Spitballin': The Pacers Plan
The Pacers have a good enough team but I really don't see them making much noise in the playoffs, if they even do make the playoffs. Danny Granger is a bonafide All-Star talent and TJ Ford is an underrated PG but I'm not sold on the rest of the squad. Marquis Daniels is nice but he screams "Sell High" now that he's playing well and has a team option on his contract next year. They also have Rasho Nesterovic's expiring deal and a couple of good but not great (and probably won't even be very good) rookie in Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush.
The Pacers might want to make a push for this season by making a couple of move:
1) Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Roy Hibbert for Chris Kaman
Dunleavy Jr. could be just what the doctor order for the Clippers on offense. He can run the offense (and I'm sure his dad would be happy to have him do that) which would allow Baron Davis to focus on scoring in the halfcourt sets. He also is a good enough shooter that if Zach Randolph ever does pass out of a double team, he could nail the trey. The Clippers also get a solid enough young backup center who'd be a decent addition to the young Clips Al Thornton and Eric Gordon.
As for the Pacers, they get a very good big man who gives them a post threat that they don't really have right now. Also, Danny Granger becomes the definite go-to guy in the offense. I'm not a fan of the Dunleavy/Granger duo because both guys seem to operate best when they can have the ball in their hands.
2) Brandon Rush, Rasho Nesterovic, and Marquis Daniels for Michael Redd
Michael Redd is vastly overpaid but he could be a great second or third option for this Pacers team. Redd as a primary option doesn't work for me but if he's feeding off of Granger and Kaman, he'd be deadly. His contract is ugly but it only has a couple more years left (same as Troy Murphy) and it's not like the Pacers were really going to have much of any cap space anyway.
The Bucks do it because they aren't going anywhere with Redd and the Daniels/Rush duo might actually be a better fit with Scott Skiles's style. They are both steady defenders who would help the Bucks buckle down on defense. Also, this move might allow the offense to flow more through Andrew Bogut. I'm not a huge fan of Bogut but the Bucks are probably better off with the offense running through the post than Michael Redd.
The Pacers would end up with Ford, Redd, Granger, Murphy, and Kaman. It might not be a team that's going to contend for the title but it has a better chance of making it out of the first round than the current squad does. In fact, despite some great wins, the current team might not even make the playoffs. It's time for Larry Bird to roll the dice and swing for the fences. Sure, the ceiling might be more of a ground rule double than a home run but at least they'd be making an impact.
