Indiana continues search for PG (Update: Pacers sign Diener)

Hey Red Rowdy, I didn't know about Atkins. That helps even moreso.

As for my choice of words, they were intentional

 

His next move will be for Jeff Foster.

It's pretty much a given we need to trade our extra guards for a rebounding big. So what does someone like Morey and I (Love statistics) do?

Look at rebound rates. The single most significant statistic to measure rebounding.

Let's have a look:
06-07 Rebounding rates leaders
1. Reggie Evans (22.9)
2. Dikembe Mutombo (21.8 ) (Reason why we stayed afloat with yao injured)
3. Tyson Chandler (20.7)
4. David Lee (20.7)
5. Carlos Boozer (20.5) (BOOOOO!)
6. Dwight Howard (20.5)
7. Jeff Foster (20.2)
8. Al Jefferson (19.5)
9. Kevin Garnett (19.5)
10. Marcus Camby (19.4)

Only feasible options are Evans and Foster. Evans, however, grabs people's balls and is a turnover machine (21.8 turnover rate!!!!) and the Nuggets would not be interested.

Foster, however, I think is very obtainable with our guards. He makes 5.7 million this year and has a 6.2 million player option next year which I think is a fair price for a rebounder of his caliber. Get this: he is currently 7th all-time in rebounding rate!

 

Any word on Troy Murphy's availability?

He makes $8 MIL, but would a Head/JLIII/Sura contract get it done?

 

nice info kev...every time I've seen him he's been primarily a center though. can he play the 4? how is his passing?

 

He actually is a pretty decent passer, especially the last few years. His assist rate is was 13.0 last season, which is good for top 20-25 for his position. As far as being a PF goes, he can definitely guard PFs and is good at it. Offensively, we don't really need anything out of the PF position besides rebounding and passing.

 

Indy signed Travis Diener.

Perhaps the search is over.

 

What would it take for Indiana to part with Danny Granger?

 

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070719/SPORTS04/707190528

 

this is not good news.....

didn't they say they still wanted good perimeter shooters? head/novak?

 

diener is that too.

 

Holy crap, that team is stacked!

 

Originally I would've said that they never would but I honestly think Larry Bird is racist. How else do you explain trading Harrington and Jackson for Dunleavy and Murphy? You can't think of anything else. So who knows, if we ship a white player over there, maybe they'll give us Jermaine O'Neal.

 

Bird isn't racist, he just likes players that remind him of himself. Dunleavy and Murphy are both big guys that can shoot, and he apparently thought that he could turn them into Bird type players. Other GMs are guilty of the same thing, like Isaiah Thomas' tendency to root for the little PG like Damon Stoudamire and Nate Robinson. Or Rudy T's obsession with shooters like Maloney, Price, and Drew.

 

Not sure why you guys mention Foster and Murphy, the guy I'd want based on upside and contract would be Diogu.

Indy should still have major interest in Alston, Head or James. Diener, while not a bad signng, isn't proven as an NBA player, even as in a back up capacity. Hasn't been able to be healthy and who nows even if he is a 15+ minute player.

 

Well since we all can't agree, we should take TMac's word for it. On the channel 2 interview yesterday, he said we still need a rebounding, defensive 4..someone who doesn't have to score because we've got plenty of that now. Take it from our team captain what our needs are at this point and all evidence points to Jeff Foster, PF/C of the Pacers.

Dude is very active..remember how Adelman loves that about bigs, ie Scola? He also is a tenacious rebounder as others have mentioned earlier and he can guard the 4s of the West FAR better than anyone we have currently. Please Morey do it!

 

Travis Diener is not an NBA player. Indiana will soon realize this the first time they ask this kid to do anything else besides stand around and shoot wide open three pointers. I guess that justifies a three year contract though, right??

But what do we expect the great Larry Bird to know anymore? Afterall, he's the mastermind that decided Jermaine O'Neal is worth $21-23 million a year and traded for the likes of Troy Murphy ($9,10,11,12 million a year), Mike Dunleavy ($8,9,10,10.5 million a year) and Marquis Daniels ($6,7,7+ million a year).

 

Tmac's description sounds a lot more like unsigned Chuck Hayes than Jeff Foster. Foster is more of a back-up center, he played all his minutes there last year. Hayes is a better as a power forward (and Hayes of course is defensive and rebounding focused) and Deke is a better back-up center, at least for equivalent minutes (clearly Foster can play longer, but we don't need a high minute guy because our starter is Yao.

Basically if you look at efficiency and production, look at 82games.com (PER, opponents PER, +/-, etc) and stats adjusted per 48, you will see marginal if any likely benefit from Foster over Hayes and Deke. Hayes is more of a starting caliber power forward (relative to Foster Hayes is scores a lot of points and shoots a high %) and Deke is probably better as a back-up C for the minutes we need.

Now Ike Diagu on the other hand potentially could develop into a better all around PF than Hayes. He could likely be a solid defender and rebounder but also much more offensvely potent than Hayes (or Foster or Deke). I would do Alston or Head + a little more to make that happen.

 

Troy Murphy? Oh Hell No! Three Words Slow Slow Slow.

Big and Slow that's Troy Murphy.

Foster is wayyyy better for us than Troy. Even though Foster can't score..the other posters make a good point. We don't need scoring. We need rebounding.

 

While I agree with you that Ike has far more potential..we dont need that right now. These moves Morey had made scream 'win now'. We should embrace that mode by getting a PF who fulfills a specific role..and that is to guard Western PF's more effectively and to impact the game defensively when Scola goes out. I have no doubt that Foster at 6'11 will make a decent backup PF when Scola runs into trouble (and he will) against the scrappy Western forwards.

Remember that backup C's in the east can become PF's for the west because of the median size talent discrepency at the frontcourt.

 

I'm sorry but now that i've read in another thread that Houston has been in trade talks for a possible Rafer for Haslem deal, I can't help but to think we would be "settling" if that fell through and we went after Foster or Diogu instead.