SB Nation User Blog: kennythered

62. Troy Murphy The winner of the Truck Robinson Award for "Random Great Statistical Season." Would...

kennythered — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:25:27 -0000

62. Troy Murphy
The winner of the Truck Robinson Award for "Random Great Statistical Season." Would you believe me if I told you Murph averaged a 14-12 with 45 percent 3-point shooting and cracked the top-four in rebounds (second) and 3-point shooting (fourth)? I'd have him ranked higher, but unfortunately, I've seen him on the defensive end.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090415

The Future

kennythered — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 04:16:01 -0000

Hi all, I have been a long time lurker and am a huge Pacers fan from Cincinnati. I look forward to getting to know some of you and hearing from all!

Honestly I am truly worried about our future. There is a strong sense of optimism on this site about the Pacers but I just don't feel it. Sorry. I long for the days of Reggie and making at least an Eastern Conference Finals an almost yearly thing. With the way things have gone the past few years we are just moving farther and farther in the wrong direction from the glory years.

A look at our current roster shows me a team that isn't looking to compete until about 2012. This is when Murphy, Dunleavy, Ford, Tinsley, and Foster OFFICIALLY come off the books. (Yes I expect something with JT to get worked out, but there is no reason to believe it'll be in the near future.) Now honestly those are the players that I feel are currently holding down our roster. Hypothetically, with a fully healthy lineup of these guys that is motivated we are still not contenders for anything more than maybe a playoff berth. Right now the historic bottom feeders of the league have risen so much while the Pacers have sat causing Indy to fall behind. Currently Charlotte (young with a HoF coach), Jersey(Upcoming cap space for possible LeBron, or another top notch FA plus Devin Harris looking like a stud), New York (Upcoming cap space for PROBABLE LeBron as well as core that is better than ours currently), and Washington (Very early pick this year with a healthy AgentZero, Jamison, and Butler) all have more upside than the Pacers and those are the teams we are heading into the lottery with. I just do not see any reason for optimism.

With the pending financial crisis in the NBA, the free agent market is going to be far too risky for the Pacers to invest very much $. Yeah, we will have some possible cap space after we lose Nesterovic (8.4 mil), Eddie Jones (2 mil), Baston (1.9 mil), and don't exercise the option on Daniels (6.8 mil) along with the small contracts of Carmel's own and Graham.

Honestly, looking at our current roster I see nothing more than a overmatched front office/GM. The deal for Rush still has a shot but lets be honest, we sat on J. O'Neal way too long and TJ Ford looks no better than league average. Maybe he could be a forth best player on a true contender. As far as Hibbert, he will never be much in the league. He has very little upside and players like him no longer succeed in this league. Too slow and not enough of a defensive/rebounding presence for his size.

Before this last season there was also the previous drafts and trades that are currently looking ugly.

-In '07 we took on the contracts of Murphy and Dunleavy while seemingly "dumping" Stephen Jackson (Whose contract was reasonable and only ran 'til 2010 at the time) and Al Harrington.

-Prior to this there was the issue of reacquiring Harrington before the '06-'07 season for our 2007 first round pick (Acie Law was chosen but there were many very good options to be had). Before we ever signed Harrington it looked as if the Pacers window to contend with O'Neal had closed and adding more bad contracts, like Harrington's would only bite us in the rear which it did.

-Also we drafted Shawne Williams and traded for James White which now we can tell was a terrible draft. Looking at all of these moves there has not been an obvious win in a trade or draft pick since Danny G.!

I just don't know what to think and I feel like this history of failed moves, creating this weak and costly roster gives us ZERO hope for the future. Danny is a star, no ifs, ands, or buts, however we need some bodies around him. We do not need Dunleavy, Ford, and Murphy getting paid too much $all at the same time. It would be fine if they were reasonably signed but instead they are here until 2012. Now we must hope we get a certifiable star in the draft to end up competitive, but this seems like a real stretch looking at our recent history of taking low-ceiling players.

My plan to fix this would be to:

First figure out a way to dump 2 of Ford, Dunleavy, and Murphy. I really don't care what we get as long as its some sort of draft compensation and plenty of cap. I would target the Clippers since Daddy Dunleavy isn't going anywhere and they are not too smart. Plus they do want to win now with Baron Davis. (However if we are paying only cents on the dollar I would take Baron for some package of those guys with no draft picks involved by Indy.)

Second, I would figure out what goes best with Danny.

At point I would decide if Ford was or wasn't my guy. If he is then we need a solid backup for injury issues. Also we need to realize Ford should probably be the 4th best starter on the team in order for the Pacers to compete. If he is our second best player we are in trouble.

At SG we need a defensive-first guard as well as a solid scorer. Someone who prides themselves in locking up the other teams best guard. I think Rush can be this while also providing real offensive value., but this still should be assessed. Our sixth or seventh man should also be a scorer/shooter who we can rely on to come off the bench and provide an offensive spark. However, if DeRozan is there for us to take in the draft at around 10-12 then we need to take him.

On the block we need a defensive stopper and a solid low post scorer. I would key on this player in the draft. I also feel like they need to be a high energy producer who is athletic. I would dream of winning the lottery or at least getting real lucky for a top 5 pick and having a shot at Griffin, Monroe, or Thabeet.

These moves would make us a contender with plenty of upside and possible cap space. I would also look to the free agent market for some cheap commodities. Wait until the next season is near starting and I am sure with the bad economy there will be some free agents with real talent available. Ben Gordon, Lamar Odom, and Shawn Marion are possible guys that can slip through the cracks.

I hope I am wrong and the team we have now can compete, I just have my doubts. I also love Larry Legend but he doesn't seem like he is capable of running a successful team. It may be time to move on. Give me one of those MIT grads in the mold of Daryl Morey.

I Love IT!

kennythered — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:47:45 -0000

More funny videos like the "Jay Bruce Almighty" at Heavy.com

It may have already been posted but its still worth another watch!!

We Love You Bruce and can't wait to watch you hit 30+ w/ 100+ RBI for 10 or so years!

He's not the Pearl from Tennessee,
He's not the Boss from New Jersey,
He's not the Earle from Ohio State,
But his name is Bruce and his game is great,

He don't sing in commercials like Bronson Arroyo,
He hits homers like Griffey and Dunn,
And he gives us more reason to have hope this season,
Cause we all believe he's the one,
Who was called up from Louisville to live out and fulfill,
His destiny truly and mighty,
So in praise of his name I now stand and proclaim,
He is Jay Bruce Almighty,

He's not the Lee who was strong and lean,
He's not the Willis on the big screen,
He's not the Isaac who plays football,
But his name is Bruce and I stand in awe

He don't sing in commercials like Bronson Arroyo,
He hits homers like Griffey and Dunn,
And he gives us more reason to have hope this season,
Cause we all believe he's the one,
Who was called up from Louisville to live out and fulfill,
His destiny truly and mighty,
So in praise of his name I now stand and proclaim,
He is Jay Bruce Almighty ...

Edwin E.

kennythered — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:24:12 -0000

Apr 23 3B Edwin Encarnacion was at third base in Great American Ball Park at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, nearly five hours before the game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was taking ground balls -- a lot of them. And he wasn't ordered to do it because of his league-leading six errors. Encarnacion initiated the extra work on his own. "I'm trying," he said. "I'm trying hard to get better. I'm going to work and keep working. I'm trying some different things with my footwork. I'm going to do it (today), too, only I'll work on my throws."

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7278/news;_ylt=AidwIJNze1E7nsoi4wHYYC6FCLcF

Hey we should give him some credit that he is trying, right? My thing is why hasn't the guy been ordered to take the practice? I know its good he is doing it on his own but good lord he leads the league in errors and there have been a few that have looked really ugly. Should the manager make sure he gets the practice he needs?

I believe it has to do with his confidence but on the flip side he needs to learn how to be booed and not let it bother him. He is a major leaguer not a little leaguer. Hopefully that extra practice will give him the confidence he needs.

Minors and Draft

kennythered — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:39:16 -0000

With this youth we have playing in the majors it could make our system look relatively bear. I feel like we had decent depth coming into the season and signing the 2mill dollar latin kid should help that a little but there does not seem to be a ton of high ceiling players in the minors.

I like plenty of our guys but Frazier is what he is, Stubbs is a question mark with his plate disc. and we won't know about Mesoraco for at least a few years. I feel like for all of O'Brien's downfalls he did draft a couple of decent players. Wayner I'm not so sure about.

Also how about Brandon Waring, Todd Frazier and BJ Szymanski? I know it is early but they are already hitting very well. Does Waring really have that many holes in his swing because his Brandon Wood impression sure looks good. If he turns out to be a McPherson clone but healthy and right handed I think that would be a solid major leaguer. With Frazier is there any way he can stick at SS? I love the bat but if he moves to the OF it becomes just above average and probably right at average for a corner. I also know Szymanski is 25 but everyone knew he was a project when he was drafted and maybe he has just put it together and can give us depth or at least trade bait if we are contending.

With that said, what do we do in this years draft? I would personally love to see Beckman slip to us as I don't see a real ss of the future, but I'm sure that will be slim to none of a chance. If we draft one of the polished first basemen can Votto more to the OF because I'm sure it'll only be a year and a half before we see 1 or more of them in the major leagues. Pitching is always a nice option but there is no body that has sold themselves as a top youngster that will slip down to us. It seems like the top few kids then a drop off.

So what do we do and what do you all think about our Minor League system. I know we were ranked Number 1 but once those top dogs are seeing time in Cincy I don;t want to drop to the bottom of the league again.

Poll: Hamilton Volquez trade

kennythered — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 05:55:50 -0000

What do you think? It is a tough trade to weigh out with the upside and downsides of both players. I feel like if everything Wayner has said in his reports is true than its a pretty even deal, unless Hamilton gets hurt then it is our favor. There is a chance Edinson stays wild and Hamilton performs the way many Reds fans though he would next season.

Poll

What do you think?

somewhere in the middle, please specify with post.

32 votes

Texas got an All-Star, Cincy got a dud

34 votes

Texas got an All-Start, Cincy got a potential ace

73 votes

Texas got an injury prone platoon guy, Cincy got a dud.

9 votes

Texas got an injury prone platoon guy, Cincy got a potential ace

24 votes

172 votes | Poll has closed

What the Reds should do. (period)

kennythered — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:53:42 -0000

I like the idea of using some restraint and patience. We need to make sure we don't budge on our offer for a deal to Bedard or Blanton. We can not get con-ed out of our farm because Wayne wants to keep his job or because we want to put a winner out right now. We also need to realize that by chance one of Cueto or Bailey won't pan out.
(Bailey has all the tools and a non taxing arm motion but he reminds me of Adam Dunn in that baseball and winning is not very important to him. Cueto has a huge ceiling but anyone that has seen him thinks the same thing, that he will be hurt)
Step 1 should be signing a Leiber/Colon/Prior/FreddyGarcia/etc type and making sure we do not have to resort deep into our farm system for pitching (Maloney, Cueto etc... If they are ready bring them up but if they aren't do not rush it.)
Step 2 should be figuring out some of our roster log jams.
C- I like the idea of signing Johnny Estrada at catcher for two years or trading for a decent hitting catcher. Ross is great defesively and would be a very good backup.
1b- Votto needs to start at 1st base everyday.
2b- Phillips at 2nd
ss- Gonzalez with Keppinger doing fine backup work. (We should look into finding a SS for the future whether its through the draft or trading our OF glut.
3b- EE with Keppinger helping out
LF- Dunn
CF- Freel/Hamilton/Hopper(Deal the one that gets the most, most likely Hamilton.
RF- Griffey
SP- Harang/Arroyo/Belisle/Bailey/a FA type.
Pen- Cordero closing with Weathers/Burton/Bray/Stanton/McBeth/Majewski/Coffey
Step 3 is making sure that our bullpen will hold up. I would not be against trading away on of our OF for another arm in the pen. I like Bray, Coffey, and Majewski to bounce back however.
Step 4 comes in the season. Wether or not we are in contention I think it would be a good idea to trade Griffey if he stays healthy. He could bring us in a few very solid prospects from a contender that needs a bat. If Phil Hughes/Jon Lester/ or other top prospects right now don't look as good during the season next year we could swoop in with Junior and land one of them.
Step 5 will come if we are in contention and need to add an extra player or two. I hope Stubbs has a good year in the minors because he would be great bate as I would bet he won't be too impressive as a pro.
I feel like this team could contend for next year and the future. Cueto/Bruce/Bailey could all easily be named untouchable and I feel it would not do any harm to our chances to contend next year. Yes a dominant starter would be nice but I don't think Bedard is that safe or Blanton is that good. We also need to make sure we keep focused on the June draft because that is how we got Bruce and Bailey among others and it will continue to roll out players as long as we choose the right guys.

Possible Offseason Transactions

kennythered — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:27:50 -0000

I was just curious who we thought were going to get traded and for what? Bedard to the Reds/Dodgers/Mariners/etc., Bay to the Indians/Padres/etc., and anyother possible deals. Who is most likely? Who will they be dealt to? Who will be returned in the deal? Who gets the best end of the deal?
I think the Tigers gave up a lot less than the Marlins could have gotten for Cabrera and Willis if they seperated them. Miller isn't a prospect like Bailey or Cueto and I think the Marlins could have gotten one of them in a deal.
I also feel like the A's must really like Gonzalez because theres a possiblity they could have gotten Hughes or Lester in a deal for him.
What do you think so far about trades?

Poll

Most Likely to be Traded

Bedard

36 votes

Nathan

4 votes

Bay

13 votes

Santana

79 votes

Fuentes

13 votes

Blanton

59 votes

204 votes | Poll has closed