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2008-09 Indiana Pacers NBA Predictions & Season Preview

Written September 30, 2008 by Luke Knight

This is not the same Indiana Pacers team that played last year, and for Pacers’ fans thankfully so. The Pacers 36-46 last season and had a league-worst attendance. The Pacers haven’t quite recovered from the embarrassing brawl with the fans, but now return only one person from the team that battled with Pistons’ fans, and he doesn’t look to get significant, if any, playing time. Just how improved will one of the league’s best offenses be with all the off-season acquisitions? Read on to see how we think this Indiana Pacers team will fare with this makeover. Check out BetUS for NBA odds if you are interested in betting on the Pacers this season.

Jamaal Tinsley is still on the Pacers’ roster, but will not play this season. Instead the Pacers picked up two legitimate point guards. T.J. Ford is the front-runner for the starting point position. Ford has been to the playoffs four times in four NBA seasons, averaging 14.0 points and 7.9 assists for Toronto in 2006-2007. Ford has had a few injuries which is his main drawback. He missed the entire 2004-2005 season with a neck injury and missed 31 games last season after a flagrant foul by Atlanta’s Al Horford. Jarrett Jack is the other potential starter. Jack was a full-time starter two seasons ago with Portland and averaged 12.0 points and 5.3 assists per game, but could not nail down the starting job. Jack has averaged 44.3% shooting in his career but as a whole needs to cut down mistakes to become the starting point guard. Regardless of which point guard is in the game, they will be expected to increase the speed of the offense.

Mike Dunleavy averaged 19.1 points last season and shot 47% from the field. Coach Jim O’Brien’s goal of improved defense could eventually see Dunleavy become a forward, since the 6-9 Dunleavy has some trouble guarding the smaller guards in the backcourt. If Dunleavy moves to forward, rookie Brandon Rush out of Kansas (who basically forced out his older brother Kareem) could emerge as the starter. Rush averaged 13.3 points for national champion Kansas last season. Before you jump to conclusions on that low average, Rush shot 44% from 3-point range in college, and while never averaging more than 13.8 ppg, he was a member of team that saw 5 players drafted. Marquis Daniels and Stephen Graham should get some minutes here. Daniels is a very inconsistent shooter, but should provide some offense when he is hot off the bench.

Danny Granger is the Pacers’ leading scorer averaging 19.6 points per game. To put that in perspective, only Chris Paul had a higher scoring average of the 2005 draft class. Granger went 17th and by all accounts was a steal and has arrived in just 3 seasons. He has become an effective playmaker, instead of a spot-up shooter and opportunistic rebounder. Shawne Williams will back up Granger. Williams had some offensive flurries in his 2nd professional season, but repeated brushes with the law could hurt his chances at any significant playing time. A team trying to change its image can’t stand for too many more legal woes for a backup. In his defense, he was only guilty by association, but even that is unacceptable at this point.

Troy Murphy improved in his second season with the Pacers, but averaged 7.2 boards and 12.2 points, which is a far cry from the double-double they need out of this position and that Murphy averaged with Golden State three times. Jeff Foster continues to be one of the league’s most efficient rebounders. Also looking for time are Josh McRoberts and Maceo Baston. Baston is back for his second stint with the Pacers and bills himself as a strong defender. The Pacers want to improve their defense so Baston could get some minutes.

After using Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster at center last season, the Pacers added two legitimate big men. Rasho Nesterovic, a 7-0er acquired from Toronto, and 7-2 rookie Roy Hibbert should give the Pacers a legitimate post player. Nesterovic played well late last season and consistently knocks down most mid-range jumpers if teams don’t respect him. Hibbert was a projected top-10 pick if he left school after his junior year, but he did not feel he was mentally or physically ready, so he fell to the Pacers at number 17. Hibbert may be another steal at 17 for the Pacers.

Final Analysis

The glaring question is how quickly so many new faces can pull things together for this team. The Pacers missed the playoffs last season by 1-game, but the Pacers aren’t the only team to get better from last year. We have the Pacers missing the playoffs yet again and finishing worse in the division than they did last year. The Pacers should finish ahead of the Bulls, but behind the Cavaliers, Pistons, and Bucks in the Central Division. The Pacers are +3000 odds to win the Eastern conference this season.

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BetFirms will have more NBA predictions on all of the teams, but once the season gets here be sure to pick up a package of NBA picks from one of our expert handicappers. This will ensure that you have the best chance of beating the NBA odds each night.

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