Potential Lineup:
PG: George Hill, CJ Watson
PG: George Hill, CJ Watson
SG: Paul George, Lance Stephenson
SF: Danny Granger, Chris Copeland
SF: Danny Granger, Chris Copeland
C: Roy Hibbert, Mahinmi
The Indiana Pacers have had two respectable playoff performances in a row. This year they lost to the Heat in seven games in the ECF, which may have been a win, had they defended the paint better in game 1 down the stretch. The year before they also lost to the Heat in a close series. The Pacers deserve to be the favourite in the Eastern Conference because they have made great free agency moves, kept onto David West and continue to foster the talents of Paul George and Roy Hibbert.
The Indiana Pacers have had two respectable playoff performances in a row. This year they lost to the Heat in seven games in the ECF, which may have been a win, had they defended the paint better in game 1 down the stretch. The year before they also lost to the Heat in a close series. The Pacers deserve to be the favourite in the Eastern Conference because they have made great free agency moves, kept onto David West and continue to foster the talents of Paul George and Roy Hibbert.
The big improvers on the roster were Roy
Hibbert and Paul George. Hibbert showed why he is regarded as one of the better
big men in the league in the playoffs. He averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds in
the series against the Heat. The scary thing is he is only 27 and about to
enter his prime. Paul George managed to average 19 ppg, 7 rebounds and 5
assists throughout the playoffs. He is only 23 years old! These two will be
able to make Indiana a contender for years to come. Also in the frontcourt is
David West who is also a vital player and showed it during playoff time. These
three players make up what could arguably the greatest frontcourt in the league
at the moment. This is the area where the Heat struggle the most.
Free Agency this year has been kind to Indiana. They have been able to pick up players in positions, which they were weak last year, which was on the bench- namely the backup point guard position. The Pacers’ starters outscored their opponents by 14PPG per 48 minutes of game time, so the bench is unquestionably the area for improvement. They signed CJ Watson who will backup George Hill instead of DJ Augustin. This is a huge improvement as CJ showed what he can do on Brooklyn last year. He is a 41% 3-point shooter and has more offense and defense than Augustin offered. The other upgrade made was to sign Chris Copeland, the swingman from New York Knicks who was a 42% 3-point shooter last season and adds versatility to the Pacers bench. These two signings improve the bench drastically.
The biggest improvement however comes from within. In this case it is Danny Granger returning from injury. Before going to down with injury Granger was clearly the best player on the Pacers averaging 18 PPG in 2011-12 and defending the oppositions best player most of the time. He only played 5 games this season as he struggled with a left knee injury. Having Granger come back into the team gives even more flexibility on offense and on defense and would allow Lance Stephenson to play off the bench.
Free Agency this year has been kind to Indiana. They have been able to pick up players in positions, which they were weak last year, which was on the bench- namely the backup point guard position. The Pacers’ starters outscored their opponents by 14PPG per 48 minutes of game time, so the bench is unquestionably the area for improvement. They signed CJ Watson who will backup George Hill instead of DJ Augustin. This is a huge improvement as CJ showed what he can do on Brooklyn last year. He is a 41% 3-point shooter and has more offense and defense than Augustin offered. The other upgrade made was to sign Chris Copeland, the swingman from New York Knicks who was a 42% 3-point shooter last season and adds versatility to the Pacers bench. These two signings improve the bench drastically.
The biggest improvement however comes from within. In this case it is Danny Granger returning from injury. Before going to down with injury Granger was clearly the best player on the Pacers averaging 18 PPG in 2011-12 and defending the oppositions best player most of the time. He only played 5 games this season as he struggled with a left knee injury. Having Granger come back into the team gives even more flexibility on offense and on defense and would allow Lance Stephenson to play off the bench.
When looking at the East as a whole the Pacers are too strong on the interior for Miami and too deep for Chicago who have lost Bellinelli and Nate Robinson. The only other team that could compete is Brooklyn but the question there is about their chemistry. Which is why Indiana Pacers should be favourites to win the East going into the upcoming season.
Who Will Win the East 2013-14
oohh very interesting potential line up!
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