Indiana Pacers: David West Is Not a Good Addition, OJ Mayo Would Be
The Indiana Pacers just signed David West to a two-year $20 million deal. While he's been a solid power forward for the New Orleans Hornets throughout his career, he is 31 years old and is coming off of an MCL surgery.
The Pacers do have a hole at power forward. Josh McRoberts can dunk the ball with authority and can pass reasonably well, but he doesn't defend effectively and he's a liability for rebounding. Tyler Hansbrough is a good "effort" player who scraps for everything, but he's really more of a rotation player.
Clearly the Pacers needed help at that position, but I don't think that David West was their best option. A tough defender, the Boston Celtics' Jeff Green would have been a much better fit for the Pacers.
The Nets' Kris Humphries would also be a nice piece. He's young and has tremendous upside. He's also a decent offensive threat.
West is ebbing toward the tail-end of his career and it's doubtful that he'll be 100 percent in the wake of the injury to his knee. He probably wasn't the best option at power forward for the Pacers.
The rumors about the Pacers courting of Memphis Grizzlies' shooting guard O.J. Mayo mean that Larry Bird is serious about improving the Pacers so that they can compete again for the playoffs. Unlike West, Mayo would be a great long-term solution as a shooting guard.
The Pacers have needed a guy who can put up points in a hurry and slash to the basket to create offense for himself. Mayo can do that. If Bird is able to complete the deal (that would likely send McRoberts and a draft pick to the Grizzlies) he'll be one for two in his offseason moves.
