NBA: Indiana Pacers, point guard or no point guard?
The strong and limited bench of Indiana Pacers doesn’t offer them much in the point guard position. They have no solid player to hold the point position. When the Pacers went shopping for a point guard this year, they had no luck in bringing one on the occasion when they had to make a 10th draft pick of the year.
The beginning of the next season may result in Indiana Pacers having just a single point guard in Lance Stephenson. Lance has been very impressive thus far, but is a potential scorer rather than a play maker. He had played point guard in his high school but his move to Cincinnati saw him play the shooting guard role.
The Indiana Pacers have other point guards like Price and Ford who are expected to put in good minutes. But the other side of the story is this that both of these players are expected to start on the bench. Out of the two, Ford’s value is equivalent to that of an expiring contract which further leads them to the need of a point guard.
With the NBA at a stage where the teams are reluctant to offer and sign contracts, it would be difficult for the Pacers to bring a point guard through trade. Keeping in mind the little squad of the Pacers it would be a tough decision for them. The terms of trade would include a good point guard coupled with the fact that the player has to be paid the same wages as the player he would be traded for. However, this seems highly unlikely to occur given the current circumstances and time in the NBA offseason.
The Pacers issued a statement in which they accepted the fact that they were not willing to spend money luxuriously. Though they would wait and if they find someone that is worthy they would surely go for him. The Pacers also added that it is possible for them to wait until the 2011 draft pick because they want the right person for the right job. The statement reflects the fact that the Indiana Pacers squad is relatively young and all of them are still getting better game by game. Who knows a future superstar might be getting ready to shine on the biggest stage of all with the Pacers as his base.
The Pacers also have some players in the squad that have expiring contracts. These contracts are “BIG” if you evaluate them according to their financial value. With these expiring contracts open a window for the Pacers to bring in all sorts of big players in business in next year’s draft pick.
The likes of Tony Parker who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2011 might just come in the hunt for the championship ring. Though it seems unlikely that he would come but the deal if strong may just persuade him to join hands with the Pacers.
In case the Pacers are successful in doing so, they might be able to establish a good strong team. Keeping this in mind, the Pacers look to be in a good position to sign a quality point guard.
Another option that the Pacers might try to gamble on is Ramon Sessions. Sessions who is 24 years old and in Cleveland at the moment is a good option if the Pacers think that Ford and Price are not the ones who can start. Sessions has the potential to be starter and along with that of putting in good quality minutes.
It is also expected that the Pacers are likely to end up in the lottery next year. With the likes of Brandon Knight, Josh Selby and Kyrie Irving in the lottery picks the Pacers are in with a good chance of getting one. All three players are elite prospects and are expected to shine when they would be given their chance.
The question that remains to be answered is that whether the Pacers bring in Sessions, Parker or some other players who is outside the NBA. Whatever they do or whoever they bring, Pacers are developing into a strong team gradually but more importantly smoothly and are a team to watch out for.
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