| Pacer Points: Holiday Edition Authored by Andrew Perna - December 20, 2006 - 8:41 am
| Current Featured Columns | | Final Thoughts On The 2008 NBA Draft This year's draft was decidedly more calm and casual than the Oden/Durant showdown, which made for a more candid and personal experience.
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The Right Pick?
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They close out the month against Philadelphia, Atlanta, Minnesota, Houston, Detroit, and Charlotte. As of Tuesday night, only Houston and Detroit had winning records.
There have been many topics of discussion regarding the Pacers as of late and in the holiday edition of my Pacer Points I’ll hit as many of the hot heartland issues as time allows.
Peja Injured In New Orleans
Not only was Indiana able to turn the loss of Peja Stojakovic through free agency into the trade exception that landed Al Harrington, but this week their decision to let Peja walk was validated. After spending some hefty change over quite a bit of time on Stojakovic the Hornets will now be without their best shooter for most of the season. He had major back surgery on Sunday.
Even though the Pacers have struggled shooting the ball this season, Indiana ranks 26th in the league in field goal percentage, Al Harrington has contributed immediately to his old team. Harrington’s points (16.1) are second on the team, and his rebounds (6.3) are good enough for third. Harrington is also a much more vocal leader than Peja was, and he’s helping the Pacers in the fan department as well.
Will the real Pacers please stand up?
Indiana has played extremely well this season, in victories over Orlando (twice), Golden State, and Detroit, but they’ve also embarrassed themselves in losses to Boston, Toronto, and Seattle. What the Pacers need more than anything else is some consistency in their play. Their roster is far too talent to be content with a 13-13 record, and they don’t have the luxury of blaming Ron Artest or injury for their struggles anymore.
Guys like Jermaine O’Neal, Al Harrington, and Jamaal Tinsley have been consistent for coach Carlisle, but the rest of the roster runs hot-and-cold. Stephen Jackson has had games where he’s broken out for 25 and 26 points, but he’s also struggled through a four-point night, and two five-point efforts. Constant production from perimeter scorers like Jackson and Sarunas Jasikevicius is key if the Pacers are going to contend down the stretch.
Speaking of Jackson…
With Ron Artest’s temper and mood swings in Sacramento, Stephen Jackson has drawn harsh criticism for his attitude this season. His season began with the infamous gun incident outside an Indianapolis strip club, and hasn’t improved yet. As I mentioned above he’s been inconsistent with his shot and has become the wild-card of Indiana’s offense.
Rumor that Jackson was in Carlisle’s doghouse became more than just speculation when he was suspended for one game last week due to, “conduct detrimental to the team.” The coach himself suspended Jackson, who has since been re-inserted in his regular line-up position. I’ve been in Jackson’s company and he truly is a kind human being. I’m not sure how he always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and why he never has seemed to click with Carlisle. If the two can’t see eye-to-eye by the trading deadline, Jackson might have to be shopped.
Speaking of Shopping…
If things between Jackson and Carlisle don’t improve Indiana should look to acquire Corey Maggette from the Clippers. He wants out of Los Angeles and has a comparable salary to that of Jackson. The Pacers could ship Jackson, Shawne Williams, and a second-round draft pick to the Clippers in exchange to Maggette. This would give the Pacers a great inside-outside combo in O’Neal and Corey. Maggette’s game would fit nicely into Indiana’s system. Aside from Jamaal Tinsley, none of the Pacers can really penetrate, Corey do that.
You mean we weren’t involved?
For all that has gone wrong for the Pacers in recent years, thank God Saturday’s fight didn’t break out until twenty-four hours after the Pacers had taken care of the struggling New York Knicks. While the Denver-New York battle didn’t result in anyone jumping into the stands or hay-makering fans, it has taken some of the heat off the Indiana’s 2004 incident in Detroit.
As sad as it is to say, I had to crack a slight smile when I caught wind of the Knick-Nugget street fight Saturday night. Not because I wanted to see Carmelo Anthony punch Mardy Collins in the face, but rather because an embarrassing incident had occurred in the NBA that didn’t involved the Indiana Pacers. If we can get through the rest of the regular season without incident, the 2006-2007 season would have technically gone by without problem.
Questions, Comments, Do you know Reggie Miller? Let me know at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
