| Brighter Times Ahead Authored by Andrew Perna - January 9, 2006 - 11:46 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Howard's Role In The Gold For the first time in eight years, there won't be any talk of failure, or the world catching up, only praises for the Olympic champions – that is unless your name is Dwight Howard.
Grading The Deal: Williams To Cleveland In Three-WayMo Williams just barely outperformed the first year of his new contract, but he gives Cleveland's offense a few more teeth.
| |
At 18-13, and having won three of their last four games, the Pacers have several reasons to be optimistic. Over the last five games the Pacers have averaged 101.4 points a game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field. They have also increased their rebounding during the five-game stretch, out-rebounding their opponents by almost four rebounds per game.
Another reason to be optimistic about the way the Pacers have been playing as of late is their team chemistry. It’s evident in their assist totals, and even their increased shooting percentages and scoring. Watching them on the court you also get a feeling their chemistry has improved in the way they congratulate and confer with one another on court.
For consecutive seasons they have been put through an amazing amount of adversity and guys like Austin Croshere, Fred Jones, and Anthony Johnson have been ready to deliver when the team needs it most. Jones is averaging 17.4 points over the past five games, and rookie Sarunas Jasikevicius contributed a career-high 20 points in a win over Seattle last week.
The potential for greatness is the Pacers’ biggest asset. While the same has been true with guys like Jermaine O’Neal, Ron Artest, and Jamaal Tinsley over the past few seasons, the Artest saga and injuries to both O’Neal and Tinsley have held Indiana back. With young talent like Jones, Jasikevicius, and rookie Danny Granger, the Pacers have a reason to believe the post-Artest era will be a more promising one.
Granger has been seeing much more consistent minutes since the benching of Artest. In Indiana’s last three games he’s averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.33 steals per game, while shooting a torrid 55.6 percent from the field.
Despite the increased contributions from Jones, Jasikevicius, and Granger the brightest spot from my point of view has been the play of Stephen Jackson. The often volatile guard has taken his play to another level. In the absence of Artest, O’Neal, and Tinsley, he put up all-star caliber numbers – 24.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while shooting above 50 percent from behind the arc.
The Pacers welcomed back O’Neal in Sunday night’s victory over the Kings, where he posted 12 points and eight rebounds in just 21 minutes off the bench. Tinsley may return to action as early as Wednesday’s game against the Bucks, but expect the Pacers to be cautious about bringing him back as long as Johnson is holding down the fort.
Once the Pacers get healthy the last piece of the puzzle would be to pull the trigger on a trade that sends Artest out of town. While Pacer fans have been waiting anxiously for the deal to be made, team brass has made it clear that they will take their time in making a decision. The only certainty about Artest is that he’ll be elsewhere when the clock strikes midnight on the NBA’s February 23rd trading deadline.
Whether the deal will be made this week, next week, or February 23rd, rest assured Donnie and Larry will be analyzing each and every option before they finally make a deal.
Until then the Pacers will continue to motor on, together. |
