Quick Thoughts on the Pacers’ universe
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
One of the intriguing preseason storylines will be the integration of Nate McMillan, a very accomplished head coach, as a secondary voice in a new organization.
The Pacers won’t hop over the luxury tax line to keep recently acquired Rasual Butler, Ron Howard and Darnell Jackson. Those three players are essentially invites to training camp later this month. The Pacers currently have 12 guaranteed contracts, plus the partially guaranteed deal of Donald Sloan, who, barring something unexpected, will be with the team in the regular season. But with Danny Granger easing his way back from knee surgery, and Chris Copeland recovering from a procedure of his own, the Pacers needed a few extra bodies.
Don’t discount the possibility of Indiana opening the season with just 13 players. Frank Vogel has already acknowledged it publicly. That would save a little money and maintain optimal flexibility. If injuries come along, you can always add more.
Even if Howard is released at the end of training camp, he could rejoin the Pacers’ D-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Then if anything were to happen to a point guard he could still log some time this season with the Pacers.
Jackson is trying to make it back into the league. He might be able to carve out a niche as the Pacers’ third power forward behind David West and Luis Scola, although Copeland figures to see minutes there also. Jackson is 6-foot-9 and 253 pounds. Despite his girth, he’s not a capable center, for reasons beyond height. In parts of three NBA seasons, he’s never gotten regular playing time. The available data says he won’t block shots or do much rebounding. The Pacers ask their centers to guard the rim and pound the glass.
However, both in the D-League and in 2010-11 with Sacramento, Jackson showed he can at least pull his weight on offense. Not all 253 pounds, but enough. With the Kings, he averaged 15.7 points per 40 minutes. In 19 games last year for the Reno Bighorns, Jackson averaged 19.7 points per 40 minutes. What the Pacers like in a power forward is the ability to knock down the midrange jumper as West and Scola do. If Jackson displays tough, man-to-man defense and hits the 15-footer in camp, he has a shot to convince club brass to keep him on.
Small forward is simply an overstocked position. The Pacers have more natural candidates at that spot than they know what to do with. A crowded field means – for somebody – time spent at shooting guard.
Every meeting with the Heat is a big deal, at least to the Pacers. Miami will compete with the intensity normally associated with a playoff rematch if the organization believes Indy is a legitimate threat for the East’s top seed.
Lance Stephenson is the type of player who never loses confidence in his ability. Every locker room needs a few of those guys. The next step for Stephenson is to add consistency to his game.
Can you imagine how scrutinized Paul George’s game would be if he played in New York or Los Angeles? When the possibility of being a star scorer is on the table, eyeballs, microphones, cameras and criticism rarely go away. Throw in the fact that his team is in win-now mode, and you have the perfect mix for much of the talk surrounding the team being driven by what George does. But, fortunately for him, noise is at a minimum and expectations are being kept at reasonable levels. In the Big Apple, he’d be seriously under the microscope.
Roy Hibbert wondered recently if the Pacers had the best front office in the league. With Larry Bird, Kevin Pritchard, Donnie Walsh and Pete Philo on hand, as Bird once asked before a Three-Point Shootout, who’s finishing second?
How disappointed would Pacers fans be to see Stephenson develop in their uniform only to leave next summer? Would Bird ever let his pet project get away? How Stephenson handles his contract year will show whether he is committed to staying with Indiana. That means sacrifice and a furtherance of Stephenson’s maturation process.
Here’s to the NBA, where a tough loss is one of 82 instead of one of 16.
