NBA Rumors: Gamble on Gustavo Ayon Would Pay off Big Time for Indiana Pacers

A player that the vast majority of Indiana Pacers fans have never heard of possesses the ability to take their bench to another level. 

Going into the offseason, the Pacers were determined to improve their depth.  After trading for George Hill and signing David West sending Tyler Hansbrough to the bench, Indiana is one move away from boasting a top-notch reserve unit.

That one move isn’t Louis Amundson who they swapped Brandon Rush for.  Amundson is a high-energy player that will make an impact, but at 6’9”, 225 pounds, he doesn’t have the size to play the center position. 

Roy Hibbert’s current backup, Jeff Foster, can rebound and…set picks.

If Indiana wants to make a run in the playoffs, they can’t have Foster defending the basket against the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudamire. 

A player with more size than Admundson and more talent than Foster is Gustavo Ayon.

Who?

Ayon aka "Titan" is a 26-year-old, 6’9”, 245-pound Mexican star center.  Jimmy Smith of NOLA.com reported that Indiana is interested in adding him.  According to NBADraft.net, the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns showed interest in Ayon earlier this year.

The hurdle keeping teams away from Titan: he’s currently under contract and has a massive buyout.  That money would be worth spending for the Pacers, though. 

A bench featuring Hill, Dahntay Jones, Hansbrough and Ayon would give them an advantage over teams like the Miami Heat and New York Knicks who spent the vast majority of their money on a few stars.

Ayon may not have been on Pacers fans wish-lists to begin this offseason, but the athletic big man should be all they want for Christmas this year. 

Along with the development of Darren Collison and Paul George, the extent to which Indiana’s bench can outplay their opponents' will determine if they’re a true Eastern Conference title contender.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter.