USA Today: Pacers 27th in NBA Watchability Rankings
By Jalen Bishop
USA Today ranked the Indiana Pacers as one of the four least watchable teams in the NBA. They rank ahead of Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. Let’s see what they had to say.
"What’s new? The wings likely will be manned by newcomers Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles, veterans better off in supporting roles. Croatian rookie Damjan Rudez should help with three-point shooting."
Pacers will look to Stuckey to carry the load on the perimeter. He averaged 13.9 points for the Pistons last season.
"How good will they be? The offense is going to require major work and big efforts from point guard George Hill and power forward David West. But the defensive rebuilding can’t be overlooked, either. The key will be a grinding, boring pace."
The Pacers averaged 101.5 points per 100 possessions last season, which placed them 21st in the league. They scored less per possession than the lowly Lakers, Kings and Pistons.
"What’s the goal? The Pacers still can make the playoffs, but this might be a season that ends up leading to a minor rebuilding. George is the franchise star, and if things aren’t working without him by midseason, Larry Bird and coach Frank Vogel will have to consider other strategies. But if they make the playoffs, George might even be healthy enough to play by season’s end."
USA Today somehow was able to come up with three reasons to keep up with the team.
"WHY YOU CAN’T MISS THEMSomeone’s got to score: West was an excellent scorer in a past life, with the New Orleans Hornets, before becoming a bruiser. His backup, Luis Scola, also is an adept post scorer. But the bet here is Hill, a combo guard who didn’t fit as a distributor on a balanced offense, will play the biggest part. His 37-point outburst in February against the Portland Trail Blazers was a good reminder of what he can do."
West will do his thing but his points per game production has decreased as he aged. It will be interesting to see what Hill can do with more pressure added on him. He was an important player offensively for the Spurs.
"The biggest of bigs: Though Hasheem Thabeet is the tallest player in the NBA, Pacers All-Star Roy Hibbert is the tallest good player in the league. But Hibbert has a lot to answer for. Last year, he averaged 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds a game before the All-Star break, 8.9 and 4.7 after. And he particularly disappeared during some key playoff games."
"Larry Legend: Bird is widely regarded as one of the NBA’s best front-office executives, rebuilding the Pacers into contenders twice in his role as team president. With general manager Kevin Pritchard and consultant Donnie Walsh in tow, Bird surely will craft a new approach this season. And if the Pacers are bad, well, few can match his eye rolls."
I’ll end with this.