It's time for something that I always dreaded in high school and college: Report Card time! Though I think most of us agree that the Pacers made some progress this season, it was still hardly a straight-A caliber year. Here's how I broke it down:
TEAM
Offense: A-
The Pacers were the 5th highest scoring team in the NBA (105.1 ppg), and were in the top ten in free throw percentage (80.7%), three point percentage (37.8%), and assists (21.7). Individually, Danny Granger was the league’s 5th leading scorer. Scoring points wasn't the problem for this team...
Defense: D-
This team was dreadful defensively this season. The Pacers were 4th worst in the league in points allowed (106.2) and allowed 120 points or more an astonishing 12 times during the season. Many times this year, they were one stop away from a victory and couldn’t get it. To even give this team a passing grade of the defense they displayed this season is very generous.
Coaching: B-
Outside of a five-game losing streak in mid-March, the Pacers finished the season strong and played like they cared. Jim O’Brien can’t be given anything more than an “OK” for 2008-2009 because of how bad this team was defensively. I think Larry Bird's refusal to discuss O'Brien's contract extension shows that 2009-10 is a make-or-break year.
O'Brien has done a "meh" job so far
Watchability: A
As Chris Denari said on the show last week, the Pacers had more close games than anyone in the NBA. They had a player blossom into an All-Star talent (Danny Granger), rookies to watch (Brandon Rush, Roy Hibbert), and even a failed mustache initiative. For the first time since I've been around the team, I was actually disappointed to see the season end when it did.
Respectability: B
Outside of the Phoenix Suns, the Pacers had the best record of any non-playoff team (36-46). They also beat every Division winner except San Antonio. With the way that the Blue and Gold played against Cleveland, Boston, and the Lakers (among others), I think they earned some respect. Losses to Washington, Minnesota, and the Clippers prevent them from an A.
Schultz’s Team GPA: 2.82 (not too shabby)
INDIVIDUAL
Danny Granger: A
Granger finally earned some recognition this season, making his first All-Star game appearance after averaging almost 26 points per game (good for 5th in the NBA). In each of his three seasons in the NBA, Granger has gone up six points per game in scoring average. Granger is still not the all-around player that he needs to be to get onto that elite level with Wade, LeBron, and Kobe, but he's getting there. I would put him right among that 2nd tier group with Andre Iguodala, Brandon Roy, Deron Williams, etc.
Troy Murphy: A++
What else is there to say about Murphy's 2008-09 season? He was absolutely phenomonal. Murph broke the Pacers' franchise single-season rebounding and double-doubles records. He also became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top-five in three-point shooting (45%) and rebounding (11.8) . Individually, he set career highs in rebounding, three-point FG%, and overall FG%.
Murphy has made me re-think the result of the Warriors-Pacers trade of '07
Brandon Rush: B
At first glance, a "B" grade may seem harsh, but remember this was a kid that was buried on the bench just three months ago. Rush turned a D or an F into a B thanks to his play over the past few weeks. He scored in double-figures in 12 of his final 13 games after doing so just 12 times over the first 70 games of the season. Most importantly, Rush scored in double-figures in 18 of his 19 starts this season. I'm still hoping he lives up to the reputation of being the defensive stopper that he was at Kansas at the pro level.
Jarrett Jack: B+
Jack earns the B+ for basically putting the Pacers on his back during Danny Granger's 11-game absence following the All-Star break. J-squared averaged almost 20 points per game over the span, helping the Pacers remain in the playoff hunt. After being basically a throw-in in the Rush/Bayless Draft day swap, Jack achieved career highs in just about every offensive category.
Roy Hibbert: B
So I'm willing to admit that I was wrong about Roy Hibbert. I thought that he was soft and that his game wouldn't translate to the NBA. Turns out that Roy is a pretty solid player who looks like he's going to get better. Foul trouble is still a major issue and his rebounding needs work considering his size but Roy surprised me (in a good way). You gotta like his effort.
TJ Ford: B-
Ford was solid but hardly spectacular in his first year in Indy (14.9 ppg, 5.3 apg). I like that he took charge during final moments of games and hit some big shots, also took his demotion in stride which earns him extra points. The fact remains that the Pacers made out like bandits in the Jermaine O'Neal trade, regardless of how Ford plays.
Marquis Daniels: B-
I like Quisy, and he would’ve had a higher grade had he been able to stay healthy. Daniels did have his best statistical season in his six-year NBA career (13.9 ppg), but shot just 18-90 from three-point range. I'm really not sure what the Pacers are going to do with him this offseason. I highly doubt his team-option ($7.35M) will be picked up, but with Mike Dunleavy's questionable injury situation, anything is possible.
Rasho Nestrovic: C-
He was a solid contributor early in the season but was basically non-existent over the last two months as his minutes decreased. Rasho's contract ($7.84M) is expiring which is awesome. He was a minor disappointment.
Mike Dunleavy: INC
Dunleavy played just 18 games and was hobbled by a knee injury. He did average 15.1 points in the games he ended up playing, which isn't too shabby. If he plays 80-82 games as per usual, the Pacers are in the playoffs right now.
Travis Diener: A
Diener does exactly what you ask as a 3rd string player. He rarely, if ever, turns the ball over, and shot 39% from three-point range. Did I mention he costs virtually nothing ($1.6M)? I bumped up to an A because of his attempt at a mustache.
Play: Good... Attempt at facial hair: Bad.
Josh McRoberts: A-
See: Diener, Travis.
Maceo Baston: INC
It's hard to grade a guy who only plays in 28 games but he’s better than some 14th mans. Baston is another guy that I doubt will be back next season, but should make a different NBA roster.
Jeff Foster: C
Foster battled some injuries this season and his production suffered because of it. His scoring (6.4 to 6.1) and rebounding (8.7 to 6.9) were down this year. I still can't understand why the team felt the need to sign him to a two-year extension over the summer. I like Foster but I thought Larry Bird should've tried harder to deal him before the deadline and potentially package him with Jamaal Tinsley.
Stephen Graham: B
I guess Graham wasn't as great as last year when he actually shot 59% from the field. He’ll probably have a 12-year NBA career as a 12th man, but he's another player that likely won't be back with the Pacers next year.
SHOOTING THE REST OF TEH SPORTS WORLD:
Swish: Derrick Rose
You know when we throw around that phrase of when a potential superstar has “arrived”? Call it what you want to call it, but following his performance in Chicago’s Game 1 win over the Celtics, Derrick Rose has officially “arrived”. Rose tied an NBA record with 36 points in his playoff debut, to go along with 11 assists, helping the Bulls steal the series-opener from the defending NBA Champions. Usually I wait a few years on rookies before I declare them superstars, but there are no reasons to hold back on trumpeting Rose as the next big thing. His demeanor is what makes him a can’t-miss-star. Michael Jordan had it, so did Larry Bird – it’s the ability to completely dismantle your opponent and act like you’re just going through the motions. Just looking at the expression on Rose’s face when he was abusing Rajon Rondo (a pretty good defender by the way) all afternoon at the BostonFleet Center TD Banknorth Garden, you could see the kid is an assassin. Meanwhile, after months of underachieving, his Bulls team seems to be figuring things out at the right time. I maintained all season that a team with young talent like Rose, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah, in addition to a talented core of Ben Gordon and John Salmons, was too good to be hanging around the final playoff seed. Chicago may not win this series with Boston, but they’ll put up a fight. As for Rose, he’s just getting started.
Take a look at the next big thing
Brick: Nick Williams
To me, it's not that Nick Williams left IU - it's the pathetic excuse he gave for leaving. I'm not trying to sound like a crabby old man that complains about class basketball every day and is still undyingly loyal to Robert Montgomery Knight (though I somewhat fit both descriptions). But, what the heck is happening to these kids nowadays? Why is it acceptable for a player to transfer (aka quit) instead of competing to keep his job? If Williams would've waited through the summer and until the early Fall, and then decided to transfer, I wouldn't have cared as much. But to quit before even competing for his starting spot? That's not the kind of kid that is going to help turn this once-proud Indiana University basketball program around. Williams started 29 games last season, was the team's third-leading scorer, and seemed to have found his niche with Tom Crean's squad. Though the freshman class, with wings like Maurice Creek and Christian Watford, is talented, it's not like Rose/Webber/Howard/Jackson/King are walking through that door. I want Nick (and every player) to give themselves the best chance that they can to succeed. At the same time, I want them to earn their spot, and earn their playing time rather than expecting it to be handed to them. Have a little pride. Prove yourself to your coach and your peers. AT LEAST TRY. This is a disturbing trend in college basketball that really bothers me.
Air Ball: Chien-Ming Wang
Usually three starts and six innings isn’t a good sample size to judge what a pitcher will do over an 162-game season. But when you’re the former ace of a team that just spent $1.5 billion on a new stadium, three massive eggs like Wang has laid in his first three starts are going to get noticed. Wang has only lasted through the 2nd inning once through his first three outings, and has faced just 50 batters. Of those 50 batters, 29 have reached base, and 23 have scored. Just look at these eye-popping numbers:
ERA: 34.50 OMG!
WHIP: 4.83 WTF!?
BAA: .662 HFSTIFR! (Holy <expletive> <expletive> that is <expletive> ridiculous!)
What may be more crazy are the two guys that Wang has actually struck out this year – Grady Sizemore and Evan Longoria – were both All-Stars in 2008. I’m not quite ready to hit the panic button on Wang (who was 5-0 with a 3.23 ERA in six April starts last season) yet, but the way that he has been shelled in the early-going has to raise your eyebrows. Wang is a groundball pitcher that has never relied on strikeouts to get outs. However, the problem with being a groundball pitcher is that if your sinkerball location is even an inch higher than usual, that ball is going to get whacked. The way the ball has been flying out of the new Yankee Stadium (20 homers in the first four games) hasn’t helped either. If anyone was wondering why the Yankees threw over $200 million at C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, this is why.
Swish: Florida Marlins
1997 World Champions… 2003 World Champions… 2009… see what I’m getting at? Hey, if the Rays can make it to the Fall Classic, then anything is possible. I know a lot of people hate the Marlins for essentially having two fire sales (1997: Alou, Sheffield, Bonilla, Leiter, etc. – 2003: Beckett, Burnett, Lee, Pudge, Cabrera, etc.) but give them credit. If the Yankees or Red Sox had as good of scouts as the Fish had, then those teams would never lose. Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez (Josh Beckett trade), Cameron Maybin (Miguel Cabrera trade), Emilio Bonifacio (Josh Willingham trade), and Ricky Nolasco (Juan Pierre trade) have been acquired in fire-sale trades and make up most of the core of this team. Florida raced out to an ML-best 11-2 start and even with the recent sweep by the Pirates, they still bear some striking resemblances to the 2003 team. Josh Johnson is starting to fulfill the promise he showed last season, and 22-year old Chris Volstad looks like a stud. The bullpen anchored by closer Matt Lindstrom (3 saves, 1.50 ERA in six appearances) has also been solid. Even with their struggles, the Mets are still the favorite in the NL East, and the Phillies are bound to wake up from their World Series celebration hangover soon, but I think Florida has some staying power.
I really don't like Jeffrey Loria, but the dude knows what he's doing
Air Ball: Detroit Lions (and I guess Matthew Stafford?)
Eight straight losing seasons, including the NFL’s first 0-16 season ever, and the solution is changing the logo? Seriously? I’m not sure how adding a “flowing” mane and fangs to a logo is going to change the losing culture in Detroit. Unless the fiercer version of that lion scratch out the memories of first round flameouts like Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, and Mike Williams, then I don’t see the point. I can understand that the people around the franchise want to distance themselves from the losing and the 0-16 season. That being said, I have to believe that there are better ways to do that than drawing some lines and adding some teeth on a blue lion. If the Lions really want to turn things around, they need to strike gold with this first pick. (Warning: here’s where I start getting off track) I’m still seeing Matthew Stafford as the consensus #1 and I just can’t understand why. With the Lions recent history selecting skill-position players, why not take a guy like Baylor OT Jason Smith that could anchor your line for the next 10-12 years? Stafford is like the semi-decent looking chick at the dive bar. When you compare him to everything else that’s around (Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Nate Davis), he looks great. But, in a normal draft, is Stafford even the 3rd or 4th or even 5th best quarterback? I highly doubt it.
My suggestion for the 2009 Detroit Lions logo
The Shots Fantasy Update:
D**H***ingIsRacing, 337-point week – 1st place and 2nd place in two leagues
A huge week has gotten my team back to the top (or near the top) of the standings in both of my leagues. Jimmie Johnson (94 pts), Tony Stewart (98 pts), and Denny Hamlin (80 points) all secured top-six finishes. In one of my leagues, I made up nearly 150 points on the leader.
Wii Golf Superstar, 134-point week – 1st place
Usually anything in the 120-140 point range in golf is pretty good, and my team has consistently hit that mark. That has helped my team pad their first place lead as I’m nearly 100 points clear of third place. A big outing from Luke Donald (60 pts, 2nd place finish) is what paced my squad this week.
Teixshredder, 35 points (rotisserie) - dead freakin’ last
Dear God this team sucks. My lineup is absolutely brutal as I entered the week with three regulars batting under the Mendoza-line: Chris Davis (.179), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.176), and Jimmy Rollins (.152). My only reliable batters have been Adrian Gonzalez and Joey Votto. My pitching staff has been hit-and-miss. I like what I’ve seen from Felix Hernandez, but my reach picks John Maine and Fausto Carmona have both struggled. We’ll see if I can’t dig out of this hole.
The Shots What to Watch this week:
Boston at Chicago, Thursday
It's been by far the best playoff series of the First Round, and it'll be interesting how the Bulls faithful responds. I know Chicago had a nice run in 2005, but because it came against Boston, on the road, with a rising superstar scoring 36 points, that Game 1 win felt like the good old days (or really, really bad old days if you grew up in my household...). This is exactly why I originally panned the Ray Allen trade (pre KG) - this Celtics' team isn't anywhere close to a great team without Kevin Garnett in the lineup.
NY Yankees at Boston, Friday-Sunday
After sluggish starts, both the Yanks and Sawx enter the weekend at 9-6. Both teams have huge glaring question marks - Wang (as I listed above) and David Ortiz (.220, 0 HR) - but expect them to battle it out once again for AL East supremacy. Even after a tough beginning, I'm not fully writing off the Rays, but it's hard for me to believe that they'll be able to duplicate the success of 2008.
Turbo RoadRunner 300 at Kansas, Sunday
Last time to get your IndyCar fix before the start of the Month of May. Dan Wheldon, the two-time defending race champion, is the guy to look out for.
The Shots YouTube Clips this week:
Sports related -
I bet you thought I was going to post my me vs. Globetrotters clips here. You thought wrong.
Non-sports related -
Warning: this will forever ruin Pizza Rolls for you.
The Shots Chick Pick this week: Lauran Ingraham
I know that they hate each other, but I think she and Keith Olberman would make a great couple. Both of them are borderline crazy and are super-angry on a consistent basis.
Politics be damned.
See you next week.
You can listen to Derek every weekday in The Zone from 3-6 PM on XL 950!
