By Justin Albers
INDIANAPOLIS- When the news first broke yesterday I was like everyone else in saying "What in the world are the Pacers thinking?"
After having 24 hours to think about it, the trade could be more beneficial then people give it credit for. First of all, they got rid of Stephen Jackson. There won't be anymore gunshots from celebrities in Indiana for a while, if you could even call him a celebrity. The era is finally over where the Pacers go to Jackson in every big situation and he never comes through. The disease has been removed, now it is time to recover.
As for the rest of the guys the players lost, Harrington and Jasikevicius just had to go. Al is a great player and still has a lot of potential, but it is just not going to work in Indiana. It was either Harrington or Carlisle, and the front office has made it very clear that Rick is there guy. I think Al will do very well in Golden State, probably averaging 20+ points a game. As for Sarunas, he has underachieved. We all saw him as a great shooter who might be a little deficient in the defensive department, but I think Bob Kravitz described him best with "His 3 point shooting is not ready for the NBA and he cannot even guard the mascot." Sarunas does not have an NBA game and it would be best for him if he just got out now. He will not have much success with the Warriors because of the people they have there. Baron Davis is a guy that demands the minutes at the point guard position, but Jasikevicius and the Western Conference do have something in common: Neither one plays defense.
Now to analyze what the Pacers got in return. Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy seem to be the basis of the deal, but I don't think that's the case. Ike Diogu is a young player with an immensely large amount of talent and potential. Diogu is a guy that could be averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in the future, which appears to be what the Pacers are building towards. My question is what position is Diogu going to play? He appears to be a guy who struggles with his shot, which makes him a bad fit for the small forward position. He actually reminds me a lot of Al Harrington, both are best at the power forward position. It will be interesting to see if Jermaine moves to the center spot or Diogu moves to the small forward. Something has to give.
Troy Murphy attended the University of Notre Dame, so he is somewhat known locally. He is averaging a double-double for his career, but has struggled to get on track this season. I am excited about his possibilities in the Eastern Conference, especially in Carlisle's system. He's going to have to play the center position where he is a little undersized (6-11, 245) but I think he will be able to adapt given time. The important thing about him is that he gives the Pacers a scoring threat from the outside. My projection has him as the eventual starting center.
Mike Dunleavy=underachiever. Dunleavy was a good player at Duke, but he wasn't a great player. I thought the #3 pick in the '02 draft was too high for him, and he certainly hasn't proven me otherwise. Dunleavy has a great 3 point shot, but when I look at him I see a soft player. He reminds me a lot of Kyle Korver from the Philadelphia 76ers, but his shot isn't as good. If he toughens up he could be a good player, but the odds are against him at this point.
Now for my projections for both teams. For the Pacers. They will finish with a 43-39 record and get into the playoffs as a #6 seed. They will take on New Jersey in the first round and win in 7 games. They will take on Washington in the second round and will be defeated in 6 games. There starting lineup at the end of the season will be Jamaal Tinsley, Danny Granger, Ike Diogu, Jermaine O'Neal, and Troy Murphy.
The Golden State Warriors will end the season with a 49-33 record and get into the playoffs as a #7 seed. They will play Phoenix in the first round and lose in 7 games. Their starting lineup will be Baron Davis, Monte Ellis, Al Harrington, Jason Richardson, and Andres Biedrins.
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