Indiana Pacers Breakdown: Rebuilding Gone Wrong

[Erick Blasco]

The Indiana Pacers’ decision of blowing up their roster and rebuilding two years ago was absolutely the right one to make. However, the Pacers haven’t procured the necessary amount of talent to have any semblance of a bright future.

 

Instead, the stiffs and mediocrities that currently comprise the Pacers roster have steered the Pacers to a 10-23 record, with the latest loss the most humiliating one—a 132-89 annihilation at the hands of the New York Knicks.

 

While individual losses are often overblown, the performance exposed the myriad reasons why the Pacers will be dismal for seasons to come.

 

• The Pacers starting lineup consisted of Earl Watson, Luther Head, Mike Dunleavy, Josh McRoberts, and Roy Hibbert. Three career backups, a brittle wing still gathering his bearings after returning from injury, and a gentle giant. Has there been a more impotent starting lineup fielded by a team this season?
• Roy Hibbert had some success in the paint, but his hooks are too slow-developing and mechanical to elude shot blockers coming over once Hibbert begins his moves.
• Hibbert had some success from the high post, hitting jumpers from up to 20-feet out and making nifty passes from the high post—7 AST, 0 TO.
• However, Hibbert showed zero athleticism. He had difficulty finishing near the hoop, he made no effort to show on the far side of screens, he was ineffective on nearly all his interior rotations, he was beaten on the glass, and he had to give David Lee too much room to shoot because of Hibbert’s lack of foot speed. As a result, Lee was able to shoot 18-foot jumpers to his heart’s content and finished with 22 points on 9-16 shooting.
• Because of Hibbert’s defensive tardiness, his game is synonymous with foul trouble. Indeed, Hibbert fouled out against the Knicks.
• Mike Dunleavy may be the weakest player pound-for-pound in the entire league. He was abused on the boards and defensive end of the court, displayed a questionable handle, and made awful outlet passes. His only redeeming quality was his ability to curl off of two weak-side down screens to free himself at the top of the key where he sank a trio of jumpers.
• Aside from one half of the 2007-2008 season, Dunleavy has always been a disappointment in the pros.
• Josh McRobers turned his head, misread defenses, and airballed a layup in 19 forgettable minutes.
• Earl Watson has been pressed into starters duty recently after Jim O’Brien deservedly benched T.J. Ford for being a shooting guard in a point guard body. However, Watson is at his best as a tempo-pushing backup who can pressure the ball and make plays in a broken field.
• As a starter trying to initiate Indiana’s offense, Watson was a disaster—4-12 FG, 1-6 3FG, 1 AST, 4 TO, 9 PTS.
• As a smallish shooting guard, Luther Head was simply posted or shot over by New York’s assortment of oversized wings. And he couldn’t shoot away his liabilities—7-15 FG, 2-7 3FG, 18 PTS—with most of his points coming well into garbage time.
• Solomon Jones offered no resistance on Lee’s jump shot, had no presence in the paint, and didn’t do anything to warrant being in the rotation.
• A.J. Price is a not-so-quick shooting guard in a point guard’s body who couldn’t get into the paint. In other words, a pine-rider.
• Brandon Rush is a shooter who shot too many blanks—2-13 FG, 0-6 3FG, 0 AST, 2 TO, 6 PTS. Like Price, his defense was a disaster.
• Travis Diener can’t run an offense, can’t penetrate, can’t defend, and only has value when he’s knocking down his threes.
• Dahntay Jones was the only Indiana player who sometimes made acceptable baseline rotations, who spoke on defense, and who played with any muscle whatsoever, though he too was guilty of losing focus on the defensive end. Perhaps after half a season away from Denver’s defensive organized chaos, Jones’ chops have been dulled playing with his new sad-sack teammates?
• Offensively, Jones was at his best as a baseline runner and doesn’t quite have three-point range on his jump shot.
• The Pacers took 30 threes out of their 91 shot attempts, the majority of them quick triggers with no exploration inside the arc.
• The Pacers didn’t have any player who consistently broke down the Knicks defense, nor who could create offense for either himself or others.
• Because Indiana’s wings either are too small or play too small, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and Al Harrington feasted on Watson, Head, Rush, Price, Dunleavy, and Dahntay Jones and were able to finish at the hoop with ease.
• Besides Watson and Dahntay Jones, Indiana has nobody who puts defensive pressure on opponents. As a result, other teams just run what they want to run against the Pacers.
• Indiana didn’t compete on the defensive end, and their youngsters made too many mistakes.
• Indiana’s injured starters can’t be used as an excuse for the team’s struggles. Danny Granger is a gunner who does most of his work on the perimeter and none of it on the defensive end. Troy Murphy can shoot and board but can’t do anything else. Jeff Foster isn’t the athlete Indiana needs, and neither is Tyler Hansbrough.
• Of their youngsters, Price and Rush look like D-Leaguers while Hansbrough and Hibbert project to backups or role players at best.
• Of their veterans, too many Pacers are journeymen with no track record of achieving measurable success.
• Of course Larry Bird should give the embattled O’Brien a vote of confidence. Bird’s the player who signed off on building such an inept roster.

The Pacers are a soft, defenseless, jump-shooting team that can’t create open looks for those shooters, and lacks talent all over the roster.

 

In other words, a bad basketball team with a bad future.

[AtTheDriveIn]

Great article, as usual.

 

Looking on it, the Pacers have done an awful job of rebuilding. The average age of the team is nearly 27 years old, which could very well be among the oldest in the league. I know the Dallas Mavericks are one of the older teams in the league with an average age of 28 or 29. They don't have any youthful players who can contribute substantially or even on an average level, which is a bit shocking considering re-building teams are always looking for young players before anything else.

 

Really, the only thing they have going is Danny Granger, who I've always seen as someone who would thrive in a second option role. Nevertheless if Granger decides to leave or demands a trade, which seems inevitable with the direction of the Pacers at the moment, the Pacers on paper look even worse than the Nets at the moment. The Nets at least have Brook Lopez and Devin Harris and maybe even Douglas-Robert and Williams, the Pacers would be shattered if Granger were to go and play elsewhere.

 

 

On a happier note, Tyler Hansbrough, I thought wouldn't work out. I've never been a real fan of him until now though. Although his shooting is ugly (37%), the heart and hustle he puts into his game will keep him in the league. Good player to have around, in my opinion.

[bravenewworld]

Great article but i honestly do not think the Pacers have a bad team.

They have quality players (while every player has flaws that dose not mean they are not good players and cannot be great role players)and the only thing they really seem to be missing is a key leader. Someone who can morally pick this team up before during and after a game.

[Real Deal]

Roy Hibbert and the Pacers read your article before the game tonight.

 

I'm not a big fan of hardly anyone from the team, and I think Danny Granger will be better off as someone's Pippen...but Hibbert can be pretty good.

 

I'm disappointed in Brandon Rush, who I thought would be a good starter for the Pacers, but his inconsistency has turned me away from his game for now.

 

Indiana hasn't had much of a chance to rebuild through the draft, though. They aren't usually the team standing near the top of the lottery every year, more like in the middle (ex. Granger, Bayless, Williams, Hibbert, etc).

 

But I think their PG troubles have actually gotten them in a hole. Waiting on Tinsley, the Pacers skipped over a player they were said to be looking at in 2006: Rajon Rondo.

 

Even crazier, they were one pick away from landing someone they wanted in Brook Lopez, also.

[Erick Blasco]

Roy Hibbert and the Pacers read your article before the game tonight.

 

I'm not a big fan of hardly anyone from the team, and I think Danny Granger will be better off as someone's Pippen...but Hibbert can be pretty good.

 

I'm disappointed in Brandon Rush, who I thought would be a good starter for the Pacers, but his inconsistency has turned me away from his game for now.

 

Indiana hasn't had much of a chance to rebuild through the draft, though. They aren't usually the team standing near the top of the lottery every year, more like in the middle (ex. Granger, Bayless, Williams, Hibbert, etc).

 

But I think their PG troubles have actually gotten them in a hole. Waiting on Tinsley, the Pacers skipped over a player they were said to be looking at in 2006: Rajon Rondo.

 

Even crazier, they were one pick away from landing someone they wanted in Brook Lopez, also.

 

Hibbert's slow and he's soft, and almost every player on the Pacers has that problem. That game against the Magic may be one of the flukiest performances of the season. They were embarrassed by the Knicks and came otgether against Orlando but that won't happen too often this year.

 

You're right that they haven't had premium draft spots, but they could really use a Ty Lawson right now, just somebody with speed, who can pass and make plays.

 

Troy Murphy, Earl Watson, T.J. Ford, these players don't contribute much now, and aren't young either. They're so fed up with Ford that they've simply benched him.

 

They missed on Rush, time will tell that they missed on Hibbert. They have Granger and a whole lot of nothing.

[Erick Blasco]

Great article, as usual.

 

Looking on it, the Pacers have done an awful job of rebuilding. The average age of the team is nearly 27 years old, which could very well be among the oldest in the league. I know the Dallas Mavericks are one of the older teams in the league with an average age of 28 or 29. They don't have any youthful players who can contribute substantially or even on an average level, which is a bit shocking considering re-building teams are always looking for young players before anything else.

 

Really, the only thing they have going is Danny Granger, who I've always seen as someone who would thrive in a second option role. Nevertheless if Granger decides to leave or demands a trade, which seems inevitable with the direction of the Pacers at the moment, the Pacers on paper look even worse than the Nets at the moment. The Nets at least have Brook Lopez and Devin Harris and maybe even Douglas-Robert and Williams, the Pacers would be shattered if Granger were to go and play elsewhere.

 

 

On a happier note, Tyler Hansbrough, I thought wouldn't work out. I've never been a real fan of him until now though. Although his shooting is ugly (37%), the heart and hustle he puts into his game will keep him in the league. Good player to have around, in my opinion.

 

I agree wholeheartedly. I haven't seen Tyler play but reports are that he's a good role player. He'll probably take over the Jeff Foster role after this season. But how many role players do the Pacers have? They need talent and the only talent they have come with red flags, like Murphy's softness and defense, and Ford's inability to defend, shoot, or run an offense.

 

They were right to blow things up but they don't have anything to rebuild around, except Granger who I feel is mostly just a jump shooter, and not a franchise player.