Player review: Mike Dunleavy
Stats: 19.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.5 apg
Stats/36: 19.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.5 apg

How did he surprise?

Where to start? How about, 36. Mike Dunleavy scoreed 36 points on 5 separate occasions during the 2007-08 season, four of those efforts were between February 29 and April 16. Dunleavy's incredible finish to the season, really covering the final two months of the season, helped produce the best numbers of his career. His 19.1 scoring average is by far his best to date (next best was 13.4 in '04-05 season) and is even more impressive when you consider that the injuries to Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley thrust Dun into sharing the role of number one scoring option with Danny Granger. Sure he had more opportunities to score but opposing defenses also had the ability to focus their efforts on stopping him and most nights they couldn't.

Dunleavy ended up taking a big stride forward in his career. His ability to handle the ball, pass the ball and move without the ball allowed him to shine in Jim O'Brien's up-tempo system. Dun's production seemed to continually pick up steam as the season went along until he was firing on all cylinders in March. By that time he was even valuable late in games, helping the Pacers close out wins by knocking down shots or free throws with the game still in the balance.

Another area Dunleavy surprised me was with his toughness. It has been fashionable over the past couple of years to rail on Dun for being soft and weak. Maybe it's his physique or the lavish Duke pedigree. Maybe it's the lack of hops when trying to finish in the lane, I don't know. (By the end of the year Dun was playing so well I joked that God limited Dun's vertical jump because it just wouldn't be fair to everyone else). Whatever the reasons, they're all bogus and Mike has the scars to prove it, literally. Multiple times Dunleavy left the court after a blow to the face left him with blood flowing. Inevitably, he'd get stitched up and jump right back in the fray. During a home game in March against Seattle, Dun left the game with a sprained ankle only to return and finish with 32 points. That ankle lingered for at least a few games if not the remainder of the season, but you'd never know it from the effort and production Dunleavy turned out.

Oh, and Dunleavy, excuse me, DUNLEEEVAY inspired the best YouTube video on the team, as well. Actually, it's from back in his Golden State days, but still fun nonetheless.

How did he disappoint?

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Player: Jamaal Tinsley
Stats: 11.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 8.4 apg
Stats/36: 12.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 9.1 apg

How did he surprise?

Everything about Jamaal Tinsley's game and current existence on the Pacers roster is complicated. When the mind and body are right, his game has always been a pleasure to watch. Considering the way Jamaal's season ended and his current status on the team, it is easy to forget the positive contributions he made early in the year.

As he began the season with a fresh start and mental outlook under Jim O'Brien, it appeared as though Tins was ready to flourish. He ran the team and ran it well. When big buckets were needed late in games, Tins stepped up to try and make the plays down the stretch. He led the way to several early-season W's and was even seen smiling quite often. I know I was excited about his play.

How did he disappoint?

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Player Review: Jeff Foster
Stats: 6.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.7 apg
Stats/36: 9.5 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 2.5 apg

How did he surprise?

In his post-mortem on the season, Jim O'Brien lamented the lack of consistency from his team. As a unit, the level of play varied from night-to-night throughout much of the season. After writing several player reviews, it's safe to say the team's inconsistent play is easily explained by the many individual parts of the team playing inconsistently on their own.

One thing you can state clearly about Jeff Foster, though, is that he was consistent all year. Foster backs up the hard-hat, workman-like image he's developed by indeed bringing that type of effort to every game. The only variance in Foster's game this year was his role from game to game.

Depending on injuries and matchups, Foster could be counted on for 35 minutes or 10 to 15.  Foster is rarely the biggest big on the court, yet he's made a career of pursuing the ball and now taps into his veteran savvy to keep Pacer possessions alive. He's made the volleyball-rebound into an art form and regardless of the total minutes played, you could rely on Foster to bat out at least a couple of offensive rebounds while on the court.

Another surprising positive from ol' number ten this year was his shooting acumen. I've lamented the number of missed bunnies Foster has blown over the years, but this year that was rarely a problem. But, equally surprising was Foster's ability to knock down the 15-18 footer he was often given by the opposition. JOB encourages shooting good, open shots and Foster had no problem taking him up on the offer.

Foster also proved valuable in JOB's system thanks to his passing ability, keeping the ball moving in the half court. Toward the end of the year, Jeff and Mike Dunleavy gave team's fits running the pick and roll in the half court. A nice bounce pass from Dun would find Foster in stride as he rolled to the goal for and easy layup. Good times.

How did he disappoint?

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Player Review: Shawne Williams
Stats: 6.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.9 apg
Stats/36: 16.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.2 apg

How did he surprise?

Shawne Williams certainly had his ups and downs this year, sometimes within the same game. His playing time was also inconsistent due to a complicated combination of his play, off-court issues, and most importantly for Jim O'Brien, in-game match ups. But for a stretch of games in March, Shawne exposed all the upside you need to see to think he can be part of the solution for the Pacers.  Active. Assertive. Shockingly unstoppable.

His signature performances came during fourth quarter crunch time in wins over Charlotte and Chicago, games that propelled the Pacers to their late season playoff run. Some crazy mix of desperation and frustration seemed to fuel Shawne as he dropped all his hoop inhibitions and just played like he had something to prove and would not be denied. The nice thing about his late game success was that it seemed to loosen up everyone else on the roster to get into the act. Where early in the season we were begging for someone, anyone, to step up and make some plays to close out wins, now Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy were ready to follow Shawne's lead. Really, the team dynamic and player expectations over the final month of the season improved drastically and Shawne's effort played a big part in that change.

I've always hoped that Shawne would develop into a next gen Eddie Johnson, playing a key role to keep the offense flowing. Well, some of Shawne's play this year showed he could indeed be a bigger, faster, stronger version of Johnson and if playing in the right frame of mind, could even impact the defensive end around the bucket.

How did he disappoint?

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Player Review: Ike Diogu
Stats: 5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.3 apg
Stats/36:  19.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.2 apg

How did he surprise?

Three games into the 2007-08 season, Ike Diogu looked like the lethal weapon off the bench that the Pacers hoped they had pilfered from Golden State. He scored in double figures and played more than 20 minutes in all three wins to open the season. Then Ike tore a calf muscle in practice which shelved him for 23 games.

After starting the season 3-0, the Pacers lost six straight games after Ike went down and some people actually pointed to his absence as a factor. Obviously a stretch, but it emphasizes how well Ike was playing at the time. Ike was never able to work his way back into the playing rotation on a consistent basis, but did show he can produce offensively as his Per36 numbers show.

Though an undersized big, Ike has plenty of interior moves along with long arms that make him an offensive threat. Plus, Ike's an excellent free throw shooter, so his ability to pump fake and draw fouls is another plus in his game. Though his minutes were sporadic at best throughout the last half of the season, Ike always gave a great effort when his number was called.

How did he disappoint?

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Player Review: Travis Diener
Stats: 6.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 3.8 apg
Stats/36:  12.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6.7 apg

How did he surprise?

Travis Diener was a low-risk signing last summer as the Pacers were grasping for ways to shore up their point guard situation. Everyone knew Diener could shoot it, but how much he could help was unknown. Was he quick enough to make up for his size when defending? Could he run an NBA offense or was he just a shooter in a point guard's body? As the season began to unfold, it appeared the search for answers about Travis would end on the bench. The problem was, the dead-eye shooter we remembered from Marquette had a Jasikevisius-ian start to the season, missing far more open shots than he made. If he couldn't make shots, could he make it in the L? Andre Owens had surpassed Travis on the depth chart, forcing us to wonder just what the Pacers would do with Travis for the remaining three years on his contract.

To his credit, Travis remained a team guy and kept working. Stories of his impact on the locker room culture began to emerge and JOB never gave up on him. As the season wore on and injuries started to impact the roster, Travis was given heaping helpings of minutes and showed he has plenty of game to go along with his shot. Yes, the shot improved and at times was huge, but Travis showed he could impact a game without hitting a shot. He did a great job of pushing the ball up the court and putting it the hands of other playmakers. Plus, he took care of the ball. Rare was the game when Travis would spit up turnovers from careless play. In fact, at season's end, Travis ranked fourth in the NBA in Assist-to-Turnover ratio at 4.56, just behind New Orleans Hornets' wunder-point, Chris Paul.

Travis Diener isn't THE answer to the Pacers' point guard situation, but he can handle the rock off the bench and the pressure down the stretch of a game, if needed.

How did he disappoint?

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Player Review: Marquis Daniels
Stats: 6.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg
Stats/36:  14.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.2 apg

How did he surprise?

Marquis Daniels was forced into a utility role off the bench most of the year, showing his versatility by handling 2nd unit point guard duties and defending any point guard through small forward that was assigned to him. After Jamaal Tinsley’s injury, but before Flip Murray was signed, Quisy was forced to handle the PG duties in many games. Neither Quisy nor JOB will tell you the situation was ideal, but credit Daniels for digging in and doing what he could. His play at PG wasn’t poor it was just inconsistent. There were games where he played poorly from a PG standpoint, but there were plenty where he was solid. Once Flip Murray was signed, Quisy played better in his role as a 2/3 off the bench. There were several games late in the season where he was on the floor to close out the game thanks to his effective defense. Marquis also provided us with one of the "Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!" nights of the year during a Pacers win over Philly just before the season went south in mid-December. Daniels pumped in 26 points which included draining three dagger 3-balls, each followed by a QUISY FOR THREESY! call from PA man Reb Porter. I guess Quisy didn't enjoy the call because it took him 24 games to convert his next three total treys.

How did he disappoint?

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