Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

[CableKC]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

I completely dismiss the notion of Tyrus Thomas only being 6'7". When you factor in his leaping ability the guy is a better shot blocker than most 7 footers.

I always thought that Tyrus Thomas was a shorter version of Stromile Swift.....a undersized PF that is athletic and has some solid skills but not much really high on the Basketball IQ department ( which I think that Bird values ).

[KennerLeaguer]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

http://www.nba.com/pacers/video/2010...482/index.html

Thanks!

[KennerLeaguer]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

I always thought that Tyrus Thomas was a shorter version of Stromile Swift.....a undersized PF that is athletic and has some solid skills but not much really high on the Basketball IQ department ( which I think that Bird values ).

This.

[Pacers2012]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

the more i look at amir johnson the more id like to see him with the pacers

[CableKC]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

the more i look at amir johnson the more id like to see him with the pacers

He just resigned with the Raptors for $23 mil / 4 year contract. He's not likely available.

[MaHa3000]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

I like Taj Gibson. With Chicago signing Boozer, Gibson could be availible.

Or what about DeAndre Jordan? Really hasn't done much but would probably be a good backup C.

[Ozwalt72]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

I like Taj Gibson. With Chicago signing Boozer, Gibson could be availible.

Or what about DeAndre Jordan? Really hasn't done much but would probably be a good backup C.

I'd consider throwing Solo and a second out there to see if the Clips bit....but I wouldn't expect it. And I probably wouldn't give up any more than that for Jordan.

[Ozwalt72]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

He just resigned with the Raptors for $23 mil / 4 year contract. He's not likely available.

Not to mention his epic foul rate. While not Roy-in-his-rookie-year bad....it's close, and has been for his whole career.

He does have some talent though.

[O'Bird]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

If I were to look at this from a purely offensive perspective....as Hicks ( I think ) suggested, BRush+Solo for Jason Thompson. I know that he has a decent mid-range game ( as I recall him torching us from beyond the FT line with his mid-range jumpshot ) and is a solid double-double guy that can rebound and score. However, I checked and he has a pretty horrid +/- score. He's has the 2nd worst +/- rating on the Kings. I'm not too sure his defense is that good.

Tricky looking at raw plus/minus data, since they're affected by how good the teammates on the floor with you are. I don't mean that they're meaningless, but you've got to look at them in context. Dan Rosenbaum started doing plus/minus stats that account for the teammates and opponents a player is on the floor with, and several people have followed through on his idea. Check some of those out, and your looking at plus/minus will be more nuanced, shall we say. Okay good.

As for Thompson: first of all it's useful to recognize that he played a LOT of center last year. They used him as a 4 with Spencer Hawes as a stretch 5, typically, and then at 5 in a variety of lineups with either Nocioni, Donte Greene, or later on Carl Landry at the 4. They liked that last one a lot, but with Hawes and Brockman gone and Cousins on board, it looks like Jason's going to eventually back up both positions.

There's some love here for his midrange jumper; I'm not that excited yet, and it's worth noting that his accuracy declined from his rookie year by a fair amount. Likes both elbows, and absolutely has to be set up for the shot, as you don't want him dribbling much.

Here's my take on his defense: I like it, on the whole. Real good body, moves well, puts in the energy, recovers. Not much in the way of blocks or steals, and doesn't take charges, either. With the good body, obviously good upside. As a center, a below average defensive rebounder, at the Okur/Andrew Bynum level; as a PF, slightly above average, at the Varejao/Nowitzki level. I think that he may have been their best team defender, though their team defense was pretty bad.

I like him. But what likelihood is there of him winding up in Indiana? More to the point, why? He's not a difference-maker, he's a third or fourth big who can back up two positions. Horford is a difference-maker, and Tyler has a chance to be a difference-maker. Not sure if McRoberts is, but he has the chance to be a unique player and difficult matchup because of his unusual skillset.
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[Pacerized]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

If we deal with the Clips, I'd like to see us go after Kaman. I'd give up an expiring contract and a young core player such as Rush, or George. He's as physical as they come in the paint and I'd have no problem starting a 2 center rotation with he and Roy. They were interested in trading him last year, but I don't know if that's the case now.

[cordobes]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

Brandon Bass wasn't able to pick up SVG's defensive schemes, that's why he played so little. SVG had to take him out of games several times due to defensive mistakes. Plus, his rebounding was atrocious, a career low, even Ryan Anderson (a guy who I'd like to see playing a larger role) rebounded better than him. He's a nice role player (not a starter, but a quality backup), but had a very poor season. He can play good defense though, he did it in Dallas, even if limited by his lack of height.

In my opinion Tyrus Thomas is a very good defender with excellent defensive potential. Needs to play smarter offensively (tries to do to much) to blossom as a good player.

I really like Amir Johnson. More of a finesse defender, already good but I think he can improve there. Very good rebounder. Highly effective garbage man. I'm hoping he can get a solid amount of minutes next season.

I didn't like Anthony Randolph when he entered the league, but he indeed has tons of upside. All-NBA, top-10 potential. He's a bad player now (very poor defensively, awful decision-making offensively), but there's enormous potential there (the rebounding, the aggressiveness, the ability to make plays, the skills - lots of natural talent). A very risky prospect though.

Jason Thompson seems to be the guy with the potential to be a starter that is easier to acquire. I think Thompson is still a below average defender but has the potential to make strides in his defense as he adds experience and some bulk to deal with bigger players. Sacramento's defense was a 1.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor but that's probably because of the minutes him and Hawes alternated at the 5. I thought he showed tenacity on the ball but was too often out of place, a step late to recover, plays a bit too eagerly at times. He's also a bit foul prone and early fouls rattle him for the rest of the game. But I think he can become a good defender in due time.

I don't like his mid-range game. One of my biggest fears with Thompson is that he seems to see himself as a mid-range shooter and has showed poor results so far. That 15-20ft jumpshot is already a mediocre shot by default, guys like Thompson should only take it as a way of evading from a shot-clock violation. If he doesn't improve quickly, he should just stop trying. It adds some versatility to his offensive game, but that's the wrong kind of versatility, he's skilled enough to live without it.

With his ability to switch between the 4 and the 5 + solid floor + good mid-run potential Thompson makes sense for Indiana.

[Psyren]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

If we were to deal for Tyrus, it'd have to be after December 15th.

[MillerTime]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

If we deal with the Clips, I'd like to see us go after Kaman. I'd give up an expiring contract and a young core player such as Rush, or George. He's as physical as they come in the paint and I'd have no problem starting a 2 center rotation with he and Roy. They were interested in trading him last year, but I don't know if that's the case now.

I dont think they interested in trading Kaman now. Theyve already moved Camby. Kaman and Blake Griffin seem like their future

[spreedom]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

Wow... looking at the possibly available players out there besides Jason Thompson and maybe even Paul Millsap... I don't think there are any guys out there that we can get that would be that much better than what we already have. If it turns out there's someone available that can step right in, I'm all for it. But I get the feeling any trade like this would be a 2-for-1 talent wash.

Then again, we did just get Darren Collison for nothing, so...

[HC]

Re: Danny Granger Expects Pacers to Deal for a Big Man

Carl Landry