Pacers Hit Some Bumps In The Road Prepping For Chicago Bulls Tonight
by Tom Lewis on Dec 13, 2010 8:42 AM EST
in Indiana Pacers News
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PrintA quarter of the way through the season, the Indiana Pacers have revealed themselves to be a .500 team.
Their 11-11 records points out that obvious fact, but so does their inconsistent level of play. There has been some spectacular play at both ends of the court in those 11 wins, along with some gritty toughness to hang onto a couple of big W's.
There's also been some brow-furrowing play with wild turnovers and rim-clanking shooting performances in the 11 losses. The unsettled play overall has kept the playing rotations a moving target for Jim O'Brien. Just when things seem to be falling into place, a crack in the 8-9 man rotation arises and changes the minutes distribution.
Darren Collison has felt the impact of this more than any other starter with his inconsistent play keeping him on the bench at crunch time in several games. T.J. Ford had been finishing games if DC didn't, but in Atlanta JOB turned to A.J. Price who has been inactive for much of the year. Price showed up pretty well and today Mike Wells captured Collison's frustrations.
"I don't know why I didn't play," said Collison, who has started all 19 games he's appeared in.
"I'm not going to lie, it's been tough. Right now, I'm not used to it. It is what it is."
Later Collison goes on to say he can only control things when he's in the game, when he's not he'll be supportive of whoever is in the game. That's kind of the point isn't it? Play better on the court and your team will rely on you at crunch time. DC's play at both ends of the court has been far from consistent enough to seize the majority of minutes at point guard. Hopefully that will change.
The Pacers have to come together starting tonight for a tough pair of games starting with Chicago Bulls and then the L.A. Lakers at home on Wednesday. Danny Granger tweaked his ankle in Atlanta and is day-to-day which may activate Paul George tonight.
After the jump, a few more links of interest.
Pacers Darren Collison still confused by point guard rotation
Mike Wells reports on the Pacers point guard situation which is far from settled.
Hard work has Rose off to three-mendous start - Chicago Tribune
Teddy Greenstein reports on how Derrick Rosehas elevated his game this season. Fabulous.
Players might look overseas if lockout occurs | IndyStar.com
Mike Wells reports on players considering other sources of revenue should the league lock them out this summer.
Foster: I Want To Retire A Pacer
Jeff Fosterhas witnessed the Pacers go from title contenders to playoff absentees. He talks with HOOPSWORLD on the teams current play and his desire to retire as a Pacer.
Rivalry revived? Louisville hopes to snare NBA team | IndyStar.com
Mike Wells reports on a group in Louisville looking for an NBA team.
How Roy Hibbert Learned to Pass
Jared Wade looks at where the big fella developed his passing ability from the post.
Indiana Pacers Training Camp Diary: Day 3 and 4 - Yardbarker
Rod Benson recounts his hoop journey which included a stint in training camp with the Pacers.
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For all who care, betting odds for tonight's game, straight win:
$10 bet on Bulls pays $12.60 ($2.60 profit)
$10 bet on Pacers pays $45.00 ( $35.00 profit).
Likely Bulls by 10-14 pts.
Conundrum
I think to a degree both DC and JOB are both wrong. DC needs to realize that when you’re constantly inconsistent on both sides of the ball, then your minutes are going to fluctuate. JOB, on the other hand, needs to stop applying logic to one and not the other. It’s not like TJ is any type of closer in the 4th quarter, he’s far from consistent even at the end of games. TJ’s propensity for head-scratching turnovers at any point in the game should be taken into account when deciding who to play in the 4th quarter. Ultimately, I know this all revolves around defense and TJ has the defensive stats on his side, but offense is a big problem with this team, and I lost all faith in TJ’s offensive ability/offensive basketball IQ long ago.
Collison
O’brien needs to keep laying Collison. This is a learning experience so we have to keep putting him out there until he gets it. Why else did we bring him to Indy? O’briens problem is that he loves the three too much. I bet if we drafted Rondo back in the day, he would have washed out by now, just because he can’t shoot.
not being able to shoot is different than not being able to defend
although Rondo’s weakness is not glaring since he has three HoF scoring options to pass to, DC however can not consistantly have Roy and JMac make up for his defensive lapse, when that happens, the Pacer bigs will get into foul trouble real fast.
by latrell spreewel on Dec 13, 2010 4:08 PM EST up reply actions
The three point argument doesn't hold water.
Collison is a great three point shooter, Ford is a terrible one. That doesn’t have anything to do with their playing time.
There are really only two plays: Romeo and Juliet, and put the darn ball in the basket. ~Abe Lemons
Find me at IndyCornrows
and Hickory-High
All I want out of a point guard is high assists, low turnovers, and excellent on ball defense. Anything else is gravy.
You are banned from Stampede Blue.
You can browse the blog, but you can't participate.
Calling a site admin a 'dumbass' gets you banned. Enjoy.
-technically I said, "only a dumbass would want Bill Polian fired."
Collison is 0 for 3
There are really only two plays: Romeo and Juliet, and put the darn ball in the basket. ~Abe Lemons
Find me at IndyCornrows
and Hickory-High
What JOB doesn't seem to realize
is that pulling players just because they are playing bad at a particular moment is not good for the chemistry of a team. Collison, is without question, the most talented all around pg on this team. Because he plays a stretch of poor basketball is not reason to limit him to 25 minutes. Every, I repeat, EVERY player in the NBA makes poor decisions from time to time or get caught slacking for a second. To keep pulling DC because JOB doesn’t like what he sees at a particular time is no way to instill confidence in either the player or the team’s understanding of their identity. He needs to commit to Collison, through the good times and the bad and let him play through mistakes. He needs to learn the practical consequences of his mistakes on the court, not questioning his role on the team. After a while, the good times will far outweigh the bad and JOBs petulant, sophomoric handling of his players is getting OLD.
JOB sucks. And I can’t wait until he is gone. He drives me insane.
Someone is lying here or JOB is just retarded.
Does DC really not know why he is playing or is he lying? Has JOB really not told him his defensive effort is shit? Or does JOB really just care about 3pt shooting… by benching his best three point shooter?
WTH is going on here?
At this point, I would gladly sacrifice this season just to insure JOB is gone after the year. God he infuriates me to no end.
but how do you really feel?
You are banned from Stampede Blue.
You can browse the blog, but you can't participate.
Calling a site admin a 'dumbass' gets you banned. Enjoy.
-technically I said, "only a dumbass would want Bill Polian fired."
I have to agree......
JOB’s “system” will not get this team where we want to see it in the future whether it be short, medium or long term.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.
-Thomas Edison
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