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| Monday, September 17 Updated: September 18, 3:08 PM ET Users: Pacers are playoff team with potential ESPN.com |
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From top seed to No. 8 seed, the Pacers were a disappointment last season. But there's plenty of talent here. Reggie Miller is still playing well, Jalen Rose is expected to get better and Jermaine O'Neal looks like a star. However, is the team any better?
Your Pacers Feedback The Pacers can expect a low playoff seed, and a first-round exit this year, but fans should be patient, they are building for the future. The Pacers have young talent at every position with the exception of the pivot. Players like Jermaine O'Neal and Jalen Rose are desirable pieces to build around, while question marks such as Jonathan Bender, Al Harrington and Austin Croshere have trade value if they don't pan out. Also keep in mind that Isiah Thomas is learning on the job, and showed great strides in the playoffs against a superior Philadelphia team. If Reggie Miller can hold on for a season or three, and Indiana continues to draft well and address their rebounding issues, Indiana could be back in the Finals by 2004.
Ramulas
Jermaine O'Neal is truly coming into his own and developing into a star. And while he might fare well against most East teams, he's in trouble when they go out West. Anyway, I don't see the Pacers making the playoffs this year unless Bender, Harrington and Croshere can do a better job. Funny how these guys aren't developing into good players until a couple years after they would have graduated college had they decided to go. Either way, if those three can't offer some support, Indy better start thinking about who they might want to take in the lottery next year.
Doug
I would say that the ceiling is mid-40's, but who knows. The sooner Reggie steps aside and lets Rose emerge the better. I don't see anyone stepping up in the middle besides O'Neal, who will be better this season, possibly 16 and 10. And I wouldn't be surprised to see Jamaal Tinsley lead the team in assists and turnovers with middle of the road minutes. If Reggie scores 15-18 and Rose can pick it up to the low-20's, with O'Neal on the verge of All-Star status, this team could even win 50, but that is a lot of ifs.
Nathan
The ceiling for the Pacers is the eighth seed in the East. Toronto, Milwaukee, Orlando, Philadelphia and Charlotte are all pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot. Miami, New York and Atlanta are the most likely candidates for the remaining three spots. Indiana, Boston and maybe New Jersey and Washington all have an outside shot of making the playoffs, assuming another team falters. The Pacers are, for the most part, young, so they definitely have a future; unfortunately for them, a lot of East teams made themselves better while the Pacers didn't do much to improve their situation.
David Dittell
A pretty good article, but I can tell the person who wrote it really didn't see the Pacers play very much last year. All of us who watch the Pacers know that, like it or not, Reggie Miller is still the star of this team. He is the one who steps up when the game is on the line, he is the one who plays hard every night, he is the one who makes the rest of the team better. Jalen, unfortunately, has rarely done any of these things. The fans in Indy have come to realize that Jalen is not a leader, he is a No. 2 guy (think Scottie Pippen). If you are looking for the successor to Reggie's throne in Indy, look in the direction of Jermaine O'Neal. He's better than you think.
Andrew Dickerson
I don't see how they will do much better than last year. I'm stretching to get to a ceiling of 43 wins. Reggie's a year older and they did not really add anyone with impact. Croshere, it seems, was just a flash in the pan in the 2000 Finals, and is unlikely to achieve those heights again. Meanwhile, the powers in the East have gotten stronger (and some non-powers like Atlanta), so conference wins will not be as easy to come by. I like Reggie and wish him well, but I think he has made his last playoff appearance.
John McEvoy
I say 45 games, no more. In the rapidly improving East this team has enough experience to pull together this many wins and a playoff spot. What they seemed to lose after their Finals appearance was the team defense that the group had developed. Some of that will return but with this group it will be difficult to defeat teams with even a modest inside game. I think the Pacers need to trade Travis Best, preferably to the Cavaliers, who are running a 7-footer farm. Rose can run the point well enough and many teams have had success without a threat at small forward. But it's near impossible to win with only one solid rebounder or shot blocker down low.
Devin Pharr
The Pacers won 41 games last year in a total rebuilding year -- three new starters, a fourth at a new position, and a new coach. This year no prolonged period of adjustment should be necessary. Everyone is back, other than Zan Tabak and ancient Sam Perkins, plus the stockpile of highly athletic young players figures to be further along in development. Reggie Miller has not slowed down at all, if last year's playoffs were any indication. Isiah Thomas had the team playing very well by the end of the season, when they closed on a hot streak and then played the Sixers tough in the playoffs, and there were no signs of discordance among the players. Barring injuries, I'd expect the Pacers to show modest improvement over last year -- perhaps winning around 45 games, which should make them a shoo-in for a playoff spot in the East -- and it's not out of the question that they could win up to 50. This is a team with every indication of being back on the rise.
John Brenner
I definitely agree with the assessment of our front line. Carlos Rogers? Why? I don't know. As far as Reggie Miller needing to know Rose is the star, I cannot agree with that. I'm sure Miller does know this, it's Rose who needs to know it! If Rose realizes he's NOT a point guard and the Pacers get some legitimate help on the front court, they'll surely win 50 games, but if not, another .500 season is ahead of them.
Bruce
Based on a starting 5 of Travis Best, Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Carlos Rogers/Austin Croshere and Jermaine O'Neal, I would say that this team is capable of reaching 50-plus wins. However, what this team lacks are the defined roles. Jalen Rose wants to play the point but we saw last season that it didn't work out. What the Pacers need this season is a better and more solid and dependable point guard and a dependable center. Jermaine O'Neal is a power forward, and not a center. If the Pacers continue to have this lineup in mind without any further changes, I would say that this year, due to the increase of team chemistry, that the Pacers will probably hit a ceiling of 48 wins.
Eliot Hu
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