Rasho Nesterovic Spotted In Indy

Bruno's latest Caught in the Web reports on the arrival of Rasho Nesterovic at the Fieldhouse on Monday morning. The report even includes actual video proof with Rasho answering question from the locker room, including the reason he was off the radar in Europe all summer.

"I go back home, see some friends, see some family, just relax and try to get ready for a new season," he said. "(The trade) had nothing with it. It was just the timing. I was with the national team getting ready for a qualifying tournament in Greece so there was no chance I would be able to come here for a few days for the press conference and the presentations (of the new players). So nothing's true that I'm not happy, not satisfied."

A couple of items from this report stuck out for me. First, the fact that Rasho's teams have made the playoffs in all nine of his seasons. Yeah he played with San Antonio, but he also ran with Minnesota and Toronto so maybe he will be the good luck charm the Pacers need to return to the playoffs.

More importantly, the other item is the impact of Rasho's expiring contract. Selfishly, I've been looking at the expiring deal from an asset perspective. It could be an enticing part of a trade before or during the year or free up cap room after the year. I haven't even considered the fact that Rasho will have strong motivation to play well this year so he can earn another NBA contract whether it be with the Pacers or some other team. The guy has a game that should fit well with what  Jim O'Brien expects. Combine that  with the additional internal motivation and Rasho may produce in a bigger role than I ever considered.