| Mercy Rule Authored by Andrew Perna - April 16, 2007 - 7:34 pm
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The only thing that the Pacers and their fans can be thankful for is that someone, from above or below, had the common courtesy to inflict the ‘mercy rule’ on this season. Ending things before half the state of Indiana spontaneously combusted. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or just don’t care, the Pacers will miss the postseason for the first time in ten years. They couldn’t even make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, where three teams could finish with losing records and still qualify.
Ultimately it was the team’s eleven-game losing streak, which bridged from late February into mid-March that doomed their postseason chances. They hung around, giving fans hope that was seemingly only mathematical, up until their disappointing loss to the playoff-bound Nets on Sunday. The reality of it is had they made it, what would it have truly accomplished?
Sure it would have been nice to extend their league-long playoff streak to ten years, and it could have been used as a pseudo-morale boost, ‘at least we made the playoffs,’ but it would have done little else. They will now begin their off-season in April, for the first time since 1997, likely without a draft pick as well (if outside the top ten their draft pick gets shipped to the Hawks). On May 22nd the NBA Draft Lottery will be held in New Jersey, with Indiana holding more or less than a one percent chance at landing in the top three.
For all intents and purposes, Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh should begin planning their summer, without the help of any draft picks this June and a minimal number of expiring contracts.
While some people might be glad that the disastrous campaign of 2007 is over, the question of what will happen in 2008 still looms overhead. The deals of Keith McLeod, Darrell Armstrong, Rawle Marshall, and Maceo Baston can all end this summer, with Armstrong the only real candidate to return next fall. The rest of the roster is locked up, barring a trade, until 2010 (where the Pacers already have $51 million in contracts signed). So what do they do?
One option that I’m not all too fond of would be to trade Jermaine O’Neal (although he re-iterated his desire to retire a Pacer on Monday) in hopes of gaining some financial relief and beginning a complete rebuilding process. This would be something new to most Pacer fans as the team has ‘rebuilt’ itself multiple times in the last two decades without missing a beat. Of course, that was until this year. While you cannot discount his talent, when healthy, getting someone to take on Jermaine might not be as easy as it sounds. O’Neal will earn nearly $20 million next season, and that increases to almost $23 million in the final year (2010).
Ideally, the Pacers would keep O’Neal while dealing away some of their other large contracts, like Marquis Daniels, Mike Dunleavy Jr., or Troy Murphy. It’s old news by now that the trade with Golden State has been considered a failure for this season. But the worst part is that the deals of Dunleavy and Murphy could financially cripple the franchise for the next four seasons. Another problem, that might relate more to play and persona than his $7 million salary, is that of Jamaal Tinsley.
Indiana thought they had shipped their ‘bad guy’ image to Golden State with the likes of Stephen Jackson, and maybe even Al Harrington. What they didn’t know was that Tinsley and Daniels sometimes share the same poor decision-making of their former teammate. Considering Daniels and his recent knee situation, Austin Croshere’s $7.3 million deal which expires this summer, seems mighty appetizing.
As bad as things were for the Pacers this season, they were not without promise (at times). Four players in particular seemed to make fans smile every time they entered the game: Danny Granger, Jeff Foster, Ike Diogu, and Shawne Williams.
My hope for Granger next season is that he can raise his game to an all-star level. He has the talent and drive to represent the Eastern Conference in New Orleans next February (his hometown), but whether he reaches that remains to be seen. A fall against the Clippers in the middle of the season seemed to derail some of his intensity, but he showed flashes of re-gaining that this month. At bargain basement price, until 2009, Indiana could see all their problems solved by the young swingman.
Foster is a strange case. At thirty, not many would consider him a great piece for the future, especially considering his injury-risk but he’s a key piece to any Pacer puzzle. He has the highest basketball IQ of anyone on the team, and that includes 65-year old Darrell Armstrong. He has a nose for the ball that has single-handedly solved Indiana’s notorious rebounding difficulties throughout his career, and trading him might implode the heart and soul of the team even further.
The key piece to the deal with Golden State was prying Diogu away from Chris Mullin, which would help the Pacers fill the hole that could be created by any trade involving O’Neal. Diogu might be small for a power forward, but he plays much bigger than his size. His only problem has been staying on the court. He played brilliantly against Miami last Friday, but was strapped to the bench after fouling out. The Pacers seemed to lose all control when Diogu went out, allowing Miami to take the lead and in effect end their slim playoff hopes.
Williams, the Pacers’ draft pick last June, scored thirteen points in his debut against the Bulls on December 11th and has provided a much-needed spark off the bench for Indiana late this season. Shawne has earned consistent playing time from Carlisle since the beginning of February and has responded with several double-digit performances, including nineteen points against New Jersey in late March. He has also been working hard on his jump shot, which has shown as of late (he’s shooting 62.5% from three in April).
It won’t be easy for the Pacers to turn things around on a dime, but with the help of guys like Granger, Foster, Diogu, and Williams – at least it could be fun to watch.
Stay tuned to RealGM for more on the Pacers off-season in the coming months. I’ll run several trade ideas through the Trade Checker and do my best to help Bird and Walsh fix the problems in the Heartland. If you have any suggestions, or ideas, for the Pacers please e-mail me: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
