Category Archives: indiana pacers

It’s Okay to be Happy about the Roy Hibbert Trade

I’ve been an Indiana Pacers fan as long as I can remember. It was great during the Reggie Miller years, but after the ‘Malice at the Palace’, it became really difficult. Not only is your favorite team look at as ‘thugs’, but the years after it was just a mess.

After years of drafting ‘high character’ guys and signing ‘safe’ players, things finally turned around for the Pacers when they were lucky enough to draft Roy Hibbert, Paul George and Lance Stephenson. Things didn’t work out with Lance in the long-term, but there was hope for George and Hibbert to be a part of the team for a long time.

Well, everything went bad in a hurry.

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Cleveland Early Favorite to Win 2016 NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors just won the 2015 NBA Finals and top sports betting sites already released future odds on which NBA team will win the 2016 NBA Finals.

LeBron James nearly single-handedly forced a Game 7 in a series in which the Cavs didn’t have anyone left but LeBron from their opening night starting lineup.

Cleveland (3/1) is the early favorite to win next year’s NBA Finals, but a lot can happen in a year. The Cavs have nearly everyone coming back and maybe next time around they will all be healthy.

Some of the other teams near the top are Golden State (5/1), Oklahoma City (7/1), Chicago (10/1), San Antonio (10/1) and Los Angeles Clippers (10/1).

Are there any dark horse teams that could contend for the 2016 NBA Finals?

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Will the Suns trade Goran Dragic?

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday and many teams are looking make some deals. There are a handful of teams that want improve their roster for the playoffs and the rest are basically trying to dump as many assets they can. Those assets are usually expiring contracts, but a few quality players do get moved at the deadline.

Goran Dragic, who won the Most Improved Player award last season (and even got a few MVP votes), looks to be on the move. He made it clear he won’t re-signing with the Phoenix Suns next year. Even though Phoenix is currently holding onto the 8th playoff spot in the West, they can’t afford to let him walk without getting anything in return.

Where will Dragic end up? What kind of deal will Phoenix get in return?

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Could the Hornets trade Lance Stephenson?

As many of you know, I’ve been a vocal fan of Lance Stephenson since he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. I would champion his skills and wonder why he was sitting at the end of the bench. He then took Dahntay Jones’ spot and went on to fill-in for an injured Danny Granger. He took advantage of the opportunity and should have been an All-Star last season.

Stephenson left Indiana and signed a nice deal with the Charlotte Hornets. He hasn’t quite fit in with Charlotte and they find themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Michael Jordan did not expect last year’s 7th seed to fail this bad.

On December 15th, NBA teams can officially trade players they signed this offseason. With all the drama surrounding the situation in Charlotte, could Stephenson have a new home before the end of the calendar year?

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Indiana Pacers

The Pacers had a hell of a year last season. I’m not talking about their record or their effort in the Eastern Conference Finals…I’m talking about the off-the-court issues.

Paul George went from a ‘clean-cut NBA future star’ to a guy impregnating strippers and dressing like Eddie Murphy circa 1983.

Roy Hibbert went from Defensive Player of the Year shoo-in to a guy who put up the same NBA numbers I do.

Lance Stephenson went from someone who was trying his hardest to earn respect to doing anything possible to remove the respect he earned.

How will the Pacers do without George and Stephenson?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Indiana Pacers.

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2014 NBA Championship Betting Odds

Now that the NBA regular season is over, ‘real’ basketball begins. We will no longer hear about tanking or listen to Bill Simmons flip every NBA discussion into something Boston Celtics-related.

The NBA Playoffs should be fun this year. The Miami Heat have looked vulnerable during the regular season. There’s handful of teams that have a realistic shot at winning the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The first round has some nice matchups. Warriors/Clippers, Grizzlies/Thunder and Trail Blazers/Rockets all have my interest peaked.

Can the Pacers rebound from a late-season slump?

Here are the 2014 NBA Championship betting odds.

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Can Pacers Still Win NBA Championship?

It has been a tale of two seasons for the Indiana Pacers. They began the season playing like the best team in the NBA, but they’ve hit a wall since the trade deadline.

Thanks to the Miami Heat’s recent struggles, the Pacers find themselves with the best record in the Eastern Conference. They have been an average team since early February.

Indiana was the best defensive team in the NBA, but have allowed multiple 100+ point games in the past few weeks. Paul George and Roy Hibbert haven’t played like All-Stars and the addition of Andrew Bynum, Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen haven’t made the team better.

Can the Pacers hold off the Miami Heat and keep the #1 seed in the East?

Do they match up well with the top five teams in the NBA?

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End Of An Era: Pacers Trade Danny Granger to 76ers

Today, NBA teams were scrambling up until the final minutes to make something happen before the 3pm trade deadline. The day is always filled with hype and hopes their team can make a blockbuster trade to either stockpile draft picks or build for a playoff run…but only minor deals were made today.

The biggest trade of the day was made between the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers. Indiana sent former All-Star Danny Granger and a future second-round pick to Philly for former Ohio State standout Evan Turner and backup power forward Lavoy Allen.

This marks an end of an era for the Indiana Pacers. Granger has been with Indiana since he was drafted in 2005. He was the face of the franchise after Reggie Miller retired that same year. I think his biggest accomplishment is that he survived the Jim O’Brien head coaching era (that was brutal).

How will Evan Turner be used in the Pacers rotation? What does this mean for Lance Stephenson’s impending free agency?

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What Will Pacers Do With Danny Granger?

The Pacers are currently 11-1 with the best record in the Eastern Conference. They have exceeded all expectations and even took the Miami Heat to a Game 7 in the conference finals last season…but they have a huge problem. It’s a problem many teams in the NBA wish they could have. Danny Granger.

Granger, who has been out for nearly a calendar year, is due back next month. Lance Stephenson replaced him in the starting lineup and is becoming a star. He has already recorded two triple-doubles this season.

When Granger comes back, do you mess with the chemistry of the team and replace Stephenson in the starting lineup? Could they bring Granger, their longest tenured player, off the bench? Is a trade the best long-term solution to the problem?

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Fantasy Basketball: Top 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy basketball just finished its first week of play. We are starting to figure out which players will get minutes and a few players who will benefit from an early season injury.

I know fantasy basketball isn’t as widely-played as fantasy football and baseball, but it’s a fun game. You have to work the lineups daily like baseball, but need to keep a close eye on how many games a team plays that week.

We look at some of the players who weren’t drafted in most leagues, but are now worth a pickup. The names on this list may surprise you. Two awkward white guys who used to be glued to the Indiana Pacers bench and a player who we all assumed was fantasy irrelevant made the list.

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Danny Granger Out Three Weeks with Calf Strain

Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger will miss three week after straining his left calf.

The former All-Star is coming back from knee surgery, so Pacers fans can breathe a sigh of relief that it’s not another knee injury.

Granger’s injury will open up more playing time for Lance Stephenson, who filled in admirably in Granger’s absence last season. New roster additions Chris Copeland and rookie Solomon Hill will also see a bump in minutes.

The Indiana Pacers are one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference to dethrone defending NBA Champions, the Miami Heat.

They have plenty of competition this season. Miami signed key bench players, the Chicago Bulls have former MVP Derrick Rose back this season and the Brooklyn Nets added Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Smart Bet: Indiana Pacers’ Eastern Conference Win

Are you looking for an NBA postseason bet that still has value? Pretty difficult, right?

The Miami Heat are on a terrific winning streak, but it could end at the end on Sunday when the Indiana Pacers play in Miami.

Betting against Lebron James takes a lot of guts, but there’s no value in any postseason Miami Heat bet. The Heat’s odds to win the Eastern Conference (-300) and their NBA Championship odds are (-110). Do you really want to tie up your money for three months in a bet that doesn’t win you much money?

I’ll explain why an Indiana Pacers bet to win the Eastern Conference is the smartest bet for the NBA Playoffs. Continue reading →