Will the Philadelphia 76ers Regret Trading Away Moe Harkless?

 Philadelphia  No Responses »
Dec 072012
 

They say the grass is always greener. Especially when “they” are up north in December.

But in the aftermath of the Sixers’ biggest blockbuster trade since the Chris Webber experiment, is it really greenest in Orlando?

When conducting a roll call of the biggest names involved in their massive summer transaction, one can quickly rattle off the likes of Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. The third marquee name, Andre Iguodala, was the seemingly biggest chip Philly cashed in to consummate the deal.

But there’s another player, a rookie in fact, who may actually be the one who comes back to haunt the team.

Moe Harkless.

Whoa, whoa, whoa—stop the clock, you say. Moe Harkless, who scored a whole bunch of nothing in 15 minutes for the lowly Magic on Wednesday? The one who’s put up a total of four points in his past three outings?

Yup, that Moe Harkless.

Harkless is just 19 years old, an age that, for a mid-first-round draft pick, usually results in an extended hibernation on the bench or extended obscurity in the Development League. But the former St. John’s star has already shown enough, this early in the season, to warrant a look as a starter.

And frankly, it’s his defense that’s opening a lot of eyes.

Looking beyond the previous numbers, the 6’9″ Harkless is shooting close to 50 percent from the field, and is averaging over 11 rebounds, two blocks and nearly two steals over a 48-minute-per-game clip. He even showed glimpses of what could be to come with a ten-point, seven-rebound, four-block performance against the Knicks earlier this season. Some scouts have even favorably compared him to Rudy Gay or Paul George.

And remember, he is probably still shaking off the effects of a groin injury. That hampered his preseason and is notoriously an ailment that lingers and is…well, a pain in the groin.

Just picture the young stat-stuffer in the small forward position for the Sixers, with the similarly-skilled but more polished Evan Turner moved to a more natural shooting guard spot. Hell, throw in second-year center Nikola Vucevic, who’s nearly averaging a double-double, and it’s enough to understand how buyer’s remorse may begin to creep in.

Steady veteran Jason Richardson continues to do yeoman’s work with his new employers. But, frankly, if the aforementioned youngsters continue to develop and improve, it completely rests on a healthy, rejuvenated, effective Bynum (with a contract extension to boot) to justify the trade.

Harkless could very well turn out to be just another meddling forward with more potential than production. Vucevic could come back down to earth, settle back at the perimeter and lack the toughness which eventually made him expendable in Philly. And Bynum could come back with a vengeance and lead the Sixers to the Promised Land for the first time since Moses.

But boy, at least for a Sixers fan, the grass sure looks pretty green in Orlando right about now.

Read more Philadelphia 76ers news on BleacherReport.com

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In the absence of Danny Granger

 Rumors  No Responses »
Nov 072012
 


Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images
The Pacers have three months to see what happens when Paul George runs the show.
The Pacers just announced that Danny Granger, the player who has led Indiana in both scoring and shot attempts per game since the 2007-2008 season, is out for three months after receiving an injection for tendinitis in his left knee.

This is bad news for Indiana. Granger is the primary 3-point shooting threat on a team desperate for spacing and a versatile two-way player.

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10 NBA Fantasy Sleepers for the 2012-13 Season

 Toronto  No Responses »
Oct 142012
 

The NBA season kicks off in just under three weeks. This means one thing: It’s time to draft your fantasy basketball team.

Every year there are players who are poised to break out. It may be young players who have finally learned to put it all together. Or veterans who needed a chance of scenery. Either way it can be tough to predict who these players are going to be. However, these lesser known players are vital for a successful fantasy season.

There are a few things to remember when it comes to the definition of a sleeper. Highly drafted rookies are not sleepers, they are expected to come in and contribute right away. Also be careful of players who put up big numbers in a contract year.

Last season both Paul George and Greg Monroe entered the season as young players with a lot of potential. When the season was over, both looked like they could be playing in the All-Star Game one day soon.

Predicting who will have a breakout season isn’t a science, but it is important to look at what players have done when given increased playing time, and how the construction of rosters has changed, thereby giving previous bench players a larger role in the team’s overall strategy.

With that being said here are 10 of the players to keep an eye on this year.

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George Hill attempts to use Roy Hibbert’s Area 55 to divide two brothers (VIDEO) (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Sacramento  No Responses »
Aug 312012
 

Not cool, George Hill. Saying you want to help out Indiana Pacers teammate Roy Hibbert as he informs Pacer diehards that they have been chosen as part of the “cast” of Area 55 — a section of 55 fans selected by Hibbert himself to show up for every Indy home game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and go crazy for the team, and for him in particular — and then pulling a stunt like this.
Calling two brothers, telling the one who answers that his brother made it and then informing the answerer that he didn’t? Cold-blooded, Mr. Hill. And craven, too, especially since you immediately make it obvious that you’re just looking to fill up your own special rooting section, the G2 Zone , which you and Paul George  totally bit off Roy (who bit off Andrew Bogut , who kind of bit off the Houston Rockets’ “Red Rowdies,” , who kind of bit off the San Antonio Spurs’ “Baseline Bums,” who I am sure bit off someone else but I am getting tired, so let’s just say it all traces back to Kevin Bacon ). So selfish, which is a bad look for a guy who played 30 percent of his team’s minutes at point guard last season and will be expected to play more than that after the exit of Darren Collison. Feed your big man, George, and he will feed the entire family.
Then again, maybe it would have been better for Jackson to have to stay in the G2 Zone. As it stands, it sounds like he has to lose 55 pounds now, which is, um, hard. (Hopefully he doesn’t have to do it before the start of the season, because that would result in demise.)
In the end, though, the brothers will get to cheer Hibbert and the Pacers together, which is what family is all about. No thanks to that stinkin’ point guard.
Hit the jump for more footage of Hibbert letting people know they are in Area 55, which is just a series of bursts of joy, because that’s what you feel when a funny giant tells you that you are (basically) friends.

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Indiana Pacers 2012-13 TV Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 Golden State  No Responses »
Aug 052012
 

After finishing the 2011-12 NBA season with a 42-24 record and second in the Central Division, the Indiana Pacers hope to succeed during the 2012-13 regular season with Danny Granger, Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and George Hill. This season, the Pacers have 12 nationally-televised games, including five games on NBATV, five on ESPN, and two on TNT.

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State of the Organization: Indiana Pacers

 Indiana Pacers, State of the Organization, The NBA Vine Report  3 Responses »
Jul 262012
 
Photo Courtesy of photoshelter.com

As the 2012 Off-Season continues the NBA Vine Report will recap each team’s progress in several areas: Players Obtained, Players Lost, Short Term Outlook, and Long Term Outlook. The rankings for each category will then be combined to give an overall ranking for the “state of the organization” score. The order of teams is being determined by final playoff performance (i.e. Sixers go before Lakers as they won 3 games versus the Lakers 1 in the semi-finals). After working our way through the league based on final standings, teams will be updated based on significant trades, signings, or staff alterations throughout the year.

Yesterday’s Score:  Lakers 34/40

 State of the Organization: Indiana Pacers (as of 7/26/2012):

Photo Courtesy of photoshelter.com

Players Lost: Darren Collison (traded) Dahntay Jones (traded) Leandro Barbosa (free agent) Louis Amundson (free agent) Jeff Foster (retired) A.J. Price (signed by Wizards)

Essentially, the Pacers lost their entire bench with the exception of Psycho-T this off-season; this is actually a good thing as the Pacer’s bench was often terrible last season. Lacking a bona fide bench scorer and with no reliable backup big man, these were the two areas they needed to address. Letting two primary bench scorers—Collison and Barbosa—move on to other teams has opened up the opportunity to address this. However, Collison is still young and just a year removed from a great sophomore season. Could Collison’s injury have hampered his season? The Pacers may regret losing him. Barbosa’s best days are most likely behind him, despite shooting well from beyond the arc and often providing a burst of scoring off the bench, he is now only a 10 minutes per game type player.
1-10 Players Lost Score: 8.5

Players Obtained: Ian Mahinmi (trade) Miles Plumlee (27th Pick) D.J. Augustin (free agent) Gerald Green (free agent) Orlando Johnson (36th pick via Kings)

The Pacers are basing a lot of their expectations on the emergence of Ian Mahinmi this year as he will need to backup Hibbert and play alongside Hansbrough better than Amundson did. Consider Mahinmi didn’t necessarily wow anyone last season despite increased minutes, this may be a risky bet but he is at least an upgrade over Amundson. An even more unlikely premise is that Plumlee—an athletic 7 footer with a soft touch and decent offensive game—will be able to contribute a substantial amount of minutes his rookie year. It will take him some time to adjust to the strength and speed of NBA big men but Plumlee does have potential.

It is hard to see how Augustin is necessarily an improvement over Darren Collison but he could possibly take back the starting position from George Hill who may be better served as a hybrid point/shooting guard off the bench. Only time will tell if the Pacers made the right pick between Collison and Augustin but for now this is not an upgrade. Gerald Green however, may be an excellent pickup; having struggled with some maturity and consistency issues, Green seemed to finally be putting things together with the Nets last year. Green may really thrive playing behind the stellar starting Pacers lineup. Orlando Johnson may have an engaging person history but he is unlikely to ever be more than an end of bench type player in the NBA.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 7

Short Term Outlook: The Pacers boast one of the most balanced starting lineups last season and this year—regardless of starting PG (Augustin or Hill)—will be no different. One thing to look for is if this is the year that Paul George takes the next step and becomes a more prolific wing scorer. As Granger and West enter their 30s, this is a good time for George and Hibbert to become the focal point of this team. The Pacers should have no problem taking the Central Division from the Rose-less Bulls and may land as high as the 2nd seed in the Easter Division but for them to take the next step in the playoffs, George and Hibbert will have to emerge offensively.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 9

Long Term Outlook: David West is 31 but looked strong last year in his return from knee surgery and could possibly play more than the 29 MPG he did in the condensed 11-12 season. Another year of rehab and conditioning should see West slightly improve his numbers, plus, give him more time to adept to his still relatively new teammates. After this season the Pacers will be able to reevaluate the veteran as his excellent 2 year 10mil per contract will be up. West is the type of player that is typically getting overpaid and burdening a team with a multiyear deal into their mid 30s. This flexibility is another example of the excellent job Bird did in assembling this team for the short and long term.

Paul George is a bargain with his rookie contract at 3.2 mil per and the Pacers will be able to make a bargain qualifying offer next season as well. George’s evolution will determine how much he commands from the Pacers the following season as a RFA. George has all the tools to become a perennial all-star and leader of this squad. Roy Hibbert just hauled in a 4 year 59 million dollar contract after his 11-13 All Star campaign. While this contract is pretty hefty for a guy who only scores 11 ppg, it is a bargain for the 3 blocks and 11 rebounds he provides. Expect Hibbert to continue to improve offensively; it wouldn’t be surprising if the Pacers ended up wishing they had given him a fifth year.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 10

State of the Organization Index: 35 out of 40

Tomorrow’s SOTO: L.A. Clippers

 

Danny Granger: Why It’s Time for Indiana Pacers to Trade the Small Forward

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 162012
 

Danny Granger has proven to be an effective scorer for the Pacers, averaging 18.2 points per game over the last seven years. He has also been a consistent rebounder, with a career average of 5.2 per game.

While it’s hard to think about trading a 29-year-old forward who averaged better than 18 points per game last year, it’s time for the Pacers to discuss it.

In the last four years, Granger’s points per game have dropped from 25.8 to 18.7. While Danny is shooting the ball less as his team has added better scorers around him, his field-goal percentage has also dropped to 41.6 percent from 44.7 percent four years ago.

Granger is also slated to make more than $13 million next year and $14 million the year after that. That’s too much for a scoring small forward whose role has continually diminished.

The Pacers should actively try to trade Danny Granger this year, because he still seems to be worth something. He has shown he can score a lot of points for a team that doesn’t have many other options, like Indiana before they gained strength.

What Indiana should do with Granger is either trade him for a combination of draft picks and expiring contracts or attempt to trade him for a shooting guard. If they go with the first route, the Pacers should actively attempt to sign either Courtney Lee or O.J. Mayo to go along with Paul George.

While this will cause many fans to shake their heads, as George currently plays shooting guard, he is better suited as a small forward. His shooting ability isn’t outstanding, and he is much bigger than a standard shooting guard. He gives the team flexibility, because he can guard both shooting guards and small forwards.

The team also just added Gerald Green, which gives them another young shooting guard who put up almost 13 points per game last year, including shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. He is also a tall guard who can play both shooting guard and small forward, allowing the Pacers more versatility with their lineups.

With Green’s acquisition, the Pacers would probably benefit more from acquiring high draft picks, since they will have D.J. Augustine and George Hill at point guard and Green and George at shooting guard and small forward.

The team also has Lance Stephenson in reserve. He hasn’t played many minutes, but has had a strong showing in the Orlando summer league this offseason. They only need one more swing-man through free agency to make that a very deep lineup.

The Pacers should trade Granger now, because he is beginning to enter the downside of his career and his trade value is the highest it likely will ever be. His absence will also likely allow Paul George to have the breakout season that everybody is waiting for from him.

While it is always a hard decision to trade a former franchise player like Granger, the Pacers would be wise to do so now.

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