.500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

[doctor-h]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

They won 15 games the first half and now we are seeing how the team handles struggling. They don't so I would be surprised if they can win even 15 games the second half.

[owl]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

The Pacers need to go 26-15 the rest of the way to make .500.

The Pacers need to go 26-14 the rest of the way to make .500. After the next two very difficult games that could be 26-12.

[Eleazar]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

I'm hoping this turns out like the 2001 Colts season. Major injuries cause the team to get a higher than normal draft pick, and they get Dwight Freeney arguably the best pass rusher of his time.

[BillS]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

I'm hoping this turns out like the 2001 Colts season. Major injuries cause the team to get a higher than normal draft pick, and they get Dwight Freeney arguably the best pass rusher of his time.

With our luck that's exactly who we'd get. NBA teams don't usually need pass rushers, though.

[clownskull]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

i definitely appreciate the effort and optimism of this post but, i don't think .500 is a possibility.
right now, i think they would struggle even against the knicks. they'd probably win but, it would not be an automatic w for this team.
they are playing so bad nowadays, if they come out flat, they could lose to any nba team.

i am just hoping that whoever we get in the draft turns out to be even better than we hoped and he can stay healthy.
i don't want to be a bobby-buzzkill but, i think this is simply a lost season. we had some surprising wins early but, we haven't beaten anyone of significance in a while.

[Phree Refill]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

We never quite challenged Houston seriously tonight. For most of the game we stayed within arms length but at the end of the day it would be tough for anyone to beat Houston when Harden scores 45. I wasn't expecting a win here so it's not the end of the world but makes the 26-13 needed from here on out seem more daunting.

Group A (0-0)
Atlanta (A) Dallas (H) Golden State (H) Memphis (A) New Orleans (A) Sacramento (H) San Antonio (H)
Prediction: (3-4)

Group B (0-1)
Boston (H,A) Brooklyn (H,A) Chicago (H,A) Detroit (H,A) Houston (L ,H) Miami (A,H) Milwaukee (H,A) Oklahoma City (A,H) Orlando (A,H) Philadelphia (A,H) Toronto (A,H) Washington (A,H)
Prediction: (16-8)

Group C (0-1)
Charlotte (L,A,H) Cleveland (H,H,A)
Prediction: (3-3)

Group D (0-0)
New York (H,H,A,A)
Prediction: (4-0)

[CableKC]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

Yeah....we're not going to make it to .500 mark.....we have to win 7 out of every 10 games. Good luck with that.

The only saving grace is that we don't have to be at .500 to make the LEastern Conference Playoffs. We just have to make up 3 games in the East against the Nets.

Yeah us for being in a crappy Conference!

[Heisenberg]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

Does anyone honestly still want to get in the playoffs? We have the 8th pick (odds) right now and are 2 1/2 up on the Lakers for 4th. If I'm not mistaken even if we stay at 8th that's or highest pick, that's actually ours, since good ole George McCloud.

[BillS]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

Does anyone honestly still want to get in the playoffs? We have the 8th pick (odds) right now and are 2 1/2 up on the Lakers for 4th. If I'm not mistaken even if we stay at 8th that's or highest pick, that's actually ours, since good ole George McCloud.

I'd always rather win than lose, especially when facing the PD irony of people talking the "we'd rather have a good draft pick" line yet going off on the coach and FO and players when they actually lose.

If we're going to get the lottery pick I want it to be from going down fighting.

Especially since I still think that if the Pacers finish with a top-5 pick then this would be the first year ever that 3 teams leapfrog into the top 3, pushing the Pacers back 3 picks from wherever they end up. No, it isn't rational.

[sav]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

Does anyone honestly still want to get in the playoffs? We have the 8th pick (odds) right now and are 2 1/2 up on the Lakers for 4th. If I'm not mistaken even if we stay at 8th that's or highest pick, that's actually ours, since good ole George McCloud.

Absolutely. Unfortunately it isn't going to happen. We are in too deep of a hole this year.

When we are completely healthy (except Paul George), we would be right around a .500 team. If GHill came back tomorrow night and we played around .500, which would be 20-19 the rest of the way, we would finish 36-46. That won't make the playoffs.....plus it will take GHill a couple of games to get his game legs back so even if he did come back tomorrow night, I would expect more along the lines of 17-22 or 18-21 the rest of the way.

[Pacerized]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

I'd always rather win than lose, especially when facing the PD irony of people talking the "we'd rather have a good draft pick" line yet going off on the coach and FO and players when they actually lose.

If we're going to get the lottery pick I want it to be from going down fighting.

Especially since I still think that if the Pacers finish with a top-5 pick then this would be the first year ever that 3 teams leapfrog into the top 3, pushing the Pacers back 3 picks from wherever they end up. No, it isn't rational.

I don't think you'd see a lot of posters going off on the coach or f.o. under these circumstances. No one would have thought we would have faced the kind of injuries that we have this year, wherever we end up you can't blame Vogel or Bird for this season. Maybe it's our year to be lucky in the lottery, if ever there was a year that the team with the worst record didn't win it, it's this year. The Sixers deserve the worst pick they can get after they way they've done everything they could from the start to lose. I'm not buying the story on GH at this point. I think his tear was worse then what was presented and I expect that if he comes back it will be a short stint and he'll play less then 10 games this year. If he were healthy we could still put together a playoff push but I don't expect it. I'm ready to accept shutting down Hill and playing it safe with West and Hilbert the rest of the year. By that I mean if they need time off give it to them. Let the chips fall where they may but I'd rather have a 5th pick and a 10% chance at winning the lottery then the 10th pick and a .5% chance.

[clownskull]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

I don't think you'd see a lot of posters going off on the coach or f.o. under these circumstances. No one would have thought we would have faced the kind of injuries that we have this year, wherever we end up you can't blame Vogel or Bird for this season. Maybe it's our year to be lucky in the lottery, if ever there was a year that the team with the worst record didn't win it, it's this year. The Sixers deserve the worst pick they can get after they way they've done everything they could from the start to lose. I'm not buying the story on GH at this point. I think his tear was worse then what was presented and I expect that if he comes back it will be a short stint and he'll play less then 10 games this year. If he were healthy we could still put together a playoff push but I don't expect it. I'm ready to accept shutting down Hill and playing it safe with West and Hilbert the rest of the year. By that I mean if they need time off give it to them. Let the chips fall where they may but I'd rather have a the pick and a 10% chance at winning the lottery then the 10th pick and a .5% chance.

yeh, i can't argue with any of what you say there.
i can't blame vogel or bird for these injuries. these things happen. last year, we got lucky and had the healthiest team i can recall in a long time. but, the law of averages has it's way of evening out. at this point, even popovich would struggle to win with the available players.
i understand folks not wanting to tank but, i hope we get a good pick and he works out great for us as we need some more young guys with talent and athleticism in a bad way imo.

[graphic-er]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

yeh, i can't argue with any of what you say there.
i can't blame vogel or bird for these injuries. these things happen. last year, we got lucky and had the healthiest team i can recall in a long time. but, the law of averages has it's way of evening out. at this point, even popovich would struggle to win with the available players.
i understand folks not wanting to tank but, i hope we get a good pick and he works out great for us as we need some more young guys with talent and athleticism in a bad way imo.

Yes these things happen and you can't blame them for the injuries. But these injuries have revealed just how flawed this team really is. We are big and slow, and a terrible shooting team. Worst thing is we don't use our size to our advantage. Our "Baaad maaan" "BAMF" power forward now prefers long jumpers ala Jermaine O'Neil. Our Center prefers long jumpers, we dont' get to the free throw line with our bigs anymore like the ECF team from 2 seasons ago.

I expect changes at the trade deadline. This team with a healthy PG would probably be just above .500. Its quite clear that if PG were healthy and leg never broke, you would see an almost identical season to the 08-9 season after Granger made the All-star game. He was constantly double teamed that year, and his shooting percentages dropped off big time and Danny had no help on that roster to take the load off and keep the defense honest. The Pacers that year finished just 2 games out of the playoffs. This season would be exactly the same. Nobody on this team can reliably produce game in and game out. So it would be PG13 and his band of brick layers.

Folks have talked about the idea of West retiring and Hibbert opting out, and how we will have so much money to play with to retool around PG13. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. West isn't going to give up 12mil next season, and Hibbert isnt' going to opt out early when after next season the new CBA deal kicks in on the CAP. Honestly the best we can hope for in that situation is that Hibbert is so mentally broken after this season, and so unhappy with this situation that he decides to bolt. LOL. So that means we have to hope that Hibbert reaches another level of Pansy on and off the court to get his 15 mil off the books one year sooner.

What will happen next season if Bird keeps this group together....We are gonna get contract year Hibbert who is gonna play his butt off and try and force the Pacers to max him out again or let him leave for nothing. Everyone already knows last season we seen Mid-contract Hibbert...start off strong, make the all-star team and then just coast it on out because you dont' like who gets the ball. If Bird decides to Max out Hibbert again....i'm probably done with it all. You can't win a championship with Roy Hibbert on a Max deal. But i'm not too worried because its been quite clear over the past year that Hibbert would prefer to be else where, and the decision will be his this time. Only in the NBA can you find a 7-2 Center, who falls down or gets out muscled every 4 trips up the floor, thinking he is better than this team. Thats why its so important to jettison Hibbert if the opportunity is there. He isn't resigning with this group, nor should Bird have the opportunity to offer him a new contract. Get this guy off the team, and get some value for him.

I'm really hoping the Pacers get a high draft pick and pick up the PF of the future who will have an opportunity to learn under West for a season. If Hibbert by some miracle decides to opt out, then Bird should target Goran Dragic for next season as well with that 15 million. Dragic would immediately solve the majority of this team's problems on offense. Ball handling, scoring, passing, tempo. I just love Dragic's game, he has the floater that GHill never actually developed. He can get to basket when ever he wants. He is a killer on offense. With Goran, PG13 will soar on the back of a Dragon. Dragic is going to the highest bidder in the East, dude has been on so many good teams that just missed the playoffs because they are in the West.

Honestly the number 1 issue any Pacer fan should have is who will be PG13's sidekick for the next 4-5 seasons.....It was supposed to be Lance, thats done with now. Bird has to make a real move to get a solid #2 to pair with Paul. Otherwise the Pacers will just tread water for the next several seasons and eventually lead to PG leaving this franchise out of frustration. Durant & Westbrook, CP3 and Griffin, Curry & Thompson, Parker & Duncan, Teague and Milsap/Horford, Lowry & DeRozen,
Paul George &......
Choose wisely Bird...

[Phree Refill]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

Paul George &......

Shayne WHITTINGTONNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joew8302]

Re: .500 finish very attainable: "Is this the one, Quinn?! Is this the one?!!!

Yes these things happen and you can't blame them for the injuries. But these injuries have revealed just how flawed this team really is. We are big and slow, and a terrible shooting team. Worst thing is we don't use our size to our advantage. Our "Baaad maaan" "BAMF" power forward now prefers long jumpers ala Jermaine O'Neil. Our Center prefers long jumpers, we dont' get to the free throw line with our bigs anymore like the ECF team from 2 seasons ago.

I expect changes at the trade deadline. This team with a healthy PG would probably be just above .500. Its quite clear that if PG were healthy and leg never broke, you would see an almost identical season to the 08-9 season after Granger made the All-star game. He was constantly double teamed that year, and his shooting percentages dropped off big time and Danny had no help on that roster to take the load off and keep the defense honest. The Pacers that year finished just 2 games out of the playoffs. This season would be exactly the same. Nobody on this team can reliably produce game in and game out. So it would be PG13 and his band of brick layers.

Folks have talked about the idea of West retiring and Hibbert opting out, and how we will have so much money to play with to retool around PG13. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. West isn't going to give up 12mil next season, and Hibbert isnt' going to opt out early when after next season the new CBA deal kicks in on the CAP. Honestly the best we can hope for in that situation is that Hibbert is so mentally broken after this season, and so unhappy with this situation that he decides to bolt. LOL. So that means we have to hope that Hibbert reaches another level of Pansy on and off the court to get his 15 mil off the books one year sooner.

What will happen next season if Bird keeps this group together....We are gonna get contract year Hibbert who is gonna play his butt off and try and force the Pacers to max him out again or let him leave for nothing. Everyone already knows last season we seen Mid-contract Hibbert...start off strong, make the all-star team and then just coast it on out because you dont' like who gets the ball. If Bird decides to Max out Hibbert again....i'm probably done with it all. You can't win a championship with Roy Hibbert on a Max deal. But i'm not too worried because its been quite clear over the past year that Hibbert would prefer to be else where, and the decision will be his this time. Only in the NBA can you find a 7-2 Center, who falls down or gets out muscled every 4 trips up the floor, thinking he is better than this team. Thats why its so important to jettison Hibbert if the opportunity is there. He isn't resigning with this group, nor should Bird have the opportunity to offer him a new contract. Get this guy off the team, and get some value for him.

I'm really hoping the Pacers get a high draft pick and pick up the PF of the future who will have an opportunity to learn under West for a season. If Hibbert by some miracle decides to opt out, then Bird should target Goran Dragic for next season as well with that 15 million. Dragic would immediately solve the majority of this team's problems on offense. Ball handling, scoring, passing, tempo. I just love Dragic's game, he has the floater that GHill never actually developed. He can get to basket when ever he wants. He is a killer on offense. With Goran, PG13 will soar on the back of a Dragon. Dragic is going to the highest bidder in the East, dude has been on so many good teams that just missed the playoffs because they are in the West.

Honestly the number 1 issue any Pacer fan should have is who will be PG13's sidekick for the next 4-5 seasons.....It was supposed to be Lance, thats done with now. Bird has to make a real move to get a solid #2 to pair with Paul. Otherwise the Pacers will just tread water for the next several seasons and eventually lead to PG leaving this franchise out of frustration. Durant & Westbrook, CP3 and Griffin, Curry & Thompson, Parker & Duncan, Teague and Milsap/Horford, Lowry & DeRozen,
Paul George &......
Choose wisely Bird...

You are absolutely right that these injuries have really exacerbated some of our weaknesses. I would argue we use our size too much though. We seem so preoccupied at times getting the ball to West and Hibbert that we bleed precious seconds off the shot clock are are forced to throw something toward the direction of the rim late in the possession. We are too stagnant because of this and our already poor shooters get worse looks.