Free Instant Championship Contention Plan Inside!

I posted a reply to you in another thread, but I’ll repeat myself:

Several Problems:

1. Payroll: It’s up near $75 million with Tinsley’s pro-rated final buyout year. That ain’t good, as the luxury tax threshold is probably going to be what, $69 mil? That means the Pacers, who DON’T make any profits, even in the best of times, will have to swallow a $6-7 million dollar-for-dollar tax for a year, just by fielding this roster, when they’d be paying $0 in luxury taxes if they played it safe, which is quite easy to do, given it’s what they pretty much do every off-season. I’m not saying the $6-$7 million wouldn’t be worth it in potential season ticket returns, but like I said, they don’t make profits even when they sell out, so to me, if I own the team, losing a guaranteed $7ish million this year to taxes is absolutely not going to pay for itself, and is not worth it in the short term.

2. The Longterm: You’ve basically mortgaged the entire future to acquire Paul. Not only are you giving up on two straight years of draft picks (albeit draft picks in the 20s, probably) but bringing back deadweight salary in Okafor and Posey. Again, from an ownership standpoint, this is only excusable if I have a championship guarantee. I’m willing to give to get, of course, but I’ve got to really believe that bringing in Paul is going to put me in the conversation, or else I’m just wasting money and years of Danny Granger’s life. This brings me to my next point…

3. I think you are completely wrong about what adding Paul does to Indiana’s championship aspirations. First of all, you’re basically saying a 30-win team is a great PG away from title contention. That’s well and good, and may be true, but truth be told, if we did this deal, and lost Paul at the wrong time (like down the stretch while fighting for a top playoff seed, or God forbid, during the playoffs) thanks to his unreliable and rapidly depleting knee carteledge who would be our Darren Collison, able to come in and nearly seamlessly take over for him? Earl Watson? Hmm…seems like that roster, sans Paul, is pretty much the roster we went 30-52 with last year, only instead of a PF who unnecessarily shoots too many threes and plays no defense, we get one who’s a good defender but can’t score under any circumstance. Remember, Paul is no guarantee to be worth his contract in games played. He’s been durable thus far (until last year) but there’s every reason to believe he’s got chronic knee problems, from what we’ve heard. If he misses just 10-15 games, you’re basically expecting Earl Watson to lead a team that is one year removed from 30-win territory into playoff legitimacy? I don’t think so. That’s too shaky a success plan if I’m a business owner. This leads me to my next point…

4. Not only is this team, with or without Paul, no lock to make the Finals in any given year, it’s even less likely that it could make the finals (especially with O’Brien’s atrocious coaching) any time in the next 5 or 6 years (or in otherwords, for the rest of Granger and Paul’s primes). For Indiana to get a top-4 seed next season, it would realistically have to be as good or better than EVERY Eastern Conference team except whichever team LeBron lands on, whichever team Wade lands on and either the Magic or a Celtics team that’s ready to make another run. Not realistic, given the chance Paul could miss significant time (b/c remember, we already established that without him this new roster of your hopelessly sucks like it did last year). Not only that, but once Indiana does improbably score a top-4 seed, you’re saying Paul makes it possible for the Pacers to compete with LeBron, Wade, the Magic and/or Celtics…not effing happening. At least not in 7-game serieses and not with this coach.

My take: I’d happily cheer for this team, and hold it to lofty expectations, but it’s unlikely it would do much other than fizzle out in the semis after getting at best a three seed.

My solution: Be patient. Fire the coach. Get younger. Be smart. Wait for LeBron and the rest of the dominant ‘04 class (and other Eastern Conference superstuds) to start to fade a little, then make your move. I know it sucks, but this is too shaky, both financially and competitively, to be an “instant championship” plan. I’d rather field a 42-48 win, middle seeded team for five years that had youngsters that are fun to watch, then hope they’re mature and good enough in five years to compete, then sell the entire farm for an injury-prone dude and his overpaid teammates right now.

I mean I get what ur worried about but no team is immuned from injury. Kobe, Lebron, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, CP3, if any of those guys are hurt then you can kiss contention goodbye. Plus, more then half of those players have injury concerns. Also I’m not saying we’d be instant champions but our names would at least be in the conversation….. as long as we fire JOB.

I don’t think Foster would pass a physical, which I believe is a requirement for a trade.

And I’m not willing to get rid of two future draft picks when Paul could get injured one year, and make them lottery picks.

And why would you keep McRoberts and not Solomon Jones when you don’t have to pay McRoberts’ salary? That’s one way to shave close to a mil off your cap number.

Another way (since you asked): Trade Rush and Sol Jones (combined close to $4 mil) to Boston for Rasheed Wallace, who will retire and immediately come off the books. Still too much salary, but it’s a start.

We’d have quite a few years for contention too especially if Chris Paul were to re-sign. I mean check out how old these guys are:

CP3: 25
Danny: 27 (but shooter last longer)
Roy: 23
Emeka: 27
Paul George: 20

Those would be our main peices and they could be intact for a long time.

Chris Paul will not be traded, ever. No Mo Pete = Hornets under the cap. Trading Paul is the permanent death of the NBA in New Orleans.