With Ty Lawson coming in and Chase Budinger heading out, the 8 Points, 9 Seconds staff tries to figure out how all of this is going to work.
In case you missed it, the Indiana Pacers will buyout Chase Budinger’s contract to open up a roster spot for incoming point guard Ty Lawson. Budinger will be with the team for Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, and then the deal will be finalized. Lawson should join the team on Sunday.
The Indiana Pacers newest player is trying to shake off a poor season with the Houston Rockets and rebuild his reputation after going to rehab for alcohol last summer.
Lawson only averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 assists with Houston, but during the 2014-15 season with the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 15.2 points and 9.6 assists a game.
There are plenty of questions about him and how he’ll fit in with the Indiana Pacers, but that’s why we’ve gathered our best and brightest to sort all of this out.
Ty Lawson is joining the Indiana Pacers. What is your immediate reaction?
Will Furr: Meh. I see the logic — reclamation project, very talented but struggling so very low cost, Larry Bird wants to play faster, on and on — but meh. Maybe he turns it on, gives the Pacers 10-15 minutes per game with an actual point guard on their roster, then is indebted to Bird and stays here for cheap.
Tim Donahue: Uncertainty. I don’t really love or hate the move. I’m not fond of small point guards, and we’ll have to see how he fits both on the floor and in the locker room. Could end up being a steal, but at this point, I just don’t expect much out of it.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
Dave Searle: Like a co-worker tapped me on the shoulder and said “Hey! Do you want a free cheeseburger?” and I replied “I just ate two hours ago, but… Fuck it, why not?” Pacers aren’t going anywhere this season, so might as well give Lawson a spin to see if he can be a Billionaire’s Rodney Stuckey.
Jeremy Comstock: Sure. Why not?
Jon Washburn: Like the infamous Evan Turner deal, this is a low-risk, high-reward type of move. Worst case scenario: Lawson flames out dramatically because of off-court issues and the Pacers are forced to play Joe Young and Glenn Robinson, III (Budinger’s replacement) more. Best case scenario: Lawson turns it around and BAM! Indiana gets a former top 12 point guard for nothing. I hope it works out for Lawson and the Pacers.
Ryan Barth: Hopefully he can get some playing time late in the 4th quarter. Certainly can’t be any worse.
Next: Will Lawson Sink or Swim in Indiana?
Lawson’s time in Denver ended with rehab and his stint in Houston was far from productive. Why do you think he’ll do better in Indiana, or do you think he’s going to struggle?
Furr: I don’t necessarily think he will do better in Indiana. I’d guess he’s going to be very mediocre, but not a distraction. I do expect him to play extremely hard, because if he doesn’t, he might not be in the NBA next year.
Donahue: To be honest, I don’t really expect him to do better, but I don’t know enough of the details (or about him as person) to give an informed/intelligent opinion. What little I know dampens my enthusiasm, but mostly, I’m just in wait-and-see mode.
Searle: I have absolutely no idea how this will go. But Lawson knows that – just like Andrew Bynum — if he screws this up there is a very real threat he will be out of the NBA forever. So I’m bullish on Lawson being solid. If he screws this up, maybe Starbury can get him a gig in China.
More from Pacers News
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
Comstock: Houston has been a toxic environment this year, so I won’t hold anything from this year against him. The NBA has numerous precedents of guys who flame out in one city and then move on and become productive, so I’m hopeful.
Washburn: I have no idea, but I could offer my best hopes. One could hope that a guy like Monta Ellis — a veteran with a slightly checkered past — could sit down with Lawson and help him save his career. The fact that he will be coming in with far lower expectations can’t be a bad thing. Also, Larry Bird offers a stability to the organization that neither Houston nor Denver had.
These are all just hopes though. I HOPE Lawson turns it around, but I’ve no idea if he will and I really don’t care to project either way.
Barth: Houston has been a mess this year and the Pacers offer more stability. He will still struggle given his play thus far this year, but sometimes a change of scenery can spark something in a player like him.
Next: How Will The Rotation Be Affected?
Assuming Lawson is the backup point guard, how will this affect Frank Vogel’s rotations?
Furr: If he’s anything other than terrible, this helps the rotation. It bumps Stuckey back to the 2, C.J. Miles to the 3, and gives the Pacers something resembling a 2nd string group that has a point guard and doesn’t feature Solomon Hill.
Donahue: With Lawson, George HIll, Monta Ellis, and Rodney Stuckey, the 96 minutes in the backcourt could get chewed up quickly. Joe Young will fall out of the rotation, while Solomon Hill and GRIII will get squeezed. If CJ Miles doesn’t get healthy and consistent, we could see a decent amount of minutes with three guards.
It’s going to push Frank to play smaller than he wants to in order to maximize talent. — Jeremy Comstock
Searle: When CJ Miles is healthy, you won’t see Joe Young, Solomon Hill, or Trey Dog anymore. I also think Stuckey’s minutes might get squeezed a tiny bit. This could also eat into George Hill’s minutes if it goes really well.
Comstock: It’s going to push Frank to play smaller than he wants to in order to maximize talent. If Lawson plays well, he’ll probably end up playing some alongside George Hill. That could force Vogel to give Stuckey some minutes at the 3 spot.
Washburn: That will be interesting. The Pacers now have four guards that might think they should be closing out games. Only one (George Hill) can really shoot it or excel defensively. One would think that Lawson will be a short-term upgrade to Joe Young, though this might also stunt Young’s development a little. If Lawson and Stuckey can thrive together to carry bench units, a lot could fall into place for the Pacers as a whole.
Barth: Joe Young won’t see any more playing time this year unless injuries hit and Stuckey should be playing off the ball now. The bench needed more structure and this move should help a lot in that regard.
Next: Who Wins and Who Loses With Lawson Joining The Team?
Which players will benefit most from the addition of Lawson, and who does this hurt?
Furr: If he’s decent, this helps Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles a good bit. It frees Stuckey up to play off the ball, and gets Miles out in the open court with 2 guys (Stuck and Lawson) who love to run and suck the D in to the hoop. It hurts Joe Young, who’s minutes will almost certainly be completely missing. This move might send Young back to the D-League though, which might not be bad in the long run.
Donahue: Hurt is easier to see — Joe Young for sure, probably George Hill, and maybe Monta Ellis. It’s going to inject some uncertainty into the backcourt, and it’s tough to tell how that will play out. If it works out, then it might help take pressure off Paul George and get better looks for Pacer shooters – though I’m not sure who qualifies as “Pacer shooters.”
Hurt is easier to see — Joe Young for sure, probably George Hill, and maybe Monta Ellis. — Tim Donahue
Searle: I can see Jordan Hill and Lavoy Allen enjoying an extra easy bucket per game. If Lawson plays well, we might see Rodney Stuckey rot in the corner more often than not. And remember – Roy Hibbert seemed insulted when Bynum was signed. Will George Hill react in a similar fashion, or will Coach Pop’s favorite player be the consummate pro? If Hill dyes his hair red, look out.
Comstock: I don’t really know if anyone benefits, but I don’t think it really hurts anyone either.
Washburn: This pretty obviously hurts Joe Young. If Lawson is good, Young might not even be on the roster next year, and second round draft picks are never assured of sticking in the league.
Conversely, this might really help a guy like Lavoy Allen. Lawson’s quickness and floor spacing should open up more room on the offensive glass for Lavoy, and he should probably have even more space around the top of the key for his open jump shots.
Barth: Hurts Joe Young as he will likely be headed to the D league before too long. Jordan Hill and Stuckey should both get much better looks now and the bench might get out on the fast break occasionally with Ty’s speed.
Next: Goodbye, Chase Budinger
Will you miss Chase Budinger in any way, and did he do better or worse than what you expected?
Furr: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If Lawson still has an NBA Point Guard left in him, yes. I’d bet that he’s getting DNP-CDs by the end of the year though.
Searle: Waste Dudinger
Comstock: I won’t miss Chase. He played slightly worse than I was hoping for, but I never hated seeing him on the floor.
Washburn: I won’t miss Chase in any way, but that sounds far harsher than I’d like. I don’t think Chase necessarily hurt the Pacers this year. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t have the same game that he had before injuries robbed him of his explosiveness. He was a professional and I never griped about his work ethic. But I’m not sad that Glenn Robinson should now see more minutes.
Next: Myles Turner Named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month
Barth: He had maybe 1-2 memorable games, but he managed to stay healthy by not playing much this season, so that’s a bonus. I still miss Damo.