My thoughts on the Pacers’ rotation

In this lull of the off-season, I was trying to think of things that people would want to read about and I would want to write/talk about.  I think the Pacers rotation is a good place to start.  I’m going to give what I think their rotation will be to START the season.  This will also help point out weakness (if they aren’t already obvious).

Starters:

PG-TJ Ford- This is an obvious one.  The Pacers playmaker is definitely going to be the starter.  I’d expect Jarrett Jack to get a few starts purely because of freshening up a rotation, injuries, fatigue; ya know the deal.  Hopefully For will just stay healthy through the whole year.

SG-Mike Dunleavy-The veteran had the best season of his career last year and looks in good position to repeating the same thing this season.  This will be his job to lose even though he fits better into the SF role.  He will begin the season as the starter, but I expect Brandon Rush to get some starts of his own.  Rush fits the role of a shooting guard down to the T.  He’s got the ability to shoot, break people down off the bounce, and play very good perimeter defense.  Those three (especially the last one) will make it hard to pass him up as a starter if Dunleavy hits a bad spot

SF-Danny Granger-Do I need to explain this one?? This is not up for debate unless O’Brien elects to go with an Orlando styled offense and put Rush at the 2, Dunleavy at the 3, and Granger at the 4.  I don’t expect him to do that too much though with the starting lineup because Danny will be taking too much of a beating down on the blocks.  Along with that his perimeter defense is needed and wasting it with him defending on the blocks.

PF-Troy Murphy-I think this spot will change throughout the year.  There is no true power forward on this team meaning the position is up for grabs between a lot of guys with different strengths and weaknesses.  For consistancy’s sake, I think O’Brien will start the year with Murphy starting here.  I would not be shocked if it changed within the first week though. Other starters could be Nesterovic, and Foster.  (If they started one of them they would basically play two centers but one being at the PF spot)

C-Jeff Foster-This is basically the same explanation as the PF spot.  I think Foster will get the nod to start the year purely because he is a hustle player (which no other starter is) and played well last year.  This position will also be on a rotational basis depending on whoever is playing well.  Other starters could be Hibbert and Nesterovic.

6th-Jarret Jack-Despite all the upside of Brandon Rush and the weaknesses he fills for this team, I think Jack will be the first off the bench.  He can play either guard spot and has still not reached his potential.  If Ford is not playing well, or Dunleavy is streaky in a bad way, I expect Jack to be the one off the pine to come in.  He has more experience than Rush does.

7th-Rasho Nesterovic-Now you might be thinking I’m crazy with putting him above Hibbert and Rush but just hear me out.  First, this is a list of the rotation not he ranking of talent or potential.  Also, I think the PF/C spots will be so up for grabs that a sub for the starters at that position could be the 6th man (where I almost put Rasho).  He provides interior defense and rebounding with a European style of play, meaning he can hit some jumpers.

8th-Brandon Rush-This guy, in my mind, will be an impact player as a rookie.  Not necessarily how most people think of an impact player as in points, rebounds, and assists, but in the way of smart play and solid defense.  He just might be the best defender on this Pacers team as a rookie.  I would rank him behind Danny on that one, but he is not far off.  Perimeter defense is something the Pacers lacked last year and oftentimes got burnt by the opposing back courts because of it.  Now with Jack and Rush coming off the bench, the Jack-Rush-Granger combo is a very formidable defensive tandem.

9th-Marquis Daniels-I loved the way he played at the beginning of last year. He played the combo guard role well and showed the ability to get to the rack and slash, which he is known for.  He will find it hard again to meet expectations that people had when he first came here.  There is just too much depth on the wings for him to find time.

10th-Roy Hibbert-Though i do not like him as an NBA player, he will be a rotation player this year.  I think he’ll start the year as the fourth big man in the rotation but will work his way up to be the first one off the bench in many games and even get some starts.  He does pretty well with setting up players for open shots on the perimeter, but unless he somehow miraculously gets faster in the off-season, he will find it hard to keep up with the pace of the Pacers. (And yes that was intended)

11th-Shawne Williams-I love the way he plays the game and feel like he has a lot of upside, but i think he is so far in the dog house, that he will find it hard getting minutes at the start of next year.  He will get his time and will be a 6th man in many games next year, but to start the year, he will be on the bench

12th-Stephen Graham-Another fan-favorite player that always plays well whenever he gets minutes.  I don’t remember ever being disappointed in Graham’s play.  Sadly for him, he’s stuck behind one of the deepest teams on the wings in the entire league.  I understand being loyal to a team, but if I were him, I’d try to find a team somewhere else because he is stuck in a log jam with the Pacers.

13+-Travis Diener, Maceo Baston, Josh McRoberts- Diener will see sme minutes but very few and far between, but I do not mind that after the season he had last year.  Baston didn’t get many minutes in his first stint with the Pacers, but will find his way on the court this time with the lack of depth in the post.  McRoberts still needs to adapt to the NBA game more.  His versatility will be an assett.  He could see minutes at the 4 this year.

This Pacers team will definitely be deep.  Though they have no star (listen to the podcast for that one) they have a lot of quality players that can step in and play well for this team.  This gives them many different options as to the rotation.  Above is the way i think the Pacers will start the year.  In my opinion, their best lineup would be:  Ford, Rush, Dunleavy, Granger, Foster.  I think the Pacers will use that some this year especially with very little post scoring and the style of play O’Brien likes to play, but I don’t know if Granger can take the beating in the post for the whole year.  He did play PF in college at New Mexico, but the NBA is much more physical and the Pacers cannot afford to lose him to injury.

Let me know how you think the Pacers will start the year and what their best lineup is by posting a comment below.

And email me (hosts@pacerscast.com) with your thoughts on how the Pacers should deal with Jamaal Tinsley.