It's Shopping Time Folks! And today on QVC, we are featuring some Indiana Pacers for sale. Point guards, forwards, even a dude named Ron Artest. It's in the humble opinion of this TV pitch man that Harrington and Anderson may be good additions to the Rox. Neither are overtly expensive and they can play starter's minutes if necessary. See below for details! INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- After a disappointing loss to the more experienced Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he expects some changes to be made. ``Right now, I don't think this team will be back in its exact form next year,'' Carlisle said Thursday. ``There will be some changes, either through free agency and the draft or the possibility of trades. There's going to be some things that are going to be different.'' Exactly who stays and who goes remains to be seen. The biggest speculation centers on forward Al Harrington, who had a breakout season as the Pacers' top reserve and sometimes starter. Harrington, though, has expressed a strong interest in being a regular starter and may be reluctant to accept a similar role next season. Carlisle said he may be consulted in that and other personnel decisions, but ultimately it's up to team president Larry Bird and CEO Donnie Walsh. ``If there is the opportunity for him to be a starter here, that would be great,'' Carlisle said of Harrington. ``And if there isn't, then it may be time for him to move on to another team. Those are decisions that are going to be made by Larry and Donnie.'' Bird and Walsh met with players individually on Wednesday to discuss their situations with the team. After Tuesday's loss in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, Bird said he and Walsh would take some time to evaluate the team before making any moves via trade or free agency. Harrington's youth, affordable contract and considerable talent make him an attractive commodity that could yield the outside shooter or big man the Pacers covet. Moving him also would help alleviate a surplus of small forwards -- including Harrington, Ron Artest and Jonathan Bender -- on the roster. ``This has been kind of an unbalanced roster,'' Carlisle said. ``There's a glut of guys at the small forward spot and there haven't been a lot of minutes.'' Backup point guard Kenny Anderson is expected to head elsewhere for more playing time and Carlisle said he wants Jamison Brewer, the team's only other free agent, to return. Jermaine O'Neal, who will skip the Olympics in Athens to allow a slightly torn ligament in his left knee to heal, said after the loss to Detroit that he expected some changes. ``It's a strange world in professional sports,'' O'Neal said. ``Teams make changes. I've learned to handle what I can handle and that's just basketball. I'm going to let Larry and Donnie and our owners handle the movement part.'' The first opportunity for the Pacers to add to the team comes on June 24, when they will have the 29th pick in the draft. In addition to any roster changes, Carlisle also views this summer as important for the team to continue the momentum of a successful season that included a franchise-record 61 wins. At a news conference Thursday, it was clear that Carlisle has a sense of urgency heading into his first summer with the Pacers. ``We're going to be very proactive with really attacking this summer to get ourselves as ready as we possibly can for next October,'' Carlisle said. ``That's where our next opportunity begins, officially.'' But if you ask Carlisle, preparation for redeeming themselves and making the next step to the NBA Finals has already begun. ``The work started yesterday,'' Carlisle said. ``It's going to be a busy summer.''
they want shooter? i'd trade him for Mobley. harrington is a nice athletic three... then we can play JJ at the 2.
but JJ is getting old and what other shooters would we have then. Boki is still a little unkown, and Pike has been a bust so far.
right... but it's not like they're gonna trade us Harrington for either of those two guys. Harrington would really give us an athletic upgrade... that's why I'd even consider the Mobley trade, since he is our most tradeable commodity. it depends whether we get TMac too... does Harrington think he's a superstar? Or is he okay being a complementary player. Because at most he will be third option.
i like the draft. harrington is strong active player. the rox should get a PG and move fancis to SG. start boki or get a SF because JJ is too old.
artest is a mofo... i just don't like his attitude or his game. but if it helps us win... do it. artest has shown the ability to do the dirty work and not need the ball all the time. so he'd be okay. but try to trade for TMac first.
Artest is a beast. His mind is always on the game. That is why you see he kept improving fast every year. He does go crazy some times, tho at a much lesser frequency now, but all he really wants to play the game better. He'll soon be the best and most complete SF in the game. I wish there are more players like him, so dedicated to the game.
My gut tells me Indy will part ways with Reggie Miller. Inasmuch as Reggie's been a big icon in Indy, he struggled for most of the playoffs even before he had to D up on Rip Hamilton. With Carlisle staying put, he can't risk playing younger guys more minutes in front of Reggie. In fact, Reggie's whole modus operandi for staying in Indy was to contribute during the playoffs. My guess is that Carlisle wants to go younger and get more athletic which means Reggie is probably available as trade bait. Donny says one thing but I bet Carlisle thinks differently. IMHO, the Rox should consider Reggie should he be available too.
It doesn't work cap wise since Artest makes about half of what Francis makes. Artest and Croshere for Francis and AGriff works cap wise. Barring TMac forcing a trade to HOU, this is what I have projected as Francis' market value for some time now. A near All Star and a high-end role player. So, I'd do that deal as well. But personally, I don't see Francis as a Bird or Carlisle type player. As far as Mobley, I think the Pacers are grooming Freddie Jones as Reggie's replacement. That said, I wonder how much Mobley and Taylor for Harrington and Scot Pollard would interest INDY? Maybe not since Mo has an extra year and makes nearly twice as much as Pollard. They'd probably ask for Cato, but I'd have to think about it unless the Rox picked up someone like Elden Campbell via DET unprotected to CHA for a draft pick.
Not a snowballs chance in hell that will happen. RM will retire first I think. Picking up RM now would be like when Toronot got Hakeem. I sure as hell dont want him on this Rox team.
Harrington is a good 3-4. He could help. The question is, is he the best available option for those slots? The one thing that MOST concerns me is his proclivity to mental errors. Cuttino-esque lapses in judgement. If we're tradeing a small mental midget for a big one, OK, that's fine. HOWEVER, I'd prefer we upgrade team smarts. Donyell Marshall is another three-four that plays smart, boards well, passes the ball and can work mid range skills. A good complement to Yao. Matt Harpring is much smarter, similarly gritty, and a fantastic mid-range shooter. At the top of the range - Andre Kirilenko is everything you'd want next to Yao as a swing forward. Utah - how'd you like Stevie Franchise for Andre? No? Ok, just asking. SO, I'm torn. On the one hand, I'd love to get rid of Cuttino, and his unforced mental errors, his peculiar blindness for big Chinese guys, his horrible clock management, his inability to swing the ball because it's so...so...precious. I'd LOVE to replace him with someone like Brent Barry. On the other hand, I'm afraid we'd end up with another guy that can't execute a game plan, that wouldn't know how to maximize possessions with Yao, that would deliver more athletic instinct than strategy and tactics. I'm afraid if we got THAT guy, we wouldn't get another good guy that might be better. Oh, the humanity. Such a headache. IN CONCLUSION - I have decided. It wasn't so hard. ANY Cuttino trade is a good trade, because we can always dump that other guy too. Bye bye, Cat. Don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. Take your game drama to some other drama queen fans out there. I don't NEED to see the game jeapardized, like SOME people around here. That's clearly an unheathy addiction, for thrill-junkies. Time to dump the junk.
I can't believe I've seen this "JJ is too old" crap TWICE in this thread. He had a solid, consistent season playing the 3 (for UNGODLY minutes) and this is the thanks he gets? Too old? He's a smart, valuable veteran. What, do you want a team of teenagers, so at the end of the day they can say, "We're still young and we're still learning."??? Too old.
Why do people keep saying that since Indiana needs scoring and shooting, we should trade them Cat for Al Harrington. What about our scoring and shooting needs??? I thought we were one of the worst scoring teams in the league, right? Then why trade away our only decent spot up shooter? We need to add offense ourselves.....
Dude, it is not as if Harrington is bereft of offensive skills. Both guys can score, though Harrington isn't the spot-up shooter Mobley is. But, the Pacers have a glut at small forward, and you know the Rockets have a glut at shooting guard -- we start 3 of them! We need a true small forward and Harrington has some good size for that position (he's as good a rebounder as Mo Taylor). Despite all this, I'd rather not lose Mobley, who is much better than his reputation to get the deal done. I'd also rather not lose Cato, but I don't suppose they'll take Mo Taylor, will they?
