Re: Indiana Pacers v.2 [8-8 .500]

[SafeBet]

Grandissimo talento, comprensione del gioco molto elevata, tiro in continua crescita.
Secondo me, con lo specimen fisico che si ritrova, deve tirare giù più rimbalzi. Può migliorare in difesa, dove ha le potenzialità per essere uno dei migliori 5 sugli esterni, oltre che un leader vocale di quelli che costringono i compagni a far la cosa giusta. Deve costruirsi un gioco in post dove potrebbe portare i pariruolo a piacimento, e ingrossare ancora un pochino la parte superiore del corpo.
Rispetto a Odom ha meno visione di gioco ma è più realizzatore. Proprio per questo direi che il suo ruolo ideale è quello di secondo violino da affiancare a un lungo con buona presenza in post, magari con un play che possa mettere tanti tiri sugli scarichi.

[Frantz]

Avete detto un pò tutto voi. Danny Granger credo sia migliorato in maniera esponenziale rispetto al suo ingresso nella lega, e comunque già da allora si parlava di una possibile steal del draft in quanto il ragazzo aveva dei margini di miglioramento significativi.

Oggi i Pacers hanno un giocatore veramente completo, nonchè IL punto fisso su cui ripristinare il team. Non è un pronostico azzardato considerarlo già dall'anno prossimo un all-star a tutti gli effetti.

Aldilà di tutto questo, i Pacers sono matematicamente fuori dai playoff, anche se la sconfitta di Charlotte aveva già in pratica deciso tutto. Un esclusione su cui bisogna riflettere perchè questa squadra ha giocato bene nella prima parte di stagione e nell'ultima, lasciandosi una parte centrale in cui ha buttato via una marea di partite.

Ha meritato più di noi Atlanta, una squadra giovane che da un pò di tempo lotta per arrivarci. Noi invece dobbiamo cercare di ripartire da una buona scelta al draft e una off-season con mosse oculate...magari lasciando più spazio a quei giocatori che magari meriterebbero qualcosa in più, vedi Diogu, vedi Shawne Williams.

[Syd]

Granger non lo vedo come leader di una squadra, non è un trascinatore, è uno che parla troppo poco in campo.

Chiudiamo la stagione battendo i Knicks grazie al career high (eguagliato per la terza volta) di Dunleavy. Ecco i risultati:

October Opponent Result
Wed 31  vs Washington  W 119-110
November Opponent Result
Fri 02  vs Miami  W 87-85
Sat 03  @ Memphis  W 121-111
Wed 07  vs LA Clippers  L 89-104
Fri 09  @ Charlotte  L 87-96
Sat 10  vs Denver  L 106-113
Tue 13  vs Boston  L 86-101
Wed 14  @ Washington  L 90-103
Fri 16  @ Toronto  L 101-110
Sat 17  vs Utah  W 117-97
Tue 20  vs LA Lakers  L 114-134
Wed 21  @ New Orleans  W 105-93
Fri 23  vs Dallas  W 111-107
Sun 25  vs Cleveland  L 106-111
Tue 27  @ Denver  W 112-110
Wed 28  @ Portland  W 95-89
Fri 30  @ Seattle  L 93-95
December Opponent Result
Sun 02  @ LA Clippers  W 101-95
Tue 04  vs Phoenix  L 117-121
Fri 07  @ Orlando  W 115-109
Tue 11  @ Cleveland  L 105-118
Wed 12  vs Chicago  W 117-102
Fri 14  vs Toronto  L 93-104
Sat 15  @ Miami  W 106-103
Mon 17  @ New York  W 119-92
Wed 19  vs Philadelphia  W 102-85
Fri 21  @ Minnesota  L 118-131
Sat 22  vs Washington  W 93-85
Wed 26  @ Atlanta  L 95-107
Fri 28  @ Detroit  L 101-114
Sat 29  vs Detroit  L 92-98
Mon 31  @ Charlotte  L 103-107
January Opponent Result
Wed 02  vs Memphis  L 72-90
Fri 04  vs Atlanta  W 113-91
Sun 06  @ LA Lakers  L 96-112
Tue 08  @ Utah  L 89-111
Wed 09  @ Phoenix  L 122-129
Sat 12  @ Sacramento  W 111-105
Sun 13  @ Golden State  L 101-106
Wed 16  vs Golden State  W 125-117
Sat 19  vs Sacramento  L 104-110
Mon 21  @ Philadelphia  W 110-103
Wed 23  @ Chicago  L 95-108
Thu 24  @ Milwaukee  L 92-104
Sat 26  @ Miami  L 96-98
Tue 29  vs Detroit  L 104-110
February Opponent Result
Fri 01  vs Houston  L 103-106
Sat 02  vs Orlando  L 115-121
Tue 05  vs San Antonio  L 89-116
Wed 06  @ New York  W 103-100
Sat 09  vs Portland  W 101-93
Tue 12  vs Boston  L 97-104
Wed 13  @ Detroit  L 80-96
Wed 20  vs Cleveland  L 97-106
Fri 22  vs New Jersey  W 113-103
Sat 23  @ New Jersey  L 91-102
Mon 25  vs Toronto  L 98-102
Wed 27  vs Chicago  L 107-113
Fri 29  @ Toronto  W 122-111
March Opponent Result
Sun 02  vs Milwaukee  W 128-106
Wed 05  @ Houston  L 99-117
Thu 06  @ San Antonio  L 97-108
Sat 08  @ Cleveland  L 95-103
Tue 11  vs Seattle  W 114-107
Fri 14  @ Dallas  L 97-116
Sat 15  @ Orlando  L 111-122
Mon 17  vs New York  W 110-98
Wed 19  vs Charlotte  W 102-95
Fri 21  vs Minnesota  W 124-113
Sat 22  @ Chicago  W 108-101
Tue 25  vs New Orleans  L 106-114
Wed 26  @ New Jersey  L 117-124
Fri 28  vs New Jersey  W 123-115
Mon 31  vs Miami  W 105-85
April Opponent Time Local TV Nat TV Radio
Wed 02  @ Boston  L 77-92   
Fri 04  @ Milwaukee  W 105-101
Sun 06  vs Milwaukee  W 105-97
Tue 08  vs Atlanta  W 112-98
Fri 11  @ Philadelphia  W 85-76
Sat 12  vs Charlotte  L 103-107
Mon 14  @ Washington  L 110-117
Wed 16  vs New York  W 132-123

[Pollack]

# 1. Will J.O. ever get back to elite status, or will his knee be his Achilles heel? (pun fully intended) Trade him? Keep him?
# 2. What to do with Jamaal Tinsley? He seemed to show some flashes of brilliance again early this year. But his health once again kept him out, this time more games than ever. I have fully given up on him, not only for health absences but for his poor decision making and attitude over the years. What to do with him? Would anyone be interested enough to return something of value? I fully hope that this was Jamaal’s last season with the Pacers.
# 3. Will the fans come back ever? Of course I am many miles away, but in the photos all I see is green empty seats. I believe the Pacers had the lowest attendance in the entire NBA. In Indiana? At the best pro sports facility in the U.S? You've got to be kidding. I know Hoosiers perceive the players to be convicts and a couple certainly kept that perception alive. But there are some great guys on the team. If the fans don’t come back, look out, this small market team might not last long.
# 4. Is Larry Bird really in the right role? Legendary player and great coach, yes, but of course. But can he really replace Donnie Walsh? Can he pull off what (Danny) Ainge or (Mitch) Kupchak have done to really make it happen, to get the team to an elite level? Or will he be deluded into thinking that the pieces he has just might work out? Does he have the right skills to get a winning team together?
# 5. What is the Pacers’ situation for the draft? Might any good talent get picked up? Maybe a sign-and-trade?
# 6. Who is the new face of the franchise? (Mike) Dunleavy? (Danny) Granger? Both get my vote, but they are obviously not enough in an NBA as talented as ever.
I imagine you will have some sort of break now, so enjoy. (From Greg in Madrid, Spain)

A. Well, Greg, first things first. We did get a few days off last week, which explains why I'm rested and ready. For another break.
Now, on to your other questions.
# 1. Though J.O. believes he can get back to his former level, a lot of evidence to the contrary has surfaced in the past few seasons. When healthy, he's still a very effective interior defender but his offensive game has suffered from the knee problems. There's no question Larry Bird will fully explore the trade market and there look to be a lot of teams heading into blowup mode this summer, so there could be real opportunity there. If J.O. stays, it’s likely he'd have to accept a complementary role as younger players like Granger and Dunleavy emerge as team leaders. There's a third option you didn't mention. He could opt out of his contract, though that would mean leaving a lot of money on the table to risk free agency.
# 2. Playing just well enough in short bursts to tease us all with his talent, then falling victim to injury has become Tinsley's modus operandi the past few seasons, so I presume the organization's patience has expired. His value on the trade market, obviously not high, could be helped by the relatively thin crop of point guards in the draft.
# 3. Of the many uncertainties facing this franchise, this is the one I feel the most strongly about. Of course the fans will come back. Every team and franchise goes through lulls and the Pacers obviously have been in one for a couple of years but there's a real sense things are headed back in the right direction and with a couple of key moves here and there and a more successful team next season, Conseco Fieldhouse will once again rock.
# 4. Too many have been too quick to judge Bird based on the events of the past few years. Keep in mind, he has been beneath Walsh in the chain of command so has not felt the freedom of final authority in the decision-making process. Bird now stands alone at the head of the basketball operation. Certainly, he's had input on every move that's been made since he returned to the franchise but they haven't been his responsibility. That has changed. From now on, the team will bear Bird's stamp.
# 5. They have less then a 3 percent chance of landing any of the top three picks so odds are they'll draft No. 11 in the first round. Bird has said his priorities are big man and point guard, not necessarily in that order. Players of both profile will be on the board. Point guard possibilities include D.J. Augustin of Texas and Russell Westbrook of UCLA, while big men to ponder include Kevin Love of UCLA, Darrell Arthur of Kansas and DeAndre Jordan of Texas A&M. They also pick No. 41 in the second round, offering the ability to address whichever need remains after the top pick. Always keep in mind the possibility of a trade, because a lottery pick can be a powerful bargaining chip.
# 6. Granger has been groomed for the ascent since he was drafted and has steadily grown into a more prominent player both on and off the court. Because he is still forming as a player, there's a presumption he has room to improve. If he does, he could become an All-Star caliber player, although he'd have to take a major leap to approach franchise-anchor status. Dunleavy appears to be more comfortable being a quiet leader by example rather than the guy on the cover of the media guide.

Su dai fioi non spegnamoci cazzo.
Questa è una lista di domande interessanti a Brunner che potrebbero svelare un attimo la linea che la società cercherà di tenere questa estate.
Tinsley fora di bal.
Jo si sonda il mercato e si vede quel che si può portare a casa, se non si trova nulla di buono si vedrà,cmq il suo ruolo nel team è ridimensionato.
Bird non è in discussione, da ora in poi la squadra avrà il suo stampo e la forma che lui gli vuole dare.
Capitolo draft diciamo che siamo aperti a prendere quello che di meglio può arrivare, non sembra così importante un ruolo, non cercano un tipo di giocatore in particolare.Sperem.anche se un bel Kevin Love mi gaserebbe parecchio.
Leading Role futuro, Jermaine ridimensionato, se la giocano tutta Dunleavy e Granger anche se il primo ha possibilità come leader silenzioso e il secondo sta ancora crescendo come giocatore.

[Pollack]

It's great that Herb Simon has chosen to transform himself from a hands-off owner to a hands-on kind of guy. And it's great that Simon hired Jim Morris, the noted businessman and philanthropist, to run the company's off-the-court operation. If Morris can survive Darfur, he can survive the Indiana Pacers.

Probably.
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But all of the front-office shuffling will be rendered meaningless if the guy running the basketball operation, Larry Bird, doesn't accomplish two things this summer:

He must get rid of Jamaal Tinsley. Trade, buyout, set him adrift on an Arctic ice floe. Whatever.

He must trade Jermaine O'Neal.

If those two players are still here when we meet again in October, the Pacers will have made no progress toward rebuilding this team, and the leash on Bird will become dramatically shorter.

Tinsley's act grew stale about four years ago. It doesn't matter how his various off-court issues have been resolved by the courts. The perception of him is never going to change, not here.

And to think, one pick after Tinsley was chosen 27th in the 2001 draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected a point guard named Tony Parker.

What's French for "Ouch!''?

With O'Neal, it's not a personality or perception issue; it's his salary. When he was given the maximum contract in 2003, most of us applauded that deal, viewing O'Neal as the team's new centerpiece and Reggie Miller's heir apparent.

Now, though, he's a $40 million albatross who, if he stays in Indiana, destroys any Pacers hopes for future cap flexibility.

Can a brother make a suggestion? How about sending O'Neal to the Knicks for Stephon Marbury. Yes, Marbury is a waste, but he has only one year left on his deal. If the Pacers are willing to bite the bullet for one season, more than $20 million will come off the books in 2009-10.

During a Wednesday afternoon news conference to announce the team's front-office changes, Bird fell short of saying he would trade O'Neal, but he made it abundantly clear that he's going to try. And that would be best for both of them. Face it: O'Neal doesn't fit with coach Jim O'Brien's style, and both parties know it. Add to that the fact that O'Neal and Bird have had a contentious relationship since Bird fired Isiah Thomas, and you have a bad marriage that's headed for a divorce.

O'Neal didn't want to talk about his future or whether Wednesday's game might be his last as a Pacer.

When a deal gets done, it's not important whether Bird gets full or even partial value for O'Neal, whose injury problems make him a tough sell. What Bird and this franchise need is cap flexibility. They need to take on an expiring contract or two, giving them freedom to make some moves in the next few years.

This franchise has got to accept the fact that getting better might mean getting worse, a lot worse, first.

"I think at the small forward and two guard, we're pretty well set with Danny (Granger), Shawne (Williams) and Mike (Dunleavy),'' Bird said. "Any time you go into the draft, you look for point guards and you look for big guys. It's according to what's going to be there. If there's a point guard we really like, we have to look at him. But if there's a big man there, you always like the bigs.

"At the four position we could use another guy. We've got a lot of holes to fill.''

Does that sound like O'Neal is in Bird's plans?

"I'm sure he (O'Neal) will look at all his options, and we'll look at ours,'' Bird said. "Throughout the summer, we'll probably be talking to some teams and seeing what kind of interest they have in him. He hasn't told us if he wants to stay here or if he wants to go somewhere else, but there comes a time in any player's basketball career that you want to try to do what's best for yourself and for your team.''

Goodbye, Jermaine.

Good guy, good representative of this franchise. But it's time. It's just time.

Time, finally, to rebuild.

There will be exit interviews today between Bird and the players, and you would think, and hope, it will mark the last time several enter the Fieldhouse as members of the home team.

Tinsley is gone. Marquis Daniels is on the chopping block. David Harrison is history. Kareem Rush was relegated to the bench the last few weeks. Shawne Williams? You wonder. He's still young, cheap and talented, but . . . And O'Neal has almost certainly played his final game as a Pacer.

The franchise made some strong and necessary front-office moves Wednesday afternoon. Simon needed to get more involved in this business. Morris, who told WFNI-1070, "We will not have bums here,'' seems to have the right idea. But ultimately it's about winning, and second, it's about winning with palatable players.

That leaves it up to Bird.

If Tinsley and/or O'Neal are still here in October, the clock on Larry Legend's reign starts ticking.

Bob Kravitz, dell'indystar è molto meno pacato.
dice le cose che si mormoravano su sto forum già due anni fa.
però meglio tardi che mai.
io dico che sono abbastanza daccordo.

[Syd]

Caricato il focus su JO nel sito.

Ma veramente qualcuno è disposto a prendersi Tinsley? Più di 40 partite non farà mai.

[Pollack]

Caricato il focus su JO nel sito.

Ma veramente qualcuno è disposto a prendersi Tinsley? Più di 40 partite non farà mai.

ovvio che appena se ne va, inizia a giocare con una continuità che non abbiamo mai visto primo, non ho dubbi.
giusto solo perchè se ne va, non perchè ci siano miracoli fisici.

cmq quelli abbiamo e quelli dobbiamo tradare, ovviamente hanno un valore di mercato minore rispetto agli anni passati, ma a svegliarsi tardi è quello che succede.

[jayone]

Caricato il focus su JO nel sito.

Ma veramente qualcuno è disposto a prendersi Tinsley? Più di 40 partite non farà mai.

se c'è qualcuno che ha preso Ford non vedo perchè non possano prendere Tinsley che secondo me è una buona PG e un po' di aria nuova non può fargli che bene

[Syd]

Non ho messo in discussione la bravura di Tinsley, tra l'altro questa stagione l'ha giocata molto bene, preoccupano le sue condizioni fisiche. E la stessa cosa vale per JO.

Intanto dal sito ufficiale del team:

Morway promoted to General Manager


Pacers News Release | May 7, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that David Morway has been promoted to General Manager of the team.
Morway, who has been with the Pacers 10 years, has been serving as Senior Vice President/Basketball Operations for the team, overseeing the day-to-day operation and administration of the Basketball Division. As General Manager, he will retain his current duties and will assume additional responsibilities of overseeing salary cap issues as well as assisting Pacers President of Basketball Larry Bird with all personnel decisions.

“I’m very happy to have David by my side,” said Bird. “This newly-expanded role maximizes David’s skills and experience and I’m confident we have the knowledge and resources to get the Pacers to the level we expect, our owners expect and our fans expect.”

Added Morway, “This is a great opportunity and a dream come true for myself and my family. I’ve enjoyed working with Larry for the last five years and I’m looking forward to continuing this relationship. Having been with the franchise for 10 years I know what the expectations are and what the Pacers mean to the city and the state. I can promise that we will work diligently to help fulfill those expectations. I’m excited about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for us.”

Morway has a vast sports background. He served as Assistant to the President for the San Diego Padres from 1985-88, where he was involved in contract analysis and negotiation. He also designed and implemented programs in player relations, team employee assistance and customer relations.

From 1988-98, Morway started and was President of Professional Excellence Sports, Inc. (Pro Ex), a sports management firm, he represented more than 75 clients. A 1982 graduate of the University of Arizona, Morway also has a law degree from the University of San Diego.

[Syd]

Ma a Frantz gli è venuto un collasso per le sorti dell'Inter? 

[Pollack]

Ma a Frantz gli è venuto un collasso per le sorti dell'Inter? 

ah è pure interista???
quest'anno le soddisfazioni sportive le lascia a casa allora.

Tornando seri, Diener si è fatto operare e ha rimosso un ossicino del piede, non ho ben capito.

[Syd]

Uh, che significa? 
Nella seconda parte di stagione per me si è guadagnato la riconferma.

[Pollack]

Uh, che significa? 
Nella seconda parte di stagione per me si è guadagnato la riconferma.

Si ovvio visto che se se ne va Tinsley, è l'unico play degno di questo nome che abbiamo.

[Syd]

Aria di draft...vediamo se stanotte la fortuna inizia a stare dalla nostra.

[Pollack]

Ma baffanculo anche Chicago.
Cmq questo è il primo passo che delinea il mercato estivo, le precedenti erano solo scosse di assestamento.
Adesso Bird deve smettere di  :mirror: e fare qualcosa di concreto.