# Pacers offseason thread



## Gonzo

To condense threads that will have 1-2 replies throughout the summer, here is where relevant summer news should be posted. Anything important (new coach, Larry Bird retirement, Danny Granger trade, etc.) should obviously get a new thread, but rumors, offseason news, and funny pictures of Roy Hibbert should be posted here.


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## Gonzo

What does everyone thing of Nene? He could be a good starting PF alongside Hibbert, bringing Hansbrough off the bench.

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_17978868



> On the table in front of Nene are two choices: Take the last year of his contract, which would keep him with the Nuggets, *or opt out of his contract, which could make him a former member of the Nuggets.*


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## Pacers Fan

If Nene opts out of his contract, he's immediately my #1 free agent targret. He and Hibbert would make a sick combination down low and he and Hansbrough would make a nice PF rotation.


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## Gonzo

Pacers Fan said:


> If Nene opts out of his contract, he's immediately my #1 free agent targret. He and Hibbert would make a sick combination down low and he and Hansbrough would make a nice PF rotation.


Agreed, Nene > Big Baby. Problem is, if he doesn't like Denver, why would he like Indianapolis?


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## Pacers Fan

Box Man said:


> Agreed, Nene > Big Baby. Problem is, if he doesn't like Denver, why would he like Indianapolis?


Maybe he's good friends with Dahntay Jones?:whoknows:


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## Knick Killer

As someone who isn't really a big fan of Big Baby, I'd be extremely pleased with the signing of Nene. He should definitely be at the top of every Pacer fans wish list. He makes some unbelievable shots down low and would look great next to Hibbert.


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## Gonzo

Been out of the country so I haven't been able to keep up with news, but here's something I read in the paper yesterday.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...HEvQSg?docId=0646b0754961432490316af408509360



> INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird said interim coach Frank Vogel, Mike Brown and Rick Adelman are among candidates he wants to talk to about filling the head coaching position.
> Bird said Vogel is the front-runner. He took over at midseason when the Pacers fired Jim O'Brien, finished the regular season with a 20-18 record and led the team to the playoffs.
> But he made no guarantees.
> "A lot of people out there feel like Frank's probably going to get the job, but it's a process," Bird said Tuesday. "We want to do everything we can possibly do to get the right guy in."
> Brown, a former Pacers assistant, led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and was NBA coach of the year in 2009.
> "I like Mike," Bird said. "Mike did an excellent job when he was here, a fantastic job in Cleveland. We have other guys in mind, also."


Pretty much what we've been thinking would happen. Vogel vs. Brown vs. Adelman


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## Pacers Fan

That article was based on the Bird interview a few days ago. Pretty much, reporters asked him if he was considering Adleman or Brown, and he said that they're both good candidates. That's about it and I wouldn't read too much into it. All signs are leading to Vogel getting a one year deal with team options for 2nd and 3rd years.


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## clownskull

yes, i agree with those that nene would be great to have here. i would put him at the 4 spot in the starting lineup most of the time however, i would also have him play a good deal of time as the backup 5. like the pacers did with dale davis.
the neat thing would be that unlike dale, nene can actually shoot. shooting was never a strength of dale's.
put him in for about 18 minutes at the starting 4 spot and about 15 at the 5. i think him at the 5 and hansbrough at the 4 spot would be a big, strong bench that could be really tough as a 2nd unit.
of course him and roy would be a really big starting lineup and would be very interesting to see as well.
PLEASE nene- opt out and become a pacer!!!!
we need ya dude!!!


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## Gonzo

For all who watch the Pacers telecasts, Stacy Paetz has been let go. I have tissues in case anyone needs them.

I will miss her crooked nose and interviews of the other team's star player when we lose.


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## clownskull

i will miss stacey. she did a good job and always seemed to be genuine and quite nice to all.
it was part of her job to interview a player from the winning team.


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## Bogg

With the Clippers looking to acquire a high-level small forward, it may be in the Pacers best interest to see if LA would bite on an exchange of Granger for Minny's 2012 #1 and whatever contracts they'd like to include to make the numbers work. Just a thought.


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## PaCeRhOLiC

Box Man said:


> For all who watch the Pacers telecasts, Stacy Paetz has been let go. I have tissues in case anyone needs them.
> 
> I will miss her crooked nose and interviews of the other team's star player when we lose.




:whatever:


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## Gonzo

Some trade talk from yesterday.



> @alanhahn
> Newsday reported in early June that #Knicks would look into moving up if possible. Rumors now surfacing about talks w/ IND (15), others. #fb


As it's been discussed on PD, not really sure what the Knicks have to offer us.


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## Bogg

Box Man said:


> Some trade talk from yesterday.
> 
> 
> 
> As it's been discussed on PD, not really sure what the Knicks have to offer us.


If they're just looking to move up two to four picks, and Indy's not in love with anyone at fifteen who won't be available a few picks later, probably just a swap of firsts coupled with Indy getting a second round pick or some cash for their trouble.


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## Gonzo

Forgot to mention that about a week ago Mike Wells reported that Bird was likely going to take the interim take off of Frank Vogel and make him coach once Frank picks out his assistants.


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## Pacers Fan

With an eye on drafting Arizona’s Derrick Williams, the Indiana Pacers have discussed a package including center Roy Hibbert and the 15th pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second overall pick, league sources said. Nevertheless, the overture hasn’t gained traction in Minnesota. Yahoo! Sports

Found this on hoopshype. It's exactly the type of deal the Wolves are looking for. Would you do it if you were the Pacers? It gives us a potential superstar, but a Center rotation of Foster/Jones/McRoberts.


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## Bogg

Pacers Fan said:


> With an eye on drafting Arizona’s Derrick Williams, the Indiana Pacers have discussed a package including center Roy Hibbert and the 15th pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second overall pick, league sources said. Nevertheless, the overture hasn’t gained traction in Minnesota. Yahoo! Sports
> 
> Found this on hoopshype. It's exactly the type of deal the Wolves are looking for. Would you do it if you were the Pacers? It gives us a potential superstar, but a Center rotation of Foster/Jones/McRoberts.


Eesh.......you have to really like Williams to move Hibbert, who's just coming into his own, and the 15th for him.


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## Knick Killer

Definitely not crazy about moving Roy Hibbert. He is finally starting to prove he can be a reliable starting centre in this league and those are getting more rare by the minute.


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## Gonzo

Damn, we tried so hard for years to find a decent Center and we're going to give him up and god back to old Foster. Not sure if I want that.


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## Pacers Fan

It was shot down, anyway. I still don't have a clue what we're doing at 15, but I'd be ecstatic if Jimmer Fredette, Bismack Biyombo, or Alec Burks fell to us.


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## PaCeRhOLiC

See, this is why Bird really pisses me off sometimes...How are you even thinking about trading an emerging 7 foot center, and the 15th pick for an unknown prospect, who may easily bust...Stupid. :gunner:


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## Gonzo

Our hopes of getting Nene seem to be getting slimmer.



> Nene is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, which leaves him free to sign with whomever he wishes.
> 
> Nuggets executives Josh Kroenke and Masai Ujiri, however, reported good news on that front, saying they've had good meetings and positive feedback from the Brazilian big man since the end of the season.
> 
> "We've been having good talks," Ujiri said late Thursday night after all of the draft day picks and trades were made. "We're making good progress, I think. And I think Nene is excited. We've met a few times with him and a few times with his agent."


http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/214405/Nuggets_Optimistic_About_Free_Agency_Talks_With_Nene


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## Gonzo

We're also interested in David West and Carl Landry according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Mike Wells. 



> @WojYahooNBA
> Two teams that'll be active with David West in free agency: Indiana and New Jersey. For the Nets, especially if they lose Kris Humphries.





> @MikeWellsNBA
> To add to @WojYahooNBA's tweet bout Indy expected 2 have interest in D West, Pacers also have Carl Landry, also a free agent, on their radar


Not real sure about West. He's getting old and has bad knees, sounds like Jermaine all over again. But if we can get him for cheap then why not


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## RollWithEm

Coming from a Hornets season ticket holder who has seen every relevant game of David West's career, you do not want this guy Indiana fans! You'd be better off continuing to develop your frontline as-is... provided you cannot get Nene, of course.


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## Gonzo

RollWithEm said:


> Coming from a Hornets season ticket holder who has seen every relevant game of David West's career, you do not want this guy Indiana fans! You'd be better off continuing to develop your frontline as-is... provided you cannot get Nene, of course.


I'll take your word for it.


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## RollWithEm

Gonzo said:


> I'll take your word for it.


A couple of undeserved all-star selection do not make you a great player.


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## Bogg

RollWithEm said:


> A couple of undeserved all-star selection do not make you a great player.


He's still a perfectly good power forward (or was, at least. We'll see how he rebounds from the knee injury). I don't like his fit on this Indiana team because he's an older, half-court player that would be coming to a young, up and down roster, but I still think that West is worth a look from any team that he makes sense for.

EDIT: In all honesty, Jeff Green may be a nice fit on the Pacers, if they can get him for the right price.


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## RollWithEm

Bogg said:


> He's still a perfectly good power forward (or was, at least. We'll see how he rebounds from the knee injury). I don't like his fit on this Indiana team because he's an older, half-court player that would be coming to a young, up and down roster, but I still think that West is worth a look from any team that he makes sense for.
> 
> EDIT: In all honesty, Jeff Green may be a nice fit on the Pacers, if they can get him for the right price.


What I said in this thread is clearly the best fit I can see for David West.


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## Pacers Fan

I don't want David West at all. Guy's aging, has knee problems, is a jump shooting big, and doesn't rebound. Then again, Landry and Glen Davis don't defend or rebound all that well, and Nene's atrocious on the glass. We're going to have to scrap for rebounds if we're pairing one of those guys with Hibbert and Granger in the frontcourt. Should've drafted Norris Cole. He'd average 10 rpg here.


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## Gonzo

Roy Hibbert:


> @Hoya2aPacer
> 
> I'm out of a job.


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## Gonzo

Bob Kravitz thinks the lockout is good longterm for the Pacers, I agree. I've been thinking this too the past couple days, if the owners get what they want, small market owners should benefit to some degree.



> Short term, an Indiana Pacers fan doesn't want a lockout. And for good reason: Things are finally moving in the right direction. A fun, young team, an interesting nucleus, the addition of George Hill and lots of money to buy toys in free agency.
> 
> Long term, though, an Indiana Pacers fan wants a lockout.
> 
> ...
> 
> The NBA needs a harder cap -- as opposed to one that lets teams like the Mavs spend $92 million, or twice the Sacramento payroll, on players.
> 
> The NBA needs more revenue sharing among one another.
> 
> The NBA needs to change the revenue split, which gives the players 57 percent of the gross. (The union has shown a willingness to bend in that area.)
> 
> ...
> 
> But something is wrong with a league where the Mavs can spend $92 million on payroll and the Kings spend only $45 million.
> 
> Something is wrong with a league where the second-highest-paid player in the league is . . . you'll never get this in a million guesses . . . Rashard Lewis at $20.5 million a year. (At No. 5, there's Michael Redd. At No. 7, Andrei Kirilenko. And the list of under-performing or injured players with massive, franchise-choking long-term deals goes on.)
> 
> Something is wrong when seven of the top 10 payroll teams make the playoffs and seven of the bottom 10 teams miss the playoffs.


http://www.indystar.com/article/201...avitz-You-don-t-want-hear-Pacers-need-lockout


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## Knick Killer

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/07/08/2011-free-agency-top-20-big-men/

Top 20 big men in free agency. I would absolutely love to see the Pacers land Nene. I think he could help take this team to the next level.


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## Bogg

Knick_Killer31 said:


> http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/07/08/2011-free-agency-top-20-big-men/
> 
> Top 20 big men in free agency. I would absolutely love to see the Pacers land Nene. I think he could help take this team to the next level.


Depends on his price, I think the bidding on him has the potential to wind up higher than it should be due to the dearth of quality free agents in this class(assuming we have a season and this free agent class doesn't just get rolled into 2012). He turned down an eight-figure final year in his previous contract, and that's a awful lot of money for a guy who's never average 15 points or 8 rebounds over a season.


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## Gonzo

Surprising that Pacers fans don't mention Big Baby anymore. At the beginning of the season we seemed sure we were going to get him. Not that we need him, but fans seemed excited. I guess his Playoffs killed him.


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## Gonzo

Looks like Pritchard is in the process of taking over Bird or Morway's job



> *@MikeWellsNBA*
> The Pacers are in the process of hiring former Portland GM Kevin Pritchard, according to multiple sources.





> *@MikeWellsNBA*
> Its unclear what Pritchard's role will be w the Pacers but he'll work under President Larry Bird and GM David Morway, according to sources





> *@stevekylerNBA*
> According to Pacer sources... Larry Bird's role will decrease this year and Pritchard and Morway will handle all aspects of operations


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## BlakeJesus

Hiring Pritchard is a huge step in the right direction.


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## Pacers Fan

Pritchard, Brian Shaw, and George Hill? This has been a spectacular off season and free agency (whenever that happens) can only make it better.


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## PaCeRhOLiC

This franchise is finally heading back in the right direction, which is why this stupid lockout hurts even more...I wonder if any Pacers are gonna think about signing contracts overseas, because I doubt there's gonna be a season.


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## Knick Killer

^I don't think the lock out hurts us as much as the older teams in the league.


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## RollWithEm

Knick_Killer31 said:


> ^I don't think the lock out hurts us as much as the older teams in the league.


It will hurt everyone equally if it's season-long.


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## Gonzo

Knick_Killer31 said:


> ^I don't think the lock out hurts us as much as the older teams in the league.


Why would it hurt older teams all that much? Sure, they're going to be a year older, but that's also a year that they can rest up and heal all of their injuries.


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## Knick Killer

There's many different ways you can look at it. You can say it gives them a year to heal or you could say that it wastes one of their few years left of playing at a competitive level. But yes we can definitely say the lock out will affect everybody.


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## Bogg

Gonzo said:


> Why would it hurt older teams all that much? Sure, they're going to be a year older, but that's also a year that they can rest up and heal all of their injuries.


Well, for a team like the Celtics, this was intended to be their last go-round. If we assume that the lockout last essentially the entire year, they'll go into the summer of 2012 with Rondo, Pierce, and Avery Bradley as the only players on the roster under contract, with JaJuan Johnson's deal pending(assuming he isn't locked in in Europe). Garnett, Allen, and Pierce will all be a year older, one more year removed from their primes, and very well may go their separate ways.


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