know to feed the ball into the post."
Replacing Granger
Scout No. 1
"David West is a legitimate pro, but he's too unselfish of a player and he's not going to go out there and give you 20-plus points a night. That's not his nature. The two people who should be doing that are Hibbert and (George) Hill. Hibbert has never handled pressure well in his career. Hill has more pressure on him to think while he's playing point guard. He's a better instinctual player. Playing off the ball (at shooting guard) will help him. It'll allow him to just play and score."
Scout No. 3
"You would think it would be Paul George since he's supposed to be the heir apparent at small forward for the Pacers. But he hasn't had the same impact that he had last year. Maybe it's because without Danny he's the focus of more team's scouting reports. The other thing about Paul is, he's not a good ball handler. You can't put the ball in his hands and tell him to make a play. You have to be able to handle the ball to do that."
Bench woes
Scout No. 2
"I thought (D.J.) Augustin was going to be better than what he is. He's way too laid back when he plays. It's almost like he doesn't care. He needs to get back to playing aggressive the way he did in Charlotte. Gerald Green is who he is. He was successful in New Jersey because they were basically playing one-on-one basketball out there. That's his strong suit. But that's not how the Pacers play. If you (isolate) him then they're not going to get a lot of ball movement. You know what you're going to get from (Tyler) Hansbrough. A lot of energy from an undersized power forward."
Scout No. 3
"Remember the play in Minnesota where Green got beat for the winning basket when Chase (Budinger) went backdoor? That summed up Green right there. Freakishly athletic but not a smart basketball player. You'll be fine with him if you like dunks. You just can't depend on him in key moments of the game."
Comment