# Official Indiana Pacers Draft Thread 09



## Knick Killer

Well we got the 13th pick this year. Who do you guys think were going to pick? A couple mock drafts have us taking Eric Maynor from VCU and Stephen Curry from Davidson. I'd honestly be satisfied with either pick. Here's a link showing who all the mock drafts have us selecting.

http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5800023983


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## PacersguyUSA

Stephen Curry would be cool.


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## NorthSideHatrik

We need to keep Jack and then forget about taking a PG. We need someone who can play the 4 if anyone decent is still around. We're also light on the wing now too with Dunleavy gone until Jan at best. If either of the big combo forwards (Earl Clark or James Johnson)is left, I think we have to take one. I'd prefer Johnson, but it looks like he'll be picked sooner than Clark.


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## PaCeRhOLiC

NorthSideHatrik said:


> I'd prefer Johnson, but it looks like he'll be picked sooner than Clark.




Clark will turn out to be a better prospect though.


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## BlakeJesus

*Indiana Pacers Draft Thread*

The Pacers are a team that hold my intrest, so I'll be keeping an eye out on their pick on draft night.

I'm curious who the fans think will be picked?

I think a guy like Flynn is absolutely ideal. I know this team wants to shoot more threes, and Flynn can help in that area. He also plays a position of need, and is pretty good at taking the ball to the rim. That is especially useful because it should hopefully set Granger up with some open threes.

Who would you guys like to see selected?


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## Pacers Fan

*Re: Indiana Pacers Draft Thread*

As cool as Flynn would be, I doubt he'll be there and we really don't need another PG. If we do get one, Ford's out, but we want a tall PG that can play some defense. Unless Brandon Jennings or Tyreke Evans (no chance) is there, I doubt we go with a PG. I could see us reaching on Austin Daye or James Johnson just because Bird loves combo forwards. Earl Clark would be a nice choice, but he's probably too much like Al Harrington. I'm pretty sure if DeJuan Blair is there that we'll take him just because we need a post-up PF that badly.


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## Knick Killer

*Re: Indiana Pacers Draft Thread*



GregOden said:


> The Pacers are a team that hold my intrest, so I'll be keeping an eye out on their pick on draft night.
> 
> I'm curious who the fans think will be picked?
> 
> I think a guy like Flynn is absolutely ideal. I know this team wants to shoot more threes, and Flynn can help in that area. He also plays a position of need, and is pretty good at taking the ball to the rim. That is especially useful because it should hopefully set Granger up with some open threes.
> 
> Who would you guys like to see selected?


Already had a draft thread man. But anyways, Id totally be cool with Flynn. I like the way he plays and I think he can help us out in a couple areas.


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## billfindlay10

One of Blair, Clark, or Johnson should be available at 13.

Any chance of McRoberts stepping up and being able to contribute? He showed some skills in his 8 minutes per game he received. In games where he got 18 minutes or more he averaged 10 ppg, almost 2 blocks, and 6 boards.....


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## R-Star

I'd like Curry, but highly doubt he'll be available. The Pacers need to tank. Getting these mid 1 round picks aren't doing us any good. We need a top 3 pick in a draft and build around whoever we pick.


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## Pacers Fan

R-Star said:


> I'd like Curry, but highly doubt he'll be available.


It's funny how value changes. Back when this thread was created, Curry was a 12-17 pick. Now he's a 3-7 pick. Definitely the Russell Westbrook of this draft. 



> The Pacers need to tank. Getting these mid 1 round picks aren't doing us any good. We need a top 3 pick in a draft and build around whoever we pick.


Well, we had a really successful one in Granger and then back in the day, a great one in Reggie. I think we're used to striking gold in the mid-first round and we think we can get as good a player sometimes.


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## R-Star

Pacers Fan said:


> It's funny how value changes. Back when this thread was created, Curry was a 12-17 pick. Now he's a 3-7 pick. Definitely the Russell Westbrook of this draft.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, we had a really successful one in Granger and then back in the day, a great one in Reggie. I think we're used to striking gold in the mid-first round and we think we can get as good a player sometimes.


Just hard to wait for one of every 10 mid round picks we choose to turn into a star. Consistently being a "decent" team sucks. Contend or rebuild. Being good enough to make the playoffs but having no shot at the title is a little disappointing.


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## Knick Killer

R-Star said:


> Just hard to wait for one of every 10 mid round picks we choose to turn into a star. Consistently being a "decent" team sucks. Contend or rebuild. Being good enough to make the playoffs but having no shot at the title is a little disappointing.


Yeah I'd rather be dead last in the league and have a shot at a guy like Blake Griffin instead of just barely missing the playoffs in the East every season.


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## Knick Killer

Only a couple more days until we find out who the newest Indiana Pacer is!


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## NorthSideHatrik

Knick_Killer31 said:


> Only a couple more days until we find out who the newest Indiana Pacer is!


I still hope/think its James Johnson.


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## Hail Yinka

please dont take dejuan blair....he will be trash


earl clark, earl clark, earl clark. top 5 talent and would be a steal. if hes on the board at 13 (which is likely) they need to pick him. 

i like eric maynor too, think he will end up as the best PG in this draft.


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## billfindlay10

Hail Yinka said:


> please dont take dejuan blair....he will be trash
> 
> 
> earl clark, earl clark, earl clark. top 5 talent and would be a steal. if hes on the board at 13 (which is likely) they need to pick him.
> 
> *i like eric maynor too, think he will end up as the best PG in this draft*.


I think Maynor can have a good career, but better than all the point guards in a deep point guard draft? Rubio, Flynn, Teague, Lawson, Jennings, Curry, Evans, Holiday......??????


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## Hail Yinka

rubio is all hype (he might be good, but people are talkin like he'll be better than nash already), flynn i like, teague ehh, lawson will be decent, jennings sucks, curry is not a PG and will be a bust, evans not sure if he will be a true PG, jrue hasnt even played PG 


i just think maynor will end up having the best career. i could be wrong though.


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## btyler

Chris (Pacers Fan) and I are at the Draft Party. Let's hope it doesn't end up like last year.

Let's get this started.


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## btyler

Brandon Rush was about ten feet away from us about 15 minutes ago. That was pretty interesting. Tried to get his attention. Laughed at the reporter who was interviewing him.


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## btyler

Booing at David Stern as he enters. Nobody likes him. What a hack. Refer to Chris' signature.


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## btyler

Oklahoma takes James Harden!


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## btyler

Holy balls, Kings took Tyreke Evans. Rubio's dropping. Wolves have 5 and 6.

Chris: "If I were the Wolves, I would pick someone else at number 5, just to send people in a panic, then pick Rubio at 6."


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## btyler

Rubio's gotta be pissed. He wanted to go to someplace like Spain (Los Angeles, New York), and he goes to ****ing MINNESOTA.

Rubio: "Minnesota?! Their name is the TIMBERWOLVES!"


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## btyler

Goddamnit. Seriously, Bird? Seriously, Bird? You ****ing *******.


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## PacersguyUSA

I'm not surprised. Just disappointed.


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## btyler

PacersguyUSA said:


> I'm not surprised. Just disappointed.


Permanently disappointed. We better make a trade, or I'm moving to Minnesota.


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## Knick Killer

I dont know why all of you guys are so disappointed because I'm actually quite pleased with the pick. Tyler Hansbrough is a warrior. He works his *** off and you can just tell how badly he wants to win. He's always had critics and he always finds a way to prove them wrong. Nobody thinks he will turn into a good pro but Tyler Hansbrough is tough as nails and I think he can potentially surprise a lot of people and really help us out. So with all that said, I'm quite satisfied with this draft pick. I'm really excited to see how this all turns out. I can honestly say this is the first draft in quite a few years that I've had no desire to beat Larry Bird to death. IMO he didn't mess this years pick up but were all just going to have to wait and see.


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## clownskull

billfindlay10 said:


> One of Blair, Clark, or Johnson should be available at 13.
> 
> Any chance of McRoberts stepping up and being able to contribute? He showed some skills in his 8 minutes per game he received. In games where he got 18 minutes or more he averaged 10 ppg, almost 2 blocks, and 6 boards.....


sure there is. mcroberts has great size and athleticsm. he needs to work on developing some quality post moves and keep his fouls down. 
but he does have very interesting potential.


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## TheTruth34

seriously another mediocre white big man....

foster, murphy, mccroberts, nesterovic and now hansborough...ok i can understand a 2nd round pick of hans because of his textbook style and indiana fans love that, but my godddddddd at 13, at 13

WOWOWOWOOWOWOW.

do the pacers ever learn??????????????????????????????????????


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## PaCeRhOLiC

I'm OK with us picking Hansbrough, he won't be a superstar or anything, but if he turns out to have a career similar to Foster than I'll be more than happy.


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## NorthSideHatrik

PaCeRhOLiC said:


> I'm OK with us picking Hansbrough, he won't be a superstar or anything, but if he turns out to have a career similar to Foster than I'll be more than happy.


Here's why i'm pissed. We are absolutely stuck in mediocrity. We need to maximize our talent to eventually get out of this blackhole were in. So maybe Earl Clark wasn't the best fit for us, but he was the Best Player available. Like i've said before James Johnson has some great potential too. Those guys might be a little more boom or bust than say a guy like Hansbrough, but we need to take a gamble on the boom. 

In hindsight, Larry was right last year, but i honestly think he got lucky. In part because Portland didn't give Bayless any minutes. I still dont see the killer instinct in Brandon Rush. He's a solid rotation guy, but I dont think he'll ever be a true difference maker. WE need to gamble on difference makers. If we're wrong at least we'll tank and get a better pick next year, and if we hit we'll be back to the good ole days. Larry was totally right about jack. I hated that move when it happened, but i'm very pleasantly surprised.


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## HB

Where would Clark's minutes come from? If there was one guy the Pacers should have drafted over Hansbrough, it was probably Jeff Teague.


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## Pacers Fan

HB said:


> Where would Clark's minutes come from?


Backing up both Granger and Murphy. That's good for at least 20 mpg.



> If there was one guy the Pacers should have drafted over Hansbrough, it was probably Jeff Teague.


Yeh, I would've liked Teague. Or Lawson. Or Maynor. Or Holiday. Or Johnson.


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## HB

Holliday is not better than any point guard on the Pacers roster right now. Lawson is similar to Ford. Johnson and Clark, meh not sure, again the Granger issue comes up. I mean why draft Clark for instance to be a bench player when his ceiling is much higher.


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## Pacers Fan

HB said:


> Holliday is not better than any point guard on the Pacers roster right now.


No, but he'll probably be better than all of them eventually.



> Lawson is similar to Ford.


Not really. They're both short and quick, but that's about it. Lawson's a better shooter than Ford's ever been, he's 10 times better at guarding his man, 10 times better in the passing lanes, and doesn't make as many dumb decisions. He's better at running the break, too. Ford's probably a better scorer, but that's about it, and Lawson's no slouch in that area, either.



> Johnson and Clark, meh not sure, again the Granger issue comes up. I mean why draft Clark for instance to be a bench player when his ceiling is much higher.


To get a really good player? I mean, sure, he'll be on the bench for now, but if we passed on Earl Clark because Troy Murphy is in our plans for the next 10 years, I'll cry.


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## HB

Umm what has Holliday shown to warrant such praise? Say what you will about Tinsley, but he was the starting point on some very good Indiana playoff teams. Jack was a better college player and so far a better NBA player than Holliday. Ford's better than him no need to go into details. I mean this guy had a mediocre college season and somehow he's supposed to light up the league?


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## Pacers Fan

HB said:


> Umm what has Holliday shown to warrant such praise?


He's 19 and didn't even play his own position in college. He has a ton of defensive and offensive potential. He's not that great now and probably won't be for a few years, but he's an incredible athlete and if he has 1/10th Tyler Hansbrough's work ethic he'll be a starting PG for a while.



> Say what you will about Tinsley, but he was the starting point on some very good Indiana playoff teams.


I didn't say anything about Tinsley. Tinsley's been my favorite Pacer since he was a rookie. It's unfortunate that he's never going to play another game here and that we're not letting him play elsewhere.



> Jack was a better college player and so far a better NBA player than Holliday.


Holiday isn't an NBA player yet. Jack played 3 years in college vs. Holiday's one. You can't really compare the two.



> Ford's better than him no need to go into details.


Yes, but in five years I wouldn't be surprised if Holiday's better than Ford ever was. That's not saying he will, because Holiday's a bank on potential, but I would've rather the team go for a high risk/high reward type player than another proven guy who probably isn't going to do too much.



> I mean this guy had a mediocre college season and somehow he's supposed to light up the league?


He's young, was out of position, and his game is built more for the NBA than college.


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## Wayne

Wow, at least Sixers fans will be happy in how much confidence you have in Holiday's potential. This dude scored 8.5 PPG in college. 8.5PPG!! If you are hyped as a lottery prospect, I feel like even if you play mad out of position, you should be able to score more than that. 

And just because someone has freakish athleticism doesn't mean that they will reach their potential. That is one of my biggest qualms about Holiday. Look at all the college mega-athletes whose potential never translated into the NBA: Gerald Green (HS super athlete), Stromile Swift, Tyrus Thomas (traded Lamarcus, a proven player for Texas for this dude), James White, etc.

As for Clark, I see this dude as just another long athlete who lacks competitive drive. My roommate is a mad Louisville fan, and I would rather take TWill over Earl Clark (also Peyton Siva will be sick next year hopefully). That dude looks so indifferent about the game, and many of his points in college were from bad shots that he could make because he was so dam tall and long or simply wide open threes. I want a player who can create his own shot and takes good shots. Just don't see it in Clark, in my opinion. There have been so many super-long SF/PF hybrids that have not really panned out yet (B Wright, J Wright, J McGee)

Although Hansbrough was not the ideal pick, I am not that pissed. We shoulda tried to snag Blair by adding a late first-round pick or gotten Ty Lawson, but whatever. See what free agency will do for us.


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## Pacers Fan

Wayne said:


> Wow, at least Sixers fans will be happy in how much confidence you have in Holiday's potential.


I don't have "that much confidence" in Holiday's potential. He slipped for good reason, and that's because he wasn't very successful in college. He's a hit or miss kind of guy. I'd rather hit or miss than Hansbrough, really. We need to take some risks. Holiday's ceiling is a lot higher than Hansbrough's even if he never reaches it.



> This dude scored 8.5 PPG in college. 8.5PPG!! If you are hyped as a lottery prospect, I feel like even if you play mad out of position, you should be able to score more than that.


He's a 19 year old Freshman. I'm sure next year he would've exceeded that number, and the next, even more so. The college game isn't his style.



> And just because someone has freakish athleticism doesn't mean that they will reach their potential. That is one of my biggest qualms about Holiday. Look at all the college mega-athletes whose potential never translated into the NBA: Gerald Green (HS super athlete), Stromile Swift, Tyrus Thomas (traded Lamarcus, a proven player for Texas for this dude), James White, etc.


You're not comparing Holiday with the right guys. Swift and Thomas aren't combo guards, and White and Green were/are super skinny. Holiday's reasonably strong for his size, and unlike any of those guys, he has legitimate defensive potential because he can body people without falling to the ground.



> My roommate is a mad Louisville fan, and I would rather take TWill over Earl Clark (also Peyton Siva will be sick next year hopefully).


Ditto. Siva gives me a reason to be a Louisville fan next year. Williams was my favorite player in college this year.



> That dude looks so indifferent about the game, and many of his points in college were from bad shots that he could make because he was so dam tall and long or simply wide open threes.


I wouldn't necessarily call them bad shots. Weird shots, yes, but Clark can hit off balance shots that look strange, but really aren't that difficult if you work on them.



> I want a player who can create his own shot and takes good shots.


Clark's raw, and he's been raw. That's a major knock on him. He has all the talent, but he needs to put his game together. If someone lights a fire under his *** he'll be a pretty good player, and if not, just another lengthy combo forward off someone's bench. I think his absolute worst is a more skilled, less jumpy version of Hakim Warrick, and that's not too bad at all. Warrick took time, but he's solid. Would I take the risk on a guy like this? **** yes.



> Just don't see it in Clark, in my opinion. There have been so many super-long SF/PF hybrids that have not really panned out yet (B Wright, J Wright, J McGee)


You're talking about two rookies from last year and a 2006 pick that haven't "panned out yet." Brandan looks incredibly promising and even McGee doesn't look bad.



> See what free agency will do for us.


What is it going to do for us? We never use our MLE and we never do anything in free agency. Everything we do comes by trading.


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## Knick Killer

Wayne said:


> Wow, at least Sixers fans will be happy in how much confidence you have in Holiday's potential. This dude scored 8.5 PPG in college. 8.5PPG!! If you are hyped as a lottery prospect, I feel like even if you play mad out of position, you should be able to score more than that.
> 
> And just because someone has freakish athleticism doesn't mean that they will reach their potential. That is one of my biggest qualms about Holiday. Look at all the college mega-athletes whose potential never translated into the NBA: Gerald Green (HS super athlete), Stromile Swift, Tyrus Thomas (traded Lamarcus, a proven player for Texas for this dude), James White, etc.
> 
> As for Clark, I see this dude as just another long athlete who lacks competitive drive. My roommate is a mad Louisville fan, and I would rather take TWill over Earl Clark (also Peyton Siva will be sick next year hopefully). That dude looks so indifferent about the game, and many of his points in college were from bad shots that he could make because he was so dam tall and long or simply wide open threes. I want a player who can create his own shot and takes good shots. Just don't see it in Clark, in my opinion. There have been so many super-long SF/PF hybrids that have not really panned out yet (B Wright, J Wright, J McGee)
> 
> Although Hansbrough was not the ideal pick, I am not that pissed. We shoulda tried to snag Blair by adding a late first-round pick or gotten Ty Lawson, but whatever. *See what free agency will do for us.*


I don't even remember the last time we signed somebody DECENT.


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## Wayne

I am just crossing my fingers that with the mad expiring contracts we have this summer & next summer we can at least have the cap room to invite a decent player over (i.e. Andre Miller-esque). Freaking Indiana and being the one place that no one wants to go to ever.


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## Knick Killer

I might be crazy but the last free-agent I remember us signing was Travis Diener. Have we signed anybody since that?


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## c_dog

i must say you guys are going to wish you hadn't pass on holiday... i thought holiday was a no brainer at that point of the draft... he has great size for an nba point guard and he never reached his potential in college playing out of position. he would have been better than both jack and ford in short time.


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## Knick Killer

Wayne said:


> I am just crossing my fingers that with the mad expiring contracts we have this summer & next summer we can at least have the cap room to invite a decent player over (i.e. Andre Miller-esque). Freaking Indiana and being the one place that no one wants to go to ever.


Crap market + crap team = no free agent signings


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