Indiana Pacers 2009 Season Update
Posted 12/29/2009
The Indiana Pacers are among the bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference, yet all hope is not lost yet.
Thanks to playing in the far weaker conference, the Pacers still have a chance to reach the playoffs if they can put a little run together.
Forward Danny Granger is the star of the team, averaging over 24 points per game. He is also fourth on the team in rebounds.
While Granger is on the verge of becoming a star, part of the team's problem is how little help he has around him.
Mike Dunleavy is the team's second leading scorer at just 14 points per game. He is a nice player, but would struggle to start on most contending teams.
The team has a lot of young players, which is great when you are trying to rebuild, but I'm not exactly sure the talent is there. The talent part is just as important as the youth piece, so I'm not exactly sure if the Pacers are heading in the right direction.
When Troy Murphy and Dahntay are your third and fourth leading scorers, there is major cause for concern. Jones came off the bench only for defensive purposes with the Nuggets, so that's how a good team in the Western Conference views his offense game.
Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush are two quality youngsters who could be key pieces to a future contending team, and Tyler Hansbrough is the kind of guy everyone could use coming off the bench..
Hansbrough's aggressive style has already ruffled a bunch of feathers around the league. Some players believe he isn't good enough at basketball to be playing the sport and would be better off in rugby.
Hansbrough just seems to shrug off that criticism, saying he is just playing the game hard, which in his mind is the only way to play it.
The Pacers are certainly working hard to rebuild, but I'm just not sure they can build off of a lot of the players on their roster. They will be very hard-pressed to make the playoffs this year, and I don't see too much hope in the future, either.