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Morgan Monroe

Indiana Pacers Tickets - Pacers Offseason Outlook

The Indiana Pacers finished with a 30-52 record in 2009-10, which doesn't look very good on the surface, but the team finished the season surprisingly strong. They head into the 2010 offseason with some potential moves to make and could open some things up for the future in the process. They've got some young pieces to build with, but they're over the salary cap, which hurts their financial flexibility.

The roster has been, and will continue to be, built around Danny Granger. The Pacers scored big when they landed Granger in the 2005 draft, as he's developed into a very good all-around player and is the central attraction when talking about <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/indiana-pacers-tickets/">Indiana Pacers tickets</a>. He can play either the two or the three and is a great cornerstone for the franchise moving forward. At this point, though, Granger is the only guy that I can guarantee will be on this roster in three years, barring an injury or some kind of crazy trade for another stud youngster.

The Pacers do have several young players that the organization has high hopes for. Tyler Hansbrough essentially had his rookie season wiped out by injury. The team is hoping to get him healthy for the 2010-11 campaign and see what he can do down low. However, he doesn't project to be a dominant player, or even a longtime starter, in my book. Another post player that the team seems to like a lot is center Roy Hibbert. The big man flashed some serious potential last season, but struggled with consistency. He could use an athletic frontcourt player next to him, which could allow him to develop into a reliable scorer down low.

Brandon Rush is a player with a lot of talent, and though he didn't improve as much last season as some expected, I like what I'm seeing from him in the way of shooting and defense. Rush shot 41 percent from distance last season, but failed to do much else on the offensive end. He needs to work on his handle and could develop into a capable starting two-guard alongside Granger. A.J. Price showed some promise at the point in spurts in 2009-10, but there's still no telling if he'll ever become a starter; my guess at this point is no. Josh McRoberts is another talent, but looks destined to be a bench player. Still, he could become a valuable one.

As for the veterans, the Pacers are hoping that Mike Dunleavy Jr. can come back healthy in 2010-11. If he can't, his NBA career could be over. The team shopped forward Troy Murphy, probably their best player behind Granger, at this past trade deadline, but didn't pull the trigger on a deal. He's coming into the final year of his current contract and will definitely have some good value at the deadline in 2010-11. He's a great rebounder and one of the best shooting big men in the league. He's got value due to his game alone; add in that he's an expiring contract and you've got a serious trade chip.

The Pacers also have a lottery pick coming their way this summer. The team's improved play down the stretch actually hurt their chances of landing the number one pick, though. Indiana currently has the 10th-best chance of winning the lottery, just 1.1 percent. However, even if they land the 10th pick, they could still get a quality prospect. Georgetown's Greg Monroe strikes me as a good fit in Indiana. He's a crafty scorer and a versatile big man that could bring some immediate help in the post. He and Tyler Hansbrough could end up being a nice tandem for the team at the four, but Murphy's presence would limit Monroe's playing time, at least until the former Notre Dame standout was traded. Another guy that could be a fit at 10 is Marshall center Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside is a project, but he's got huge upside and could be one heck of a player a few years down the road. The team would have to be willing to wait on him, though.

The Pacers' biggest weakness right now is at the point guard position. The team passed on a number of point guards in the 2009 draft in order to select Hansbrough, and one has to think they'd be better off with a player like Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson or Jrue Holiday. But hindsight is 20/20 and the Pacers could look to get a point guard this offseason.

The only point I can see that would be worth selecting at 10 would be Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe played second fiddle to John Wall in the UK backcourt this past season, but I think he's the real deal. He's tough and possesses a good outside shot. I think he could come in and start on this team right away, or at least very soon. If the organization selected Bledsoe and used their mid-level exception on a free agent point like Kyle Lowry, they would have greatly improved at the position.

While the Pacers don't have much financial flexibility heading into this offseason, there could be plenty of moves on the horizon. They could trade Murphy, land some small free agents and will look to land a future star in the draft in June. The Pacers finished the 2009-10 season strong, so high hopes surround this organization. It will be interesting to see what avenues they travel this summer.

About the Author

Morgan C. Dunn wrote this article in association with <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/">StubHub</a>. If you are looking for <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/indiana-pacers-tickets/">Indiana Pacers tickets</a>, sports tickets, theatre tickets, concert tickets, or any other kinds of tickets, StubHub.com is one of the best places to find them.

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