2010-11 NBA Blogosphere Previews: Indiana Pacers
Posted by Neil Paine on October 25, 2010
Welcome to our 2010-11 NBA Blogosphere Previews, in which we contact the finest team bloggers on the web and ask them to contribute their thoughts on the squad they cover. What follows is their take, along with the team's depth chart (courtesy of ESPN.com), projected 2011 stats via our Simple Projection System, and polls where you get to have your say. Enjoy!
Indiana Pacers
Coach: Jim O'Brien
2010 Summary:
Record: 32-50, Finished 4th in NBA Central Division
Pythagorean W-L: 33-49 (21st of 30)
SRS: -3.10 (21st of 30) ▪ Pace Factor: 97.1 (2nd of 30)
Offensive Rating: 103.7 (26th of 30) ▪ Defensive Rating: 106.8 (14th of 30)
2011 Depth Chart (with 2010-11 projected per-36 minute stats ... yellow = newcomer)
| Pos | Player | Age | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FG% | 3PM | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Darren Collison | 23 | 16.4 | 3.6 | 7.2 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 3.3 | 0.486 | 0.8 | 0.405 | 0.848 |
| PG | T.J. Ford | 27 | 16.3 | 4.4 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 0.453 | 0.4 | 0.267 | 0.824 |
| PG | A.J. Price | 24 | 17.0 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 0.425 | 2.3 | 0.353 | 0.798 |
| SG | Mike Dunleavy | 30 | 17.0 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 0.424 | 1.8 | 0.341 | 0.831 |
| SG | Brandon Rush | 25 | 11.8 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.431 | 1.7 | 0.405 | 0.666 |
| SG | Dahntay Jones | 30 | 13.7 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 0.458 | 0.2 | 0.259 | 0.757 |
| SG | Lance Stephenson | 20 | ||||||||||
| SF | Danny Granger | 27 | 23.5 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.439 | 2.5 | 0.380 | 0.857 |
| SF | James Posey | 34 | 9.7 | 6.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.389 | 1.8 | 0.347 | 0.814 |
| SF | Devean George | 33 | 10.5 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.414 | 1.7 | 0.359 | 0.726 |
| PF | Josh McRoberts | 23 | 12.8 | 8.6 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.501 | 0.5 | 0.315 | 0.610 |
| PF | Tyler Hansbrough | 25 | 16.9 | 9.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.386 | 0.2 | 0.273 | 0.750 |
| PF | Magnum Rolle | 24 | ||||||||||
| C | Roy Hibbert | 24 | 17.1 | 8.3 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 0.496 | 0.1 | 0.412 | 0.740 |
| C | Jeff Foster | 34 | 9.2 | 10.2 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.494 | 0.1 | 0.308 | 0.648 |
| C | Solomon Jones | 26 | 11.3 | 7.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.480 | 0.2 | 0.302 | 0.722 |
2010-11 Blogger Outlook by Tom Lewis, indycornrows.com
The Indiana Pacers remain a team in transition, so while some things may look a little different around Conseco Fieldhouse, some things will stay the same, which likely includes the win/loss record.
The offseason trade that sent forward and double-double contributor, Troy Murphy to New Jersey, landed the Pacers a young, up-tempo point guard in Darren Collison. With Collison setting a fast pace and Danny Granger healthy and ready to resume his role as the team’s leading scorer, piling up points remains the team’s strongest attribute. Stopping the opposition points from mounting at the other end, however, remains the greatest concern for the Pacers.
Center Roy Hibbert has worked hard on his game and body to make himself a stronger presence around the rim. The team defensive effort would certainly get a boost if Hibbert can defend the rim while avoiding foul trouble.
Young, active forward Josh McRoberts has worked his way into the starting giving the Pacers three (along with Hibbert and Collison) 23-year-old starters to combine with Granger as a young core of developing players. With Tyler Hansbrough and rookie Paul George in the rotation, the Pacers will continue building back up this season while awaiting a large amount of cap space that will be available next summer.
Poll Time