Impressions?

65 more games. Good observations for one game but don’t turn these into season long generalizations. I don’t think Hill will struggle ALL YEAR at PG. He honestly probably had about a month to play with new teammates and be integrated into a new system. Hill is not an all-star but will provide solid mins off the bench. Also, you may not have missed Foster last night because nobody on the Detroit frontline is taller than 6’9". Austin Daye was probably their tallest player. When Hibbert and Hansbrough and West start playing against bigger, tougher front lines, they will need Foster and Amundson to flatten some opposing bigs. Indiana will also need Jones as the season goes on. He provides good hustle off the bench and sometimes that equates into offensive explosiveness. But I agree, he’s lost in half court offensive schemes.
I think the problem the Pacers will encounter as the year goes on is not having a player who is “the man.” If they are down two with 10 seconds left…who do you give the ball to? When the team starts playing bad and gives up double digit leads, who’s going to bring them back? Hopefully they can figure this out before the playoffs.

Debating who should get minutes in the 8th and 9th spot of the rotation. What a luxury, and a testament to the team Larry Bird has assembled.

In a perfect world where foul trouble doesn’t exist I can see not playing D. Jones but if George or Granger get in foul trouble I don’t see how Jones doesn’t play.

… why there’s so much Dahntay hate. In the rotation that was used, he wasn’t a first, second, or even third scoring option. He’s a veteran, and I’d like to believe that he knows his place in the offensive flow.

The guy shot 50% from the floor with a good shot selection. For second best on a squad that missed 63% of their shots, how is he being looked at as such a liability? It’s not like we’re talking about a dude that doesn’t get the ball in the hoop. As a Pacer, he’s shooting around 47%.

I think its gonna take time still but its nice to see the Pacers get wins early in the season while in the process of gettin to know each other..ie west and hill

Here’s what I saw…

West was breathing much harder than anyone on the Pacers, and he looks 5-10 pounds heavy, but his knee looked strong.

Hibbert was afraid to take contact from Ben Wallace, so in the first half, he was playing way too far outside – I think someone yelled at him at half time and he played inside more – or maybe it was me yelling the entire game at him to get under the basket :)

Collison and Hill both look to have below average NBA speed/quickness, especially DC.

One of the refs (Leroy?) knew the guys sitting in front of me and didn’t seem to me to be into the game as much as he should be.

Paul George is going to be really good, bur still needs to work on his ball handling a lot.

Didn’t see as much of the pick and roll or pick and pop as I expected, and when I did, it seemed to be run (ineffectively) with Hibbert rather than West. Also, the guards don’t at all seem able to feed Hibbert down low – so (and I hate to say this), maybe he can be excused for coming out so high to get the ball sometimes – he had that problem w/ Chicago too.

We really need another center – were fortunate to get away with Hans/West at 4/5 for extended minutes.

…with your comments on PG. I actually thought DC looked like more of a floor general. Or maybe he just looked more comfortable. Either way, I’m not sure his assist totals will be indicative of his impact in the future. This offense doesn’t look like it’s going to be a PG-driven venture.

I’m really excited. West was a revelation to me, and the combo of him and Hans is formidable indeed. Roy’s numbers were a real surprise to me as he did seem tentative, but as said above, our guards had a hard time getting him the ball when he was posting up.

I liked DC, and disagree about Hill playing point. He is an infinitely better ball handler and more comfortable passing than George, so when Hill and DC were playing together I felt much more comfortable in terms of ball movement.

George obviously has some serious potential, but when the offense is running through him and Granger I feel they are going to turn it over every time. Both dribble to high and make dubious decisions with their passes. Hope to see this improve during the season, but I don’t think George is ever going to be good dribbling the ball.

I don’t understand the Dahntay hate, I think he can have a role on this team. I love that he’s not afraid of anyone, and seems to have an attitude that, regardless of the evidence to the contrary, he is the best player on the court when he’s playing. He’ll help us this year.

Also liked Lance. Oddly, someone said that his time on the floor the offense really stalled, but I thought they played really

Despite the opponent – A thorough beatdown of any NBA team is calls for celebration.
Unlike some I thought Collission led the starting unit with control and poise.
Plus his improved jump shot along with his speed is going to cause problems for most opponents.
West played with an energy and resilience that seemed to rub off on everybody. I think Hibbert said it best “we just followed his lead”. It was down right contagious.
Paul continues to amaze and at 6’10" look out.

Last but not least is my man – NOW READY Lance!

Imagine an eventual lineup of Lance, Paul, Granger, West, Hibbert (6’6", 6’10", 6’9", 6’10", 7’2")