I know it's been the theme this season to come up with a FanPost reflecting this team needing to improve or a move to help the Pacers get to the next level, but I'm writing this not for any of those reasons, but because neither of those have been anywhere near as big of a deal as they've been in years past.

This Indiana Pacer squad, despite their loss tonight has been much improved from recent seasons and has really been a fun team to watch from the fans' perspective.

The vast majority of FanPosts look forward into what this team can do to improve itself or its stock, and that's totally fine and in step with what is to be expected of the fan. I'm taking this opportunity though to step back, take a breath and appreciate the first Pacer team I've been proud of since the 2003-2004 season. These guys have depth, chemistry and a decent team makeup. There will definitely be some obstacles to keeping this team together, but after the years of despairing through Artest, JOB, too many young guys and a team that just didn't know how to win games it's nice to see a cohesive unit that can make this city proud.

I speak for myself in saying that I'll be at every game for the rest of the season and I encourage everyone with the means and ability to do the same. Let's make our city proud; let's let our team know how much we appreciate the work they've put in to improving and let's make it hell for opponents visiting Banker's Life Fieldhouse.

Go Pacers!

http://www.iamagm.com/news/2011/12/08/celtics.lead.chris.paul.enclosed.proposed.blockbuster.involving.pacers.getting.rajon?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I hadn't heard of the site before, but it cites Adrian Wojaroqkezi (spelling probably a little off) the Yahoo! NBA writer who always seems to be pretty plugged in to goings-on around the league. If you don't want to bother clicking the link, it looks like our end has us giving up Collison, Hansbrough, Rush and a pick for Rondo.

On the Hornets end, it looks like that may be the best offer forthcoming (no one else wants to send them a legit player) and landing Collison, Hansbrough, Jeff Green, Rush and a pick or 2 might be their best chance to get value for Paul.

At first blush, that appears a little drastic on our end. but that may be Pacer fans' irrational attachment to Psycho T. It also makes Larry's pursuit of Nene and even Carl Landry make a little more sense (if they're really shopping Tyler, it puts the frontcourt behind the 8 ball).

Pulling off this deal and landing Nene though could really set this team up well.

Starters: Rondo, George, Granger, Nene, Hibbert

Bench: Hill, Jones, Lance, FA signings

Obviously, this is a roster in flux and we don't know what it's going to look like come Opening Day, but that group of starters would get me excited and that would also be a team with youth, talent and -- most importantly -- flexibility going forward.

What does everyone think?

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7323610/the-third-day-nba-christmas

Long story short, Bill SImmons sees us giving Arron Afflalo 4 years, $50 million. Who wants to shoot me now?

Seriously though, is it just me or is this an awful fit? I really like Afflalo as a player and I agree with Simmons' assessment of his game and how he'd fit with Indiana, but the price is too steep. For a guy railing against dumb contracts, this is way too much money to give to a 5th guy.

Enough from me though, have at you...

There's a @fakeNBASeason twitter account. Right now the Pacers are the worst team in the league (0-8) but there's plenty of time left for an improvement. I think with college basketball the NFL and that account, we just may be able to make it through this together until this is sorted out.

Look on the bright side, there's absolutely no where to go but up and we'll all be better for it.

Deep Breaths! May you all sleep tonight dreaming of Paul George windmill dunks.

I'll make this short and sweet, but I'm interested in feedback.

Obviously, this kind of production (25 and 10) isn't a given from Tyler for the rest of his career or the season. Still, in his first extended action of his career, Hansbrough has done really well. He's done it in a fashion that makes me look a lot less stupid for saying it's possible for him to be a reasonable stand-in for David West of the New Orleans Hornets.

So, I want to know what you all think: can Tyler Hansbrough put up David West-ian production as a starting forward in this league?

With Deron Williams having been traded to the Nets, it seems obvious that the Jazz have adjusted the mindset they had at the beginning of the year in regards to contending in the West and making a deep playoff run. Rumor has it that they're looking to get themselves under the luxury tax and acquire young players and other assets (such as draft picks) along the way so that they may build for the future. Keeping these goals in mind, the Pacers would appear to be an optimal trade partner for Utah because we can help them in each of those facets.

It's obvious that Al Jefferson hasn't fit in well as a member of the Jazz. Many of his minutes have come at center (a position for which I believe him undersized) in tandem with the similarly undersized Paul Millsap, and as a result, post defense has been an issue. Compounding his problems in Utah, he is being paid $13 million this year and will receive $29 over the next two, a price tag that doesn't appeal to a team going nowhere.

I'm well aware that many prefer Paul Millsap, but Millsap is just as inept defensively and while he is cheaper, the Jazz realize that there's more demand for him. As a result, the Pacers may need to give up more to get him (potentially more than we feel comfortable giving up) while I'm confident we can acquire Jefferson and give up nothing that we'll miss too much.

I propose the following:

Utah: T.J Ford, Brandon Rush, 1st round pick, $3 million trade exception

Indiana: Al Jefferson, Raja Bell

Utah gets everything they're looking for here: an expiring contract, a young skilled wing player, another pick and $3 million to boot. Counting Ford, the Jazz would have a whopping seven players and just shy of $34 million come off the books, which allows them all the flexibility they could want moving forward. In addition, Brandon Rush would probably be their best wing right away (do with that what you will) and is on a rookie contract for two more years. Finally, Indiana taking Raja Bell affords the Jazz a little more flexibility as they no longer need to worry about his 3 year contract. The pick and the $3 million (left over from Troy Murphy) are just a couple incentives thrown in.

For the Pacers, it means our search for a legitimate starting power forward is over. Jefferson is an All-Star caliber player when healthy and, besides that knee injury, has a reasonably clean bill of health. His salary is a little high but not unreasonable and probably gives us a better value than if we went out and tried to sign a West or Randolph in the offseason. He's a beast in the post and, at only 26, should at least give us a strong 2 and 1/2 seasons up until the end of his contract.

Most importantly, we're not giving up anything we'll miss. T.J isn't playing, George's development and Dahntay's resurgence has made Rush expendable and the draft doesn't look like it holds a player that helps us in the mid to late teens, where we would likely be. Raja adds a veteran wing, can play in a pinch and isn't that expensive.

Personally, I think this move makes us better than the Knicks right now (underwhelmed with the Anthony trade) and with Granger and Jefferson being 27 and 26 year old "elder statesmen" this is a team with a lot of room for growth over the next few years.

What do you think?

Everyone has been understandably frustrated with how this team has played so far this season and there have been a lot of suggestions as to how we should use our expiring contracts to bring in new talent. I'm here to offer an alternative and see what the free agency pool has to offer.

Conditions: I'll be sticking to guys where the interest is likely to be mutual. For example, we probably couldn't get our hands on Al Horford and we probably won't be going after a star small forward type. So without further ado, here are some options.

PG: Don't see us doing a whole lot here, but if we did go for a backup point guard he'd probably need to be a veteran guy who won't be too demanding of playing time.

Options: Earl Boykins, JJ Barea.

Boykins would be fun just because he's short and having him would be kind of novel. Barea can shoot threes but not a whole lot else. Bottom line, I can't really see the Pacers using a lot of free agency money on the point guard position.

SG: Again, I don't see a whole lot of movement of this front. The Pacers have two young guys in Brandon Rush and Paul George, not to mention the fact that Dahntay Jones will likely get more run when JOB's services aren't retained and Lance Stephenson could be a factor down the road at either the point or here.

Options: Morris Peterson, Willie Green (?)

Either option would give Indiana a decent depth veteran but this roster has more glaring needs so I wouldn't consider either option particularly likely.

SF: Here's where the fun could start. Obviously we have Danny, but after him this position gets pretty thin with Dunleavy's departure and the franchise's desire for Paul George to play shooting guard. Since we really don't want James Posey as Granger's main backup, the Pacers clearly need more depth. It's also a spot where some quality veteran leadership and experience could be added for the right price.

Options: Shane Battier, Tayshaun Prince.

I'm not sure how interested Prince would be in a backup role, but he definitely won't continue making the money he is this year and he would bring valuable championship experience (kind of like Posey, only he can do more than shoot exclusively threes.) Battier is probably the more likely option, as his situation better lends itself to a prominent bench position. Both are above average defenders and can hit from the perimeter, both of which would be welcome qualities.

PF: This should be the main focus this offseason. Tyler is a really good player but I think he'd really strengthen our bench a la Antonio Davis. If the Pacers can pick up a better 4 than Tyler they'll be in good shape.

Options: David West, Carl Landry, Kris Humphries.

To be honest, I have Landry and Humphries here as consolation prizes. Nothing against either one of them, but neither one would be cheaper or all that better than Tyler. West on the other hand would be a huge get. The Hornets are having trouble getting West to agree to an extension and he has an early termination option in his contract. The Pacers could have the flexibility to extend a preferable offer to West, which could significantly better this team.

C: Roy Hibbert is the center of the future, but he needs help so we'll take a look at a couple of solid veteran backups.

Options: Ronny Turiaf, Chuck Hayes

Both of these guys are tough veterans with plenty left in the tank. Both are slightly undersized (or in Hayes' case, more than slightly) but are tenacious defenders who can make life difficult for opponents and can play the 4 in a pinch.

Here's my version of the Pacers' roster after a little free agent spree (rookies not withstanding)

Collison/Price/Stephenson

George/Rush/Jones

Granger/Battier/Posey or rookie

West/Hansbrough/McBobs or rookie

Hibbert/Turiaf/Hayes or rookie

I can see this type of group gelling together and really having a chance in a couple years to compete for a title in the East.

What do you think? Would you rather go for a trade or wait it out?

I'll make this quick because I'm exhausted from studying for finals and need at least five hours of sleep for tomorrow. I just couldn't go to bed before speaking my piece about what I saw from both the team and the fans against the Lakers tonight...

The Pacers played like crap, plain and simple... They couldn't get shots to fall, they seemed tired and beaten up and didn't execute their offense. More importantly they were playing the defending NBA champions!

The Lakers are one of the most talented teams in the league, present a terrible matchup for the Pacers AND had a substantial chip on their shoulders from the win that Hibbert and Co. stole at the Staples Center.

Face it: a win was nice to expect, but there was no way in hell that the Lakers were going to allow a vastly inferior Eastern Conference opponent to sweep them this year. Therefore, despite a multitude of things that went wrong (Hansbrough and Collison's minutes?/ Granger no show/ poor rebounding), only 25% of my frustration due to this game will be directed at the players. The rest goes to the fans.

Exhibit A: the fieldhouse was loudest when Terrell Owens (random appearance) was getting booed or when Kobe was hitting shots. It made me absolutely sick to see even the simplest of chants fail as Pacer fans sat quietly in their seats, allowing the Lakers to make their free-throws in polite silence and only raising their voices to support Kobe as he buried shot after shot in the fourth quarter.

Allow me to quote Norman Dale: "This is your team". That goes for fans who refuse to chant, cheer or even allow themselves to believe in these guys.

This is your team.

And a team that's shown progress at that. The Pacers lost that game to Philadelphia and... well, they've beaten everyone else that they've been expected to beat. Sure they've let some games get away, but this is a young team that's still coming together and growing together.

Roy's learning to deal with his body and is still improving, Collison's a second-year point guard learning a new offense and is still improving (notice a theme?), Danny's trying to expand his style of play, and is experiencing some growing pains as a result. They've been sloppy, they've blown games and they have gaping holes that need addressed (coaching, power forward, rebounding etc...). And yet, if the playoffs began today they would be a #7 seed with cornerstones of the future in place and nowhere to go but upwards in the coming seasons.

The Indiana Pacers have left the cellar of the Eastern Conference. They're better than Philadelphia, Charlotte, New Jersey and the remaining host of teams that would threaten to keep them from the playoffs. Add a lack of burdensome contracts and a still improving core, and I'd say the Pacers are on the right path.

A loss to the pissed-off defending world champions doesn't change that.

After the brawl and the strip clubs and the gunfights etc., fans said they wanted a team full of good guys,  team they could support and a team that would play hard every night.

Done, done and done. So... where are the fans?

If this city can't come out and support a team that competes every night, represents the community and has so much room to grow, than maybe Indiana doesn't deserve an NBA team.

Cut the hypocritical bullcrap, come to the games and for God's sake cheer for your team!

Don't be afraid to believe.

Goodnight.

Seeing as the Sixers are one of the the worst teams in the league (again), I can't help but wonder if it would be more productive to try and clean house and start over with young guys and picks.

What about something like this: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

Iggy and Elton go to the Pacers to be complimentary on an up and coming team and aren't asked to do as much.

As for the Sixers, guys like Turner, Speights and Holiday will get more development and there's a great chance at a high lottery pick next year.

Tell me what you think!

Just saw a link on Pacers.com about Roy offering 55 FREE season tickets to the most worthy fans of the Pacers. I'm gonna be stuck down at IU but seeing as people who contribute on this site have got to be some of the most die-hard fans alive, I'd say that this is a great opportunity to cheer on the Pacers with passion from the lower deck. Just head over to Pacers.com and prove why you belong. Go Pacers!!

This won't be a really long fanpost but I've heard rumors that the Hawks would be willing to move Josh Smith if the right deal came along. Just curious as to what that deal would have to bring back. Would T.J Ford and his expiring contract, someone taking Mike Bibby back and bringing in Jason Thompson so Al Horford could move to PF be enough, or is he worth more? I'd love to hear from the fans.

Ahh... I love the smell of a four-team trade in the morning.

First off, I'd like to extend an invitation to the next great UCLA Pacer guard (fingers crossed.) It's going to be weird having a decent point guard on the floor this season, but odds are that we as a fan base should be able to deal with it relatively well. It's funny how the mood of a fan base can shift from pushing the idea of tanking to talking about us being one big piece from making a big playoff run within a week. No doubt, Darren Collison is going to make an impact on the team on the floor come this fall but I think just about every Pacer fan is willing to admit that we're not much more than a fringe playoff team at the moment. However, this could change with the addition of a top-flight power forward.

Of the many candidates mentioned, Josh Smith seems to be the most popular of the potential additions. With this in mind, feast on a trade that would bring him here (we'll make it a four teamer in honor of yesterday's deal): 
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=28tvcmz

With this deal, Pacers get Smith, Hawks get a competent point guard, flexibility and young frontcourt depth, Sixers get 24 million off the books at the end of this year and the Bobcats get Iggy Pop and a good backup backcourt guy in addition to the new premier small-ball lineup in the league (Augustine, Iguodala, Jackson, Wallace and Diaw... hot damn!!!)

Pacers look like this:

PG- Collison, Stephenson, Price

SG- Rush, Dahntay, George

SF- Danny, Posey

PF- Josh Smith, Hansbrough, McBobs, Magnum

C- Hibbert, Foster, Solo 

IMO this looks like a really solid team that would be fun to watch at the worst and could be able to stay together for the near future. Let's hear what people think and bask in the light near the end of the tunnel while we're at it. GO PACERS!!!

Maybe it's a bad sign that I'm on Indy Cornrows frequently enough to pay attention to the content of all of the FanPosts, but it seems when we Pacer fans aren't fantasizing about dealing Troy Murphy, T.J Ford and Mike Dunleavy we're busy lambasting Jim O'Brien and Larry Bird. JOB deserves it because of his history of bush-league coaching, but criticism of Larry seems to me to be a little misguided.

A notable outside condemnation of Bird came in the form of this link:

http://www.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/1582380/nba-general-manager-rankings-pat-riley-heat

First of all, I'd like to refute a lot of the points that the article makes regarding Bird's role in team affairs directly after he rose to power. As someone said on this site (maybe LukeNukem?) it's impossible to know what Bird did and what Walsh did during the time up to Walsh's departure. As such, we'll stick to 2006 as our starting point for Bird's reign.

Most of the other criticisms of Bird stick to a similar refrain: he won't make big trades and he doesn't draft particularly well.

As for Bird's draft record, let's review his additions through the draft starting in 2006 (after Danny Granger.)

2006: Shawne Williams, James White

2007: Stanko Barac (euro stiff)

2008: Brandon Rush, Roy Hibbert

2009- Tyler Hansbrough, A.J Price

In a nutshell, 2006 was a really lean year. Even though Williams was awful and White didn't make the team, Rajon Rondo was the only noteworthy guy available besides Williams and there were some real questions about his game as well. 2008 got us Hibbert (solid center with potential) and Rush (at worst a good defender who can shoot the three and at best an above average shooting guard.) For those who still pine for Jerryd Bayless, he's a 40% shooter from the field, can't shoot the 3 and doesn't really guard anyone (I'm not a huge fan.) 2009 brought Tyler Hansbrough and A.J Price who were solid contributors in limited action last year. 

That's 4 guys the past two years who, at worst, are solid, hard-working role players (not bad for all mid-1st round and a 2nd round pick.) This will be a make-or-break season for his draft record but results so far look positive with George and Stephenson showing a lot of good things early.

Finally, people who feel that Bird isn't being aggressive enough in trading his expiring contracts need to realize just how valuable those contracts are. If there is a lockout at the end of this year (THERE WILL BE) the Pacers will be in a much better position heading into it with almost $45 million off the books than if we made some trades to be a 6 seed at best, taking on some bad contracts in the process. I think Bird knows this and I am thankful that he doesn't seem interested in taking a flier on (unproven) Darren Collison while simultaneously tying Okafor's albatross of a contract around the franchise's neck on the eve of a lockout. Bird will make a trade to add a young piece (Maynor trade?) but not at the cost of the team's financial flexibility. There was a great post the other day by Roquo that at least addresses the NBA lockout and that it should affect future vision, which no one else seems to be doing. Long story short, nobody knows what the NBA financial landscape is going to look like after the end of the season. The Pacers only have $26.5 million committed past this year, leaving them with Danny Granger, good young players and a lot of wiggle room heading into the lockout. The man who put us here? Larry Bird.

Is it possible Larry knows what he's doing after all? (feel free to comment)

Alright Pacer fans, seeing as I'm a new poster on the Indy Cornrows blog I hope I won't immediately get ripped to shreds. That being said, the Pacers currently have about $37 million in expiring contracts on the books to use as trade chips and several roster holes that need filling (point guard, another scoring option, front court defense and well... defense in general). These expiring contracts hold even more sway considering that a work stoppage looms at the end of this season and teams hurting for money would seriously consider trading quality players for the right combination of financial relief, young, cheap players and future picks.

Taking that knowledge into consideration, the Pacers certainly have the assets to make a couple big moves to not only put themselves right into the middle of a suddenly competitive Eastern Conference, but also build a young foundation that can be successful for many seasons to come (as long as we're willing to deal.)

Details, rationale and roster implications after the jump...

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