As the Indiana Pacers head to Sacramento today to begin a three-game road trip against the Kings on Wednesday, the links today contain a few items worth pondering.
For starters, a discussion of contract extensions for the 2008 draft class which includes Roy Hibbert and George Hill. There is no simple "yes" or "no" answer to determining whether to extend either player. The cost of the extension adds nuance to the answer along with tricky proposition of projecting future growth of the players.
Is Roy Hibbert a max player? No he's not a max player. He's a solid and legit center which is rare in the league and currently offering reliable production, but he's not Dwight Howard. Will he command closer to a max salary than he probably should? I would expect so, but how the new CBA impacts this class of extensions should be pretty interesting.
Also, the Pacers were able to hold a real, live NBA practice yesterday in the middle of three days off before playing in Sacramento. Plus, USA Basketball announced their initial 2012 Olympic team finalists which includes Eric Gordon, but no Danny Granger. This is good news, considering Granger wouldn't make the final team anyway and will be able to enjoy a normal offseason.
Check out the links after the jump.
- PACERS: Caught in the Web Indiana Pacers blog: Vogel uses break to polish offense
- Pacers can trust several players in crunch time | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
- Pacers try to mix rest and work during rare four-day off stretch. - fox59.com
- Most '08 draftees still trying to convince owners to pay up | NBA.com
- Power Rankings: Road trip sinks the Heat, Pacers at No. 11 | NBA.com
- NBA Power Rankings: Bulls Take Over, Celtics Slide Into Abyss - SBNation.com
- Power Rankings: Chicago Bulls rise to No. 1, Pacers No. 9 - ESPN - Marc Stein
- 2011-2012 Hollinger Power Rankings - ESPN
- NBA Scores And More: Derek Fisher For The Win, Thunder Cruise Past Celtics, Knicks And Bulls Lose - SBNation.com
- USA Basketball: 2012 U.S. Olympic Men’s Team Finalists Roster