With Bird losing out on OJ Mayo and Jamal Crawford, it may be a possibility the team holds off on signing a free agent this year. The team still has loads of cap space and the 2012 free agency class is loaded with talent. This season will dictate who the team could go after this summer.

Eric Gordon and OJ Mayo are both restricted free agents at the SG spot. If Paul George develops like I hope he will, Granger might become expendable. I find it hard to believe Bird would do a major trade this season because of the shortened length. This summer could be very interesting. Any thoughts?

Here's a link to the 2012 NBA Free Agents list:

http://www.hoopsworld.com/2012-nba-free-agents/

Player Evaluation For 2009-2010 Season

With the season over its time to look at what players we have and evaluate each individually. Here are my evaluations of each player.

Each player will receive a performance grade and then a personal growth evaluation.

--Danny Granger- Lets start with our All-Star or should I say former All-Star. Granger had an interesting season to say the least. His season was a little bit of a downer compared to last year’s breakout. He had the injury that really hampered his performance at the beginning but he came on at the end of the season. Granger did his thing and scored the ball this season, he also at times displayed an improved passing game. His numbers are similar to last year’s except for his field goal percentages and blocks, which both dipped. We’ve learned this season that Granger probably isn’t the guy. Maybe someone great paired with Granger, but we’ll see where that goes. I’d like to see him develop a post game in the offseason and continue to work on his passing/play making ability.

Overall Performance (B-) Growth (Neutral)

--Troy Murphy- No matter how much people talk about how terrible Murphy’s defense is, there is no arguing the fact that few can shoot the 3 and rebound like he can.  Murph’s season mirrored last year’s and he was probably the most consistent Pacer all year. His 3P% dropped but he developed a dribble drive game that proved effective. Murphy probably won’t be with the Pacers much longer but I’m willing to bet his best years in the league will have been in a Pacers uniform.

Overall Performance (B) Growth (Neutral)

--Roy Hibbert- FEED ROY! This is a popular saying for a reason. Roy brings hope to the Pacers. Sure he’s goofy and awkward but there’s no doubt he has major game. Hibby learned how to stay on the court after a Rookie campaign that saw him frustrated with foul trouble. His body control improvement was tremendous. There were times last year where he looked terrible out there, this year he was noticeably better. Hibbert’s passing game was also very impressive, reminds me of a younger Shaq. The only flair in his game was his less than average rebounding game. 5.7 a game for a 7-2 Center just isn’t enough. The Joy of Roy was definitely one of the only Joys this season. For next season he needs to develop a more consistent 15-footer, beef up a little, become a hungrier rebounder, and just keep improving. Roy’s going to have a good career.

Overall Performance (A-) Growth (Very Positive)

--Brandon Rush- What can I say here? Rush is probably the most inconsistent player I’ve ever seen. I would rather Brandon be terrible all of the time than show glimpses of brilliance that make us all wanting more. And that’s exactly what he did. After saying all the right things in the offseason he struggled mightily to begin the season and then as if his Rookie year was played over again, he improved as the season went on and had some great games toward the end. Brandon is a huge ? mark for the future, he was almost traded earlier this year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he were dealt this summer. If Brandon wants to continue to call Indiana home, remember this kid said he wanted to be the next Reggie Miller, I suggest he wakes up realizes he is extremely gifted and then put all of his talents to use. Oh and just act like he wants to shoot every once in a while.

Overall Performance (C-) Growth, he didn’t really get worse statistically so (Neutral)

--Josh McRoberts- My favorite player along with Hibbert this season. Josh was really patient this season and when he got his shots, he took advantage. I still don’t understand why he didn’t get more PT this year but I think that might change next season. McRoberts still has major holes in his game (any kind of offensive game, shooting) but there is no doubt he is a hard worker and will eventually fill those holes with something. He is a major athlete and extremely entertaining to watch, I mean just look at some of the dunks he put in this year. He improved just about every part of his game this season most notably his feel for the game and his defense.

Overall Performance (B+) Growth (Positive)

--A.J. Price- A.J. like Josh had to be patient this year and again like Josh, took advantage. I remember the game where he scored something like 20 points in the fourth quarter and was hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. I mean he wasn’t even supposed to make the team. A.J. could pay off big in the long run. He was inconsistent but who wouldn’t be with the sporadic minutes he got. I can’t wait until he’s consistently in the lineup which is almost a certainty next year considering we’ll have no other PG’s. A.J. is a great shooter but if he wants to be a PG he’ll need to work on being a playmaker and taking care of the ball.

Overall Performance (B+) Growth (N/A)

--Mike Dunleavy Jr.- Talk about a disaster of a season. The knee injury killed Dunleavy’s year he missed training camp and never seemed like the old Mike. He was noticeably frustrated all year and his shoots just looked like they were going to brick as soon as he shot. However, Mike did stick with it and had some better performances towards the end of the season. I’d like to see Dunleavy have a comeback year but I don’t know if it’ll happen. Heck I don’t know if he’ll even be here next season.

Overall Performance (D-) Growth (Negative)

--T.J. Ford- I feel bad for T.J. based solely on the fact that he’s such a character guy. He took the benching like a champ and played well when he was put back in the lineup. T.J. is a very talented player, one of the quickest I’ve ever watched, but he just didn’t fit in with the system. Class act, but not the player the franchise needs. I really wish we could’ve moved him to Charlotte. Farewell T.J. Ford.

Overall Performance (F) Growth (Negative)

--Dahntay Jones- Statistically Dahntay had his best season of his career. He was somewhat a victim of JOB’s system because he’s not a long range shooter. He too is a class act and was patient when he got some DNPCDs. I wonder why Dahntay wasn’t getting as many minutes as Rush was considering their numbers. Jones is the team’s best defender and will surely fit in better next season with a year of experience under his belt. Whether or not JOB chooses to incorporate Jones’ talents next year will determine if he will be effective.

Overall Performance (C) Growth (Slightly Positve)

--Solomon Jones- Another victim of inconsistency and JOB’s constant lineup changes. Solo did some good things this year. He rebounded, block shots, and knocked down the occasional short jump shot. He did what he was brought here to do, but he didn’t really impress anyone like we hoped he would. Solo may or may not be back next year. Either way it won’t affect the team in a major way.

Overall Performance (C+) Growth (Slightly Positive)

--Earl Watson- A true veteran. Watson looked very good as the season progressed and became a mentor for some of the younger players. He went from backup to starter and he deserved it. His play throughout the season was extremely consistent although not mesmerizing, but he was a player the Pacers could count on. He had his plays where he made mistakes but there is hardly anything negative you can say about Earl. I hope there is some way we find a way to hold on to him for next year. If not we’re back at square one for the PG position for the thousandth year in a row.

Overall Performance (B+) Growth (Positive)

--Tyler Hansbrough- What team does he play for now? Oh yeah… Disappointing Rookie year for Tyler. The Ear Infection from hell ruined what was turning out to be an impressive first season. Can’t wait to watch him play next year. Needs to develop more consistent midrange jumper and get more experience.

Overall Performance (C-) Growth (N/A)

--Jeff Foster- Back problems sidelined him this year. I can’t imagine how much longer Jeff will play if his back continues to be an issue. I’d like to see him go to a contender, but he seems to be happy finishing his career in Indy. But whatever happens to Jeff I hope it’s positive, he deserves it.

Overall Performance (D) Growth (Negative)

--Luther Head- The last Pacer to get signed had a few very impressive games this year but he also had games where he overdribbled and made the offense stagnate. I doubt Head will be back next year.

Overall Performance (D+) Growth (Positive from last year’s numbers)

Feel free to leave your thoughts on where you think I screwed up or where you agree with me.

Only team to trade a player for a consultant's advice
Indiana Pacers, Jan. 7, 1983
Jon Spoelstra earned a reputation as a marketing guru during 11 years as the Senior Vice President/General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers. During his tenure with the team, there wasn' a game that wasn't sold out.

In 1983, his expertise helped Portland make the strangest trade in NBA history. Needing a point guard to fill a hole created by injury, Portland acquired veteran Don Buse from the Indiana Pacers. The compensation to the Pacers wasn't a player, but one week of Spoelstra's time as a management consultant.

Well in recent news the Pacers have begun to shoot themselves in the foot again by winning a couple of their last few. Bird needs to step in and say enough with all this winning. People are saying its good for the team to play together so they'll get better for next year, this is ridiculous. They have the off season for a reason and roster changes are a guaranteed thing this summer. All the team is doing by winning is keeping the franchise in a bad spot. Every other team in the league knows how this works. Why not the Pacers? Yeah sure lets try really hard now in garbage games to win but not during the games that count. Story of the Indiana Pacers. Players want to win, upper management needs to step in.

Let the young/core guys play (Granger, Rush, Hibbert, Price, D Jones, McRoberts, Solo,) and limit the time of the veterans who won't be here in the future. I've seen a little bit of this recently but usually not until the 4th quarter the core players need to be logging major minutes, a minimum of at least 25. I think everyone will agree with me that this is a wise plan, but why don't we see it happening?

As a former player myself, actually I'm still in high school, there is no way I would ever try to loose on purpose but if I weren't on the court I wouldn't have the choice. JOB focus doesn't need to be on winning. It needs to be on losing but more importantly developing Rush, Hibbert, Price, Solo, and Josh. 

By the numbers, now is the most important time to loose. We are currently in a three-way tie for the 5th pick with Sacramento and Detroit. We hold the tie breaker, this is huge. If the season were to end today the worst possible pick we could get would be the 8th pick. This is also very important because if we win another game and Sacramento and Detroit do not that would knock us down to the 7th spot in a tie with Philadelphia. Our worst pick then would be either the 10th or 11th selection. The major talent drops off severely after the top 5. We have the chance now to turn the franchise around, lets not blow it if that 's possible.

To sum it all up, unlike the recent documentary, right now is Loosing Time not Winning Time.