NBA Free Agents 2011: David West Will Take Pacers to Another Level
Despite making the playoffs, the Indiana Pacers were horrible last season. They finished with a losing record of 37-45 even though they played in the worst division in the NBA; Indiana would’ve been the 12th seed in the West…the 12th. This season, though, the Pacers will be so good you’ll be having flashbacks to the Reggie Miller days.
Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick reported on Sunday that Indiana signed David West to a two-year contract worth $20 million. West’s agent told SI that “David is ready to help them win a championship.” Such a statement sounds far-fetched, but don’t count the Pacers out.
On paper, they stack up with the powerhouses in the East.
Danny Granger can shoot the lights out at small forward. West will pair with Roy Hibbert down low moving Tyler Hansbrough to a bench role with the newly re-signed Jeff Foster completing a solid rotation of bigs.
Newly acquired guard George Hill will bring talent to the two along with the depth at the point that Indiana severely lacked last season. The development of the young and promising Darren Collison and Paul George will ultimately decide how far the Pacers go this season.
How high should expectations be for the up and coming squad? Well, comparing conservatively, they lack the star power to out-win the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in the regular season along with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets assuming that the two make major transactions. The sixth-seed, at least, is a realistic destination.
The Orlando Magic will most likely deal Dwight Howard and fade off into lottery land. Jamal Crawford is leaving the Atlanta Hawks so they’ll take a step back. The Philadelphia 76ers have made no effort to improve their ballclub and player progression alone won’t be able to match the addition of West.
Given the right matchup, the Pacers’ season won’t end in the first-round either.
David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter.
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