Early Central Division Preview: Indiana Pacers

My fellow Chicago Bulls fans and I need to know our division rivals ahead of the upcoming season, and I have decided to make that happen sooner rather than later. Part 2 of my extremely early look at the Central Division is here, and, after examining the Milwaukee Bucks, I'll now move on to the Indiana Pacers. Look for a preview of the Pistons next, followed by the Cavaliers and Bulls, respectively. Record Last Year: 36-46, 4th in Central Division, 9th in East Who's New: PG A.J. Price (draft), PF Tyler Hansbrough (draft) Who's Gone: G/F Marquis Daniels (team option declined, making him an unrestricted FA) Free Agents: PG Jarrett Jack (restricted), G Travis Diener (player option), SF Stephen Graham, PF Maceo Baston, PF Josh McRoberts (restricted), C Rasho Nesterovic Estimated Salary Cap Status (excluding draft picks): $57.8 million definitely committed for 09-10 (estimated $58 million cap) Strengths: SF Danny Granger is a legitimate franchise player, with great range, the ability to score in multiple ways, and very efficient overall play on both ends of the court (21.8 PER, +9.3 PER difference against opposing SF's). This franchise will be built around Granger, and, if he continues to improve at the alarming rate he has shown over the past few seasons, he will join the elite company of the league's very best sooner rather than later. When G-F Mike Dunleavy is healthy, he's also a good sharpshooter, but he was only able to play in 18 games last season. PF Troy Murphy is coming off a career year, in which he averaged 15.1 point and 12.5 boards per 36 minutes, and he has the ability to stretch the defense with his range. Murphy also led the league in defensive rebound percentage at 32%. Hansbrough should be able to crash the boards off the bench, and his hustle will benefit the team for 15-20 minutes per game. I'm also a huge fan of Jarrett Jack, who is an excellent backup PG thanks to his great work ethic and high basketball IQ (the Pacers are expected to re-sign him soon). Despite the lack of national television coverage, this team plays exciting basketball day in and day out, making them very entertaining to watch. Weaknesses: After Granger, the talent drop-off is tremendous. Murphy had an excellent year, but, at 29 years old, he is probably at his peak. Dunleavy can score, but he really should be a third or fourth option, not the second, as he is for the current Pacers group. The point guard situation remains a mystery, with disgruntled Jamaal Tinsley eating up over $7 million in cap space without playing, and the front office losing (or perhaps they have already lost) patience with oft-injured T.J. Ford. Despite some exciting play, this team finished as a lottery team last season, mostly because of lousy point guards and below average play at all positions except small forward. In fact, the PER difference by position was negative for all positions except small forward, and the PER ranking per position was in the bottom half for all positions except - you guessed it - small forward (where the Pacers ranked 6th). When 4 out of 5 positions are below the league average, and the team is dealing with off-court dramas like Tinsley's contract dilemma, success is simply out of the question. The fact that they ended up 9th in the East just proves how lousy the East was after the top 3 or 4 teams. Basically, this team just didn't have enough talent to compete beyond a low playoff seed, and the injuries (especially to Dunleavy, who is still out indefinitely) killed off that hope. Outlook: Unless this team makes some smart moves in the off-season, they will remain a mediocre team. I do believe that, if they stay healthy, they could overtake the Pistons in the East, and, if they can finally rid themselves of Tinsley and solve their point guard issues, this team will finish with a better record than last year. However, they need much-improved production at point guard, shooting guard, and center to compete next season, or else they are doomed once again to mediocrity. Prediction: 39-43, 4th in Central Division, 9th in East -Salary Info. From HoopsHype -Advanced Info. From Basketball-Reference & 82Games -Additional Player Info. From ESPN & Yahoo!