NBA Free Agency 2012: With Hibbert Deal, Pacers Save Blazers from Themselves

I know why the Indiana Pacers are, according to Indianapolis Star reporter Mike Wells, matching Portland's four-year, $58 million offer to Roy Hibbert. What I don't know is why Portland offered the deal in the first place. 

First, let's glance at this from the Pacer perspective. While Roy Hibbert may not be worth a max deal to you, me or the next guy, Indiana doesn't have many realistic alternatives. Indianapolis is a nice city, but not a free-agent draw. They can only hope to build talent through the draft, trades and re-signing their own players. While it may be understood as "overpaying," it's not as though the Pacers can spend saved money on other major free agents.

Indiana is better with Hibbert on the floor, and the massive seven-footer is the fulcrum of their defense. If they are to continue making playoff runs, Roy is a must. I doubt that Indiana will compete for a title in this era, but sometimes it's better to just maintain a level of "pretty good." 

As for the Blazers, their thinking befuddles me. The league is headed in a new direction, thanks to the legalization of zone defense. Speed is at a premium, shooting is at a premium, size is less important than it's been in the past. The paradigm shift has moved some traditional power forwards to the center position, most notably Chris Bosh in the 2012 NBA Finals. 

Portland already has their version of Chris Bosh in LaMarcus Aldridge, a lanky "stretch 4" who can guard either position. Perhaps he's not a "center," but he can play that role capably. He's also quite well compensated. In short, the Blazers were attempting to pay max money to two guys with overlapping responsibilities. Such a ploy seems, well, irresponsible.