Chad Ford has suggested that the Wolves offered Al Jefferson for Troy Murphy's contract.  It would definitely be an improvement from a talent standpoint, but the issue, as always, would be the contract.  Jefferson is a very good player, and should be fully healed from his knee surgery, I think.  He's probably better than any free agent that we could get next summer.

However, it might be worth saving the cap space in anticipation of the new CBA being much better for ownership.  In that case, we would want as few big contracts as possible, then we can pick up free agents more cheaply (potentially).

According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Nuggets are looking for a top 10 pick to draft a big guy, and the bait they are offering is Ty Lawson. 

I think the Pacers should do this in a heartbeat, especially if the pick is all they have to give up.  Not exactly sure how the salary cap numbers work out with draft picks, but Lawson is on his rookie contract, so, although he was picked later in the draft, the numbers should be close.  Maybe it can be done by adding some sort of cap filler or "cash considerations."

If you listen to the ESPN NBA Today podcast (and you should, it's really good this year), then you know they're doing a little "contest" to see who has the best ideas to fix different bad teams.  The Pacers are one of the first ones up, so I submitted the following plan:

Here's my plan:

First, the current assets: The Pacers have a top 20 player in Granger and a developing post scorer and shot blocker in Hibbert.  On top of that, they have financial flexibility on the horizon, with four contracts expiring in 2011 (Ford, Murphy, Dunleavy, and Foster).  If the new CBA is as owner-friendly as it's rumored to be, then their financial flexibility could be even more useful.

Now for my plan:
I've finally been persuaded that it's time to part ways with Jim O'Brien.  If a coach runs a free-wheeling, 3-happy offense, yet players don't seem to be thrilled to play for him, then that's a problem.  They should take the financial hit and fire him now to see if Lester Conner could work, or at least give the young guys more playing time.  If not, then target a current assistant who's worked his way up the ranks.  Keith Smart would be a good option, and would certainly be a popular choice with Indiana basketball fans who remember his big shot over Syracuse, and respect anyone associated with Bob Knight (except Isiah Thomas).

In the draft, assuming they don't get lucky and get Wall or Turner with a top-2 pick, they should pick one of the athletic PFs projected to go between 3 and 7: Cousins, Favors, Ed Davis, Aminu, or even Hassan Whiteside if they slip that far.  The Pacers need an injection of athleticism and rebounding next to Hibbert, and these guys would fill the bill.

Then they should target a young PG in a trade.  Many of the teams with a good shot at John Wall already have a good PG prospect, so they would be forced to decide what to do with the guy they already have.  Guys like Devin Harris, Jonny Flynn, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday/Lou Williams, Ellis/Curry, and so on.  You can even throw in the Hornets with the Chris Paul/ Darren Collison situation.  The Pacers should go after one of these "duplicates" (or John Wall if we're feeling really lucky) with a combination of expiring contracts and one of our young guys (Rush, Hansbrough, AJ Price) or a future first-rounder, whichever is more enticing.

The Pacers are now set with young talent at every position except shooting guard.  They then sign Raja Bell this summer for some much needed defense and leadership.  They still have some good expiring contracts to hang onto until trade deadline season, when they can target a SG via trade, or hang on to the cap space for the summer where they now have enough young talent to be able to entice a free agent like Jeff Green, Jamal Crawford, or Corey Brewer.

Finally, add Andrei Kirilenko in 2011 for more defense and a veteran presence as a frontcourt backup.

What do you think?

Just posted on ESPN.com:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4359580&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines

Bender is working out, and says that he feels good.  After pondering a comeback attempt during the last season, he says he wants to come back to avoid future regrets.

Donnie Walsh is, of course, rumored to have interest in Bender.

I hope it works out for him.  I have to say that I'm surprised, because the few interviews I've read since his retirement seemed to indicate that he was happy with his business ventures and didn't seem to have a longing for basketball.  I never thought this during his career, but those interviews made me wonder if he was one of those kids who was "chosen by basketball," rather than the other way around, because of his physical gifts.  Many of those players don't show the same passion and commitment to the game.

With that being said, I hope that this comeback isn't just, or even primarily, about money.  I know, he made a ton of money, but it isn't hard to find many former players in financial troubles, especially those who invest in off-the-beaten-track business ventures.  I applaud his efforts to bring affordable housing to post-Katrina New Orleans, but that could definitely lose him big chunks of cash.  His other investments included sponsoring a boxer, and other stuff that could be potential money sinks.

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David Thorpe, an ESPN.com commenter and private coach to several current and aspiring NBA players, covered the first Pacers summer league game on Twitter (@coachthorpe).  Here are his thoughts concerning the Pacers:

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I don't like hearing Bird say that he doesn't like too many threes.  There are all sorts of stats that point to the importance of the three point shot.  In particular, the stat geeks will tell you that the corner three (because it's a closer shot), is the most efficient shot in the game, except for a wide open layup.

I like Bird, but he needs to realize that the NBA game has changed a lot since he played.  Coaches and players in those days learned the game without the 3, and didn't realize its importance.  Now, coaches realize how crucial good 3-point shooting is, and JOB is ahead of the curve in that regard. 

This changes lots of the traditional wisdom of the game.  Shooting a three on the break is no longer taboo. A Murphy-like big who shoots threes used to be a curiosity at best, and a soft player who won't do his job down low at worst.  Now it's a potent weapon.  You used to live with late-arriving defense on the three, preferring to help down low.  Now coaches know that you HAVE to at least get a hand in the face, and you applaud the effort of the defender who fouls the jump shooter in an attempt to prevent a wide-open three.

I value the Bird's experience as a player, and I'm sure he's great at traditional player evaluation using his good old-fashioned basketball smarts.  But he has to keep up with the changes in the game, and the new statistical evaluations of strategies and players.

O'Brien seems to be kind of a stat geek, and of course he values the three-pointer.  Hopefully he can bring Bird around and inject some 21st century geekery into Bird's old-school basketball IQ.