Ford is for sure not the answer. And Ford playing with Watson is even further from the answer. I agree Granger is not a natural born leader. That being said he fouls out like once a year and does tend to make big shots at the end of the game. I think Dahntay needs to step in and be the verbal and emotional leader. He was terrible at the end of the game as was everyone. I just don’t understand how Granger and Hibbert don’t get more looks. Pretty sad to see a team score 40+ in a quarter and then not be able to throw a pass in the fourth quarter.

Is seriously Impressing me. That’s not to say that I didn’t expect it. I’ve been following Roy throughout his basketball career since his early years at Georgetown. His development over the years has been outstanding to watch. I said at the beginning of the year that he would be in the top 10 centers in the league this year.
Double doubles in 5 of the 9 games so far.
Multiple blocks in 7 of the 9 games, and has had at least 1 block in every game this year.
He’s been a critical part to the Pacers success so far this year especially with Murph out. Roy has really stepped up. I hope he can evolve into the type of leader the Pacers need.

Granger is the most emotional player on the Pacers. He takes the wins and the loses both very seriously. I mean cmon, this is a guy who will knock his front teeth out hustling for the ball one day, and storm off the court after a tough loss the next. I like TJ Ford. When he plays well the Pacers tend to succeed, but I do not agree with JOB on Watson’s role with the team. We all know that Rush has the potentially to be a truly productive starter, but if you’ve ever seen him stutter his way through an interview you also know he has confidence issues. Watson has been playing great until tonight, but Rush is the future of the team. The Pacers need him to be productive if they are going to have any chance making the play-offs. The Pacers were an emotional wreck as a whole tonight. Ford was pouting in the first quarter. JOB was yelling at fans in the stands. SOLO got blasted with a T for an on-court altercation, and Granger added the icing on the cake with his temper tantrum. These are all signs of a young team trying to extend their largest winning streak in years. The truly sad thing is that this game could have been salvaged if it wasn’t for Watson’s three reprehensible turnovers in less than a minute. Their is no reason for him to have the ball in his hands that much. Put Rush in, let him build his confidence, and get ready for the future. A healthy Pacers team could do great things, if they can play ball while keeping their emotions in check.

I’m sure the Pacers thought it was over after the third …..To credit the Knicks they raised their defensive effort and the Pacers like I said thought it was over … The P’s quit running their offense and obviously that leads to turnovers …

Danny needed to be on the court for the last 5 minutes, but we all know that can’t always be the case, so I totally agree he can’t sit on the bench feeling sorry for himself (I think he wanted to score 50 last night and was upset he didn’t)

Growing pains ….. what the hell is the coach yelling at fans for?

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=959809

has to shoot the dam ball in the second half!!!

And I couldnt agree more on TJ. He plays how I used to play rec. Drive into the lane, jump, and than make a decision. Roy has been an absolute animal. But for real, Danny has to shoot the ball in the second half. 29 points in the first half, 4 in the second. Danny is options 1, 2, and 3 on offense. Hehad it going. Even if he didnt have it going, shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot!

A fan says, “Put Granger back in ,” to O’Brien. O’Brien’s response, “He’s got five fouls, shut up.”

Obie was right …..

I really wish Danny wouldn’t react like he did last night when he fouled out. The dodging of the journalists only bothered me because I used to be one, but that doesn’t have any affect on the game. Maybe it didn’t last night either, but when he’s on the bench holding his head like he’s got the migraine from hell while watching his teammates blow the game, well, there’s other ways to support your team when you’ve got a realistic shot of still jumping back into the game. It speaks to Danny’s game when this is the only thing that I can pick on him for, but it still bugs the tar out of me. At least the camera guy could pan away from it so I don’t have to see it.

If someone really knows how hard he is working on it. You’re right though, it does take time, and he does have the length to be a great defender. Either he’s working too hard, or he’s not working hard enough, and without inside knowledge, I don’t know which it is. Granger seems like a guy who would be working TOO hard on it, I just don’t know.

Being in Iraq at this time, it’s hard for me to know whats going on. So I base my analysis and assessments mainly on what you guys are talking about. But if this stuff is going on, then the problem is a simple fix. However the fix takes time.
1. JOB telling the fans to shut up?! Come the F!@# on! You’ve got a game to focus on. You answer to Larry Bird, not the guy sitting in section 2, row 5. His mind should have been focused on the game. It shows his lack of composure. As a coach, you are the leader. If you’re going off the chain by letting fans get under your skin, how are the players going to respond to that? How are the players going to react when they see there leader losing their cool? As the coach, you have to be the voice of reason. You have to be the guy keeps the mold together. A simple fix would be to force feed Jimmy a couple slices of Tony Dungy’s/Jim Caldwell’s slice of humble pie… or just get rid of him completely. Be the example. Three Cs: cool, calm, collected.

2. Learning curve for Danny.
There are some cases in life where people are born natural leaders. But in most cases, you must learn that trait. Danny hanging his head after he fouled was probably brought on by the fact he wasn’t in the game anymore. And you’re right, he needs to contribute in any way he can. This is a lesson he can learn over time. The best thing to fix this is experience. But a mentor for him wouldn’t be the end of the world either. That’s why the Pacers signed (or traded for… memory’s rusty) Byron Scott in ‘94. He was a proven winner and a knowledgeable veteran to mentor Reggie Miller. If we could get that Obi-Wan for our Luke, we could go places. JOB is no Obi-wan though. But if this team is to take it up a notch, then Danny must be that leader. Being in the Army, I have experienced good leadership and awful leadership (like with this god awful unit I’m with now). People do not understand how key leadership is when developing a cohesive unit.

3. TJ is just TJ.
My neighboor use to have shit-fits everytime Travis Best touched the ball. Cause when he touched it, he pounded it and did very little to be effective. I can’t imagine what foul language he spits out when TJ pulls that garbage. We could use a good point guard. That’s how you fix it. How you go about getting one… not real sure. Bro, need a trade idea so I can shoot it down.