2009/2010 Team Preview: Indiana Pacers

It’s no secret that I am a closet Indiana fan. Actually, maybe that’s better described as a MASSIVE Danny Granger fan?? Either way I definitely like that Larry Bird has placed his faith in Granger and decided to build around him. Would I have chosen the same building blocks? Is there a pattern associated with skin colour in a similar way as with the Utah Jazz? Who knows. What I “think” I know is that Indiana are a team on the up and up and have plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2009/2010 season. Here’s the depth chart:

Indiana's young up and comers (from left): Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, and Brandon Rush

PG: TJ Ford, Earl Watson, Travid Deiner, AJ Price

SG: Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush, Luther Head

SF: Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy

PF: Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, Tyler Hansbrough

C: Jeff Foster, Roy Hibbert, Solomon Jones

That’s not the type of lineup to make you go “WOW” but it’s the old adage here in Indiana, “A superstar team will beat a team of superstars,” and thats exactly what they have the makings of. Rebounding – check. Points – check. Range – check. Defense – getting better. Pressure play – they have Granger. Athleticism – … Youth – in abundance. It’s the last two points that really are they keys for Indiana in my opinion if they’re to have success in 2009/2010.

Area #1: Athleticism. White men cannot jump – I can say that because I’m white. Indiana have the most white people on their roster, other than Utah (der). Hansbrough, Murphy, Foster, McRoberts, Dunleavy, Deiner are all EXTREMELY hard workers and have adopted the Larry Bird philosophy that you don’t get nothing for nothing, but they’re still a step slower than most of their direct opponents at their given positions. This is slightly problematic in most situations, but Indiana are in the process of building, similar to San Antonio, a solid team defensive strategy that won’t simply rely on insane athleticism but rather sound structure, communication, and machine like rotation. If the team defense works, the athleticism is no longer an issue.

Area #2: Youth. This is the reason I get excited about Indiana’s prospects, with or without Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy hardly played last season giving young players like Rush a chance to see some serious minutes in the big show. This has served Rush in particular very well, and I expect him to break the shackles this season and start filling the void Marquis Daniels left (especially with Dunleavy an uncertain starter for opening night). The other guy that excites me is Roy Hibbert – another Georgetown monster from the people who brought us Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning. And my how he’s grown in the off-season. His summer league performances were ominous. His body looks balanced and filled out. He seems to have a handle on his foul problems (this will be what determines how effective he is this season) and if he can do all this, we should see the torch officially passed this season from Foster, who’s been carrying it for far too long.

Danny Granger: 2009 MIP, All-Star, All round good bloke. Can he lift the Pacers to new heights in 2010?

So all in all Indiana are looking goof for 2009/2010. They’ve made some excellent acquisitions to help their inside/outside game in Luther Head and Tyler Hansbrough, while Dahntay Jones has been brought in to be a “stopper” for the East’s never ending supply of shooting guards. And they have two players who have come off career season – Troy Murphy and Danny Granger. Murphy probably won’t repeat his efforts from last season but he’ll still be effective giving other PF’s a headache with his 3 point shooting capability coupled with his strong rebounding. Granger on the other hand is not a fully-fledged superstar, an All-star lock, and a franchise player. As long as he stays healthy, the Pacers should be around the 41 win mark come playoff time. Will this be good enough for the playoffs? Who knows but if Indiana can be more consistent in beating team they SHOULD beat, and still keep upsetting the big names (Lakers/Spurs were notable scalps last season) then 41 wins shouldn’t be a problem. My tip is 9th in the East, pipped at the post by Philly.