State Of The Cap: Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
Grade: C
2009/10 Payroll: $57.7 million (does not include the $7.35 million team option on Marquis Daniels)
Granger and Murphy
Highlights: It’s a good thing the Indiana Pacers signed Danny Granger to a contract extension at the beginning of last season because they probably saved themselves a little money in the process. Granger became the NBA’s fifth leading scorer this year, pouring in 25.8 points a night. The only players above him were named Dwayne, LeBron, Kobe, and Dirk. That’s pretty good company to be in. Granger’s extension is for five years and $60 million dollars, which means the Pacers have a great player on their hands for many years. He is an excellent three point shooter at 40.4% and he really knows how to fill up a box score, adding 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 steal and 1.5 blocks per game. The only thing left is for Granger to prove that he can put up those numbers on a yearly basis and carry his team like the players mentioned before. If he can do that, the future looks much better in Indiana.
Another reason to like the direction of this team is that they were able to get rid of Jermaine O’Neal’s corpse for some pretty nice assets. Expiring contract? Check. Rasho Nesterovic’s deal just finished, saving the club $8.4 million. Young player to develop? Check. Rookie center Roy Hibbert was included in the trade and he played decently well by scoring 7.1 points and swatting 1.1 shots in limited bench minutes. Good player that fills a need? Check. T.J. Ford happily replaced the disgruntled and overpaid Jamaal Tinsley at point guard. He averaged 15 points and 5.3 assists, stayed reasonably healthy, and while he’ll be paid a little more thanTinsley ($8.5 million each of the next two years, the last a player option), he is at least productive and a team player. The Pacers showed everyone the proper way to get rid of an underperforming superstar with a massive salary.
Troy Murphy used to be overpaid and is still owed $23 million over the next two years. However, after a much-improved season in which he was second in the league in rebounding at 11.8 per game, Murphy now looks like he can earn his salary. There aren’t many 6’11” forwards in the league that can rebound like him and shoot an awesome 45% from the three point line. His scoring average is a little low at 14.3. With his stellar shooting, Murphy should be more of a factor in the Pacer’s offense. It’s good to see the team is starting to get their money’s worth out of their highest paid player.
Jim O'Brien
Lowlights: The Jamaal Tinsley era is coming to a bitter end in Indiana. He was paid $6.7 million this year to stay away from the team and did not play a minute while the Pacers searched for trade offers. Predictably, they didn’t find any. Now, Tinsley is battling for a contract buyout since he still has $14.7 million coming to him through the following two seasons. Note to Indiana: nobody is going to want this guy. He is a career 39.5% shooter and routinely misses 30 to 40 games due to injury. There isn’t much of a market out there for that, so the sooner you can buy him out and save a little money, the better.
After last season, it looked like Mike Dunleavy had finally turned a corner to become a good player capable of earning his contract. This season, things took a turn for the worse. Dunleavy played in just 18 games due to injury and when he did play, he shot a horrendous 40.1% from the field and his numbers were down across the board. With big paydays of $9.7 and $10.5 million coming the next two years, it appears unlikely that Dunleavy’s production will come close to his pay scale.
Jeff Foster has been a decent rebounding center for many years but he seemed a little overpaid while earning $6.1 million this year considering he doesn’t bring much to the table. Apparently the Pacers disagree since they extended Foster’s contract for two more years at $6 and $6.6 million. That seems a little high for a post player with no offense or shot blocking skills.
The Future: Unloading Jermaine O’Neal and signing Danny Granger to a long-term contract were great moves. However, the Pacers still have some work do to. Marquis Daniels played a little better this year, but he missed 28 games due to injury (something that seems to happen on a yearly basis for him) and at $7.35 million for next season, his option is too expensive for what he provides. The team could exercise his option if they plan on making him a tradable expiring contract this summer. Indiana must also resign Jarrett Jack, especially if Daniels isn’t coming back. Jack is a healthier version of Daniels and a better distributer as well. They should be able to keep him for less than what Daniels would be paid next year. Another option at the PG position is second round draft choice AJ Price, out of UConn, a winner from a proven program.
Since they are pretty much out of cap space the next two years, the Pacers should try to deal Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Foster for expiring contracts. Dunleavy is overpaid and Foster is a veteran that won’t be part of their long-term future. Clearing their salaries from the books (and buying out Jamaal Tinsley) would give them enough wiggle room to sign a good free agent in 2010. Adding another quality player to a core of Granger, Ford, and Murphy in the team’s new up-tempo offense sounds very enticing, yet Larry Bird and Co. chose Tyler Hansbrough in the recent NBADraft. Hansbrough fits the style of play the Pacers are looking to play, but is his potential really worth the 13th pick? In a weak draft, Larry obviously wanted a player who at least had the right attitude, but if I'm Danny Granger, I'm not sure I would agree with that decision. In the end, it all comes down to whether Granger can ascend to the NBA elite. With the amount of money coming his way, Indiana sure hopes he is up to the task.
