I had intended to review each player separately, but the imminence of the upcoming 2012-2013 season combined with my laziness has made this an impossible endeavor. So here's my condensed version of the Indiana Pacers player reviews for the 2011-2012 season.

Danny Granger

2011-2012 season averages: 62 games, 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 41.6% FG, 38.1% 3P, 87.3% FT

Granger, a notoriously slow starter in the NBA, had a horrible start to the season (last in the league in FG% for quite a while) before redeeming himself a some extent as the season progressed. He blamed the slow start on the lockout (suggesting he took it easy) and the fact that he wasn't used to playing with so many good players on the same team. It ended up hurting Granger's numbers overall, as he stumbled to the worst shooting percentage of his career. On the bright side, he did become a more focused defender and passer, even though the numbers don't necessarily show it.

In the playoffs, Granger took it upon himself to get in people's faces (especially that of Miami players) and got a lot of support and criticism for it, but ultimately he didn't quite get it done when it mattered in the end, getting thoroughly outplayed by Lebron (his goal would have simply been to take the "thoroughly" out of that sentence).

As a whole, Granger underperformed, largely in part due to his slow start. His numbers took another step back this season but it's more indicative of the improvement of his teammates as opposed to a noticeable decline in skill and ability. It's becoming more certain that Granger will be a one-and-done All Star and is not suited to be the number one option on a contending team. That said, he remains the team's most potent scorer until Roy Hibbert and Paul George can prove otherwise.

Grade: B-

Roy Hibbert

2011-2012 season averages: 65 games, 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.0 blocks, 49.7% FG, 71.1% FT

Hibbert's career took off last season. He was named an All-Star and got votes for Most Improved Player. He was more consistent under coach Frank Vogel than he was in the Jim O'Brien years. And yet, his numbers don't really scream out at you. In fact, he only averaged 0.1 points than he did the year before, and some say he only rose to prominence in the East due Dwight Howard's injuries. Some critics say Hibbert is overrated; most agree that he wasn't worth the massive contract he got during the offseason.

Watching Hibbert's on-court performance this year, however, it is clear that he has improved. He is less foul prone and takes better shots. He freaks out less. His confidence appears to be up and doesn't take as many dips as it used to. His rebounding improved. But my fear is that he is already nearing his peak and that future improvements will only be minor.

In the playoffs, he was supposed to destroy the Howard-less Magic but underperformed. Against the Heat, he had good games and bad. It's still unclear to me what kind of player Hibbert will end up becoming. So far, consistency, fouls and fatigue remain his biggest problems. Hibbert has never averaged more than 30 minutes a game in his career, but if he can use that fat new contract as motivation and work on this weaknesses he does have a chance to challenge Andrew Bynum as the East's best traditional big man (especially if Bynum's health and attitude remain issues).

Hibbert has also been great in the community, but I'm not taking that into account in his player assessment.

Grade: B+


David West

2011-2012 season averages: 66 games, 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 48.8% FG, 80.7% FT

It's no secret that I love David West. His numbers are not as great as they were in New Orleans, but they're not bad for a 32-year-old coming off ACL surgery in the first year of a brand new team stacked with decent players.

As the season progressed, it became clear that West is the team's unequivocal leader. He's the type of player that demands respect from teammates and the type of guy other teams don't want to mess with. After spending all of last summer rehabbing as opposed to conditioning, West didn't get his legs back until at least mid-way through the season, but when he did, we often got to see glimpses of his "beast mode."

I'm looking forward to a lot more that this year, and I hope the Pacers find a way of re-signing him after his two-year contract expires at the end of the season.

Grade: A-

Paul George

2011-2012 season averages: 66 games, 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 44% FG, 38.5% 3P, 80.2% FT

It's been said since his rookie season that Paul George is destined to be a star in the NBA. Last season was a step forward in the right direction. He reportdely grew a couple of inches to 6'10", becoming most freakishly long and athletic shooting guard in the league. He took a lot of strides in just about every department, including 3P shooting, passing, defense and rebounding. And yet some people remain dissatisfied with his progress, thinking he should have improved more.

He does have ample room for improvement, which is great news. He can become a far more dangerous slasher if he improves his ball handling (which he has supposedly worked on this offseason) and finishing in traffic around the rim. He can become a great defender if he just stops leaving his feet for those pump fakes and taking unnecessary risks. His decision making will get better with time and experience. Really, there isn't much to dislike about George and his silky smooth game. He is going to be a big factor in how far the Pacers can go in the next few years.

Grade: B+

George Hill

2011-2012 season averages: 50 games, 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 44.2% FG, 36.7% 3P, 77.8% FT

Hill missed 16 games last season and yet still took over Darren Collison's starting PG spot by the end of the year. Team management also decided to keep him and let Collison go during the offseason -- that's a pretty big endorsement for a guy who didn't really put up amazing numbers and isn't a traditional pass-first point guard. Much of it has to do with that 7-game winning streak the team put together when he took over the injured Collison's starting spot at the end of the season.

Don't get me wrong, I love Hill's game. You wouldn't say he is particularly great at any particular thing, but you just have to concede that the guy can flat out ball. His energy, pure stroke and calmer decision-making, especially in crunch time, make him a solid choice at the starting PG position for the franchise moving forward. His pre-season hip injury remains a concern but I can see him putting up improved numbers across the board this season.

Grade: B


Darren Collison

2011-2012 season averages: 60 games, 10.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 43.8% FG, 36.2% 3P, 83% FT

Collison began the season as the franchise's PG of the future but will begin the upcoming season in Dallas. It's not that he played poorly, but the diminuitive point guard simply never lived up to expectations after he was traded from New Orleans. Collison showed flashes of brilliance, powered by his dazzling speed, and improved significantly on defense, where he was a huge liability before. But his size remained a problem as well as his hesitant decision-making in tight games. Coupled with George Hill's rise, it became obvious that Collison no longer belonged in Indiana.

I was one of those people that was sad to see Collison go this offseason. I loved his fearlessness and his court vision-- when he decided to pass instead of shoot, though this is unfortunately rare last season. I'm beginning to think that the Pacers' offense simply isn't very good for a PG's passing numbers.

Grade: B-

Tyler Hansbrough

2011-2012 season averages: 66 games, 9.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 40.8% FG, 81.3% FT

Even Hansbrough's biggest supporters will admit that the former Tarheel was unbearable to watch at times last season. He was like one of those crazy guys you might meet on the playground, someone with an ugly game that somehow got to all the loose balls and looked really awkward and shot the ball every time he got it without even contemplating passing it to teammates. I'm still stunned that he managed to average 0.5 assists last season.

And so, despite playing almost the same number of minutes last season, Hansbrough took a massive step backwards. His confidence was dry and playing behind a seasoned veteran like David West certainly didn't help. The truth is, Hansbrough will always be the same player -- an undersized PF who hustles and can hit mid-range shots when he is confident, but isn't a great rebounder or a solid defender. When he doesn't have the confidence, however, he is horrible to watch. 

Grade: C-

Dahntay Jones

2011-2012 season averages: 65 games, 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1 assist, 40.7% FG, 42.9% 3P, 83.8% FT

Dahntay will always be Dahntay and he was all Dahntay last season for the Pacers, if you know what I mean. He was a good defender against average offensive players but could never match up with the speed, quickness, strength or size of the elite. He took bad shots but was still athletic enough to finish on the break. I will miss his professionalism but not his game, though now he has been shipped off to Dallas I am starting to think he's not such a bad kind of player to have around. That is all.

Grade: C

Leandro Barbosa

2011-2012 season averages: 22 games, 8.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 39.9% FG, 42.4% 3P, 75.8% FT

People are acting like Barbosa's horrible round 2 performance against Miami meant he served no purpose at all on the Pacers. And that's just not true.

As a late season addition, Barbosa was often the offensive spark the team needed off the bench, and I attribute a lot of the team's late surge to his wily veteran moves and willingness to take the big shot. Sure, he was not much of a defender (never has and never will be), but he was in integral part of the bench offense -- just imagine how much more abysmal it would have been without him. '

I really wanted the Pacers to re-sign him if he was available at the right price (I mean, what if Gerald Green gets injured?), but it appears that he was never meant to be anything more than a short term rental.
 
Grade: B-

Lou Amundson

2011-2012 season averages: 60 games, 3.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 43.2% FG, 42.7% FT

The porn star lookalike gave his best Jeff Foster impersonation for the Pacers last season, but it wasn't enough to keep him on the squad for another year. It's unfortunate, but after drafting Miles Plumlee,the Pacers already had too many undersized white hustle guys on the team (plus Jeff Pendergraph).

The general consensus on Amundson is that he did his best trying to pretend to be a center in the NBA. With the injury to Jeff Foster and the absence of a true center to back up Roy Hibbert, Amundson should be commended for the effort he gave. I recall at one stage commentators were suggesting that the Pacers would be crazy to not re-sign him.

But in the end, he was still undersized and couldn't score except on tip ins and wide open shots at the rim, plus he couldn't hit foul shots. I will miss his effort though.

Grade: B

AJ Price

2011-2012 season averages: 44 games, 3.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 33.9% FG, 29.5% 3P, 80% FT

AJ Price has been lighting up the preseason for the Washington Wizards in place of injued John Wall, but he never got much court time for the Pacers, averaging just 12.9 points last season.

He is a second round pick who has been solid as a third-string point guard and  has contributed in some games, but his horrible shooting percentage this past year didn't help his cause in getting a new contract.

Grade: C
 
Lance Stephenson

2011-2012 season averages: 42 games, 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 37.6% FG, 13.3% 3P, 47.1% FT

Born Ready still isn't ready. Lance will probably be best remembered for unleashing the choke sign on Lebron in game 3 of the second round against Miami, after which the Pacers didn't win another game. He was also elbowed in the throat by Dexter Pittman in game 5.

This guy is supposed to be really really good, or at least capable of it, but so far I have only seen the tiniest glimpses of his so-called potential in his 2 NBA seasons. His best game came in the final regular season game, where he scored 22 on 10-15 shooting in a loss to the Bulls. We'll need to see more of the same this season or his time in Indiana might come to an end.



Grade: D

Jeff Foster

2011-2012 season averages: 11 games, 2.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 50% FG, 66.7% FT

It's a true shame that one of Indiana's best-loved players had to retire mid-season to injury, but Jeff Foster gave all he had to the Pacers for 13 seasons. I won't have a bad word to say about him here.

Grade: Irrelevant

Jeff Pendergraph

2011-2012 season averages: 20 games, 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 41.7% FG, 57.1% FT

I don't quite understand why Pendergraph, who is no doubt a good athlete and hustle player, has managed to stay on the Pacers this offseason. He's not horrible but at most he is just a serviceable hustle man. Apparently, after spending the offseason working his tail off he is now more of an NBA player. I have no idea if that means he will be any good this season.

Grade: D


Kyrylo Fesenko

2011-2012 season averages: 3 games, 2.7 points, 3 rebounds, 40% FG, 66.7% FT

Without a doubt should have been last season's MVP.

Grade: A+


 

Man, time sure does fly.

The Indiana Pacers have one more preseason game left against the Chicago Bulls before they open their 2012-2013 campaign on the road against the Toronto Raptors.

Expectations are admittedly mixed with this year's group. On the one hand they lost solid guys like Darren Collison, Jeff Foster, Lou Amundson, Dahntay Jones and Leandro Barbosa. But on the other they picked up Gerald Green, DJ Augustin, Ian Mahinmi and drafted Miles Plumlee. On paper, it's hard to discern whether the team has improved or taken a step back, but what is clear is that their key competition in the East (being Miami and Boston) have improved, and perhaps New York and Brooklyn will pose a much bigger threat than last year.

Even though preseason games are usually meaningless, it is interesting to take a look at how the team has performed and what observations can be gathered.

So far, the Pacers are 4-2 in 6 preseason games, including a 3-0 record on the road. The team's projected starting 5 has only played one game together, their most recent, a 100-82 blowout of Cleveland which saw Danny Granger play his first preseason game after tweaking a knee injury during the offseason. In the 6 games, the Pacers scored and gave up an average of 91.2 points, demonstrating that they are still trying to figure things out.



These are the things I have personally observed from the offseason:

• Roy Hibbert (Mr Gangnam style), after flirting with leaving the team over the summer, is getting kudos left, right and center for his fan and community work since. He is undoubtedly going to be the future face of the franchise, if not already. Remember, he was ranked higher than Granger in ESPN's player rankings. However, while we know that he worked hard on his conditioning, it's still unclear whether Hibbert's game has been elevated to the next level following the signing of that big contract, or whether it's starting to plateau. Hibbert played in 5 of the 6 preseason games and so far his performance has been patchy. He had a monster game against the Hawks (16, 11 and 6 blocks) but failed to score more than 5 points against the Wolves and the Cavs. Consistency has always been Roy's achilles heel, so it will be interesting to see if he has turned the corner.

• Danny Granger has always been a slow starter and it appears he will be one again. He played a restricted 12 minutes (6 per half) against the Cavs and performed well (9 points on 4-7 shooting), but chances are he won't be 100% when the season starts. That's not good news. Hopefully, having grown used to sharing the load last season, he will start to contribute more in other ways, especially in rebounding and assists.

• David West has played sporadic minutes in the preseason but he has been great when he's on the floor. It's time to forget last season's David West, who spent most of his time recovering and finding his legs after surgery. This year's David West, the true leader of the team, will be in beast mode all year. Something to look forward to.

• Paul George and potential seem to go hand in hand, and this year is supposed to be the year where he takes off. Year 3 usually is, right? And you can tell from the preseason games that PG is trying to assert himself more after having worked on his most glaring weakness -- ballhandling -- diligently during the offseason. It hasn't necessarily translated to great shooting nights but PG has filled up the stat sheet every game so far, averaging 16 points and grabbing boards, getting dimes, blocking shots and intercepting the passing lanes all over the place. I don't think he'll be a star this year, but he could be getting close.

• George Hill has been sitting out with a hip injury and hasn't played a single preseason game, which is a concern for the team's supposed starting point guard. I like what Hill brings to the team in terms of his shooting and fearlessness but I'm still not sold on him as a distributor.

• Which brings me to newcomer DJ Augustin, who did not racked up many assists until the most recent game against the Cavs, where he came away with 11. Every Pacer fan knows that it has been an extremely rare thing to see a Pacers point guard dish double-digit assists in a game since Mark Jackson left (and when Jamaal Tinsley was still a stud), so I suppose that is a promising sign. My guess is that Augustin has been a little timid with the new squad because he was the go-to guy in Charlotte but just a backup in Indy. He should get better as the season progresses, and so far all the talk coming out of training camp is that he has impressed with his court vision during practices.

• Gerald Green is going to be great this year. I can already feel it. I was worried when the Pacers decided to let Barbosa go because I wondered where the bench points would come from, but I've been ecstatic with what I've seen from Green so far. He had 18, 6 and 4 against the Wolves in 27 minutes, 10 against the Hawks, 13 against the Magic, 18 against the Grizzlies and 13 against the Cavs. I have no doubt he will average double digits this season and be in the running for Sixth Man honors.

• The guy that might turn out to be Indy's most surprisingly positive addition is Ian "Mini Me" Mahinmi. People criticized his acquisition in the beginning but I'm starting to feel optimistic after seeing him put up 17 and 8, 13 and 9, and 10 and 6 in 3 of the 4 games he has played in. His offensive game and rebounding appear to be more refined than advertised, and he actually seems to fit in quite well with Roy in the PF spot. Perhaps he was indeed a talent wasted on the Mavs bench. He might be the best all-round Pacers big man off the bench in years.

• Tyler Hansbrough took a step back last season and he knows it. This preseason he has shown the vicious relentless drive he is well known for, and the results have been mixed. Apart from an anomalous 23 points in a blowout loss against the Magic, Hansbrough has shot horribly. But he has grabbed a lot of boards. His brother Ben Hansbrough, who is an undrafted guard, might not get much burn on the Pacers and might get dropped eventually.

• One guy that gets more chatter than he deserves is Lance Stephenson, who despite being "Born Ready" has not been ready for two years. He is now, the Pacers say, but the preseason hasn't shown that at all. I once again hope he will finally prove me wrong.

• Jeff Pendergraph looks more NBA ready than he did last year, but does that really mean anything?

• The rookies, Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson have been okay considering where they were drafted. Plumlee has actually been solid every game (his best game was 9 and 4 in 24 minutes) whereas Johnson just continues to miss shots. I don't think Johnson will get any minutes anyway.

On the whole, I think the preseason has been positive, considering Granger has only played one game and George Hill hasn't played at all. For me, the main positives are Paul George's assertiveness, the shape David West looks like he's in, and the surprising effectiveness of Gerald Green and Ian Mahinmi. The main negative would be that Roy Hibbert doesn't look like he's going to be worth the big bucks ON the court (though OFF the court he's worth every penny). Tyler Hansbrough's shooting and the rest of the bench are still question marks.

Coming up, player reviews and predictions. 

Update: Pacers lost their final preseason game against the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls, 97-90. George Hill still did not play and Granger came off the bench to play 22 minutes. DJ Augustin had 13 assists to go with 10 points in another stellar effort. 

There hasn't been much going on since the Olympics, except this ESPN Player Rankings thingy that attempts to rank all 500 players in the NBA. It's taken a while, but finally all Pacers players have appeared. The full rankings list of the Pacers roster can be found here.

All five Pacers starters are in the top 100 (between 87 and 35, to be exact):

• George Hill (87)
• Paul George (75)
• David West (56)
• Danny Granger (39)
• Roy Hibbert (35)

I suppose that is a pretty good achievement, depending on how you look at things. On the bright side, it means the Pacers join a small group of teams that have all five starters in the top 100 (the others being the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies -- there are a couple of other teams with five or more players in the top 100 but not all are starters, eg. Boston Celtics).

On the other hand, it also means the Pacers don't have a single player in the top 30 in a league of 30 teams. This puts them in the same category as a dozen other teams, and all of them are likely lottery teams. Here are the top players of those other teams:

• Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at 128
• Detroit's Greg Monroe at 49
• Golden State's Stephon Curry at 40
• Houston's Kevin Martin at 76
• Milwaukee's Monta Ellis at 46
• New Orlean's Eric Gordon at 38
• Orlando's Arron Afflalo at 80
• Phoenix's Marcin Gortat at 57
• Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins at 42
• Toronto's Kyle Lowry at 51
• Utah's Al Jefferson at 44
• Washington's Nene at 52

Also surprising to me is that Roy Hibbert was named as the Pacers' best player for the first time. Hibbert is a rare big man on the rise, that's for sure, and possibly the team's most important player. But the best on the team? I'm not so sure. Personally, I'd still put Granger and West ahead of him.

More concerning was the rankings of the Pacers bench, where the highest ranked was DJ Augustin at 147. Tyler Hansbrough is the only other bench player in the top 200 at 174. New additions Gerald Green and Ian Mahinmi are 246 and 251, respectively. Sam Young rounds out the Pacers players in the top 300 at 275, and the rest of the roster are all in the 400-500 range. It might be worth mentioning that Lance Stephenson is ranked 405 and actually fell by 36 spots from the year before.

The team's highest riser was of course Paul George, who shot up 130 spots to 75. The biggest fall? Of course, Tyler Hansbrough, who dropped 52 spots to 174.

So I guess if you want to sum up this year's squad based on these rankings you would say the Pacers have a great, even-strengthed starting five but has no superstar and has a horrible bench that has only three reserves (Augustin, Hansbrough and Green) in the top half of the league (Mahinmi falls just out of it at 251).

Not sure what to make of this.  

Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller was finally inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, along with former Pacers legend Mel Daniels. I say "finally" even though this is only his second year of eligibility because I, like many others, thought he should have been on the ballot last year.

This is not a time to debate whether Miller actually deserves to be in the HOF like his big sister Cheryl, a fellow HOFer whom is described as the greatest female basketball player of all time. Reggie's credentials speak for themselves (you can check them out here), but his career has always been about much more than just stats.

Miller is a unique player and there will never be another player like him. He is almost single-handedly responsible for a whole generation of Pacers fans, including myself. Pacers Pulse would not exist with him. Well, maybe it would, but I wouldn't be blogging on it.

Reggie was an NBA superstar despite not being known as a prolific scorer. He was an average defender in a league of great defenders. He could be regarded as one-dimensional (by NBA standards, of course). He was consistently good but rarely great, having only made the NBA Finals once and retiring without a ring. He was on a small market team. And yet he was undoubtedly a superstar that struck fear into the hearts of his opponents and their fans. 

Miller inspired me because he always looked like the guy you would pick last on your team on the playground. My friends (who all went for the big market and traditionally successful teams) joked that he was an alien who should was in danger of literally slipping through the cracks in the floorboards.

Yes, he wasn't a competitive psycopath like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. He wasn't dominant like Shaq or Lebron. He's not athletic like Vince Carter or Blake Griffin. He looked awkward too -- he didn't have the sweet stroke of Ray Allen. But he had the audacity to believe that he belonged on the same court as them. And even if he couldn't beat all of them, he sure tried his hardest every night. If it meant playing the villain as he often did against the Knicks, then so be it. He was never going to back down from anyone despite his physical disadvantages.

He was the ultimate professional and teammate, a guy that set an example with his relentless work ethic for 18 years. It's not often that you see a player that hated by opponents and fans during his career be that revered by the end of it. You only need to take a look at this video to understand the impact he had in New York, where he tormented Knick fans for much of his career.

 
And check out the end of his final game. I don't recall opponents doing something like this to any player other than Michael Jordan. And remember, this was merely a few months removed from that infamous brawl.

 
When it comes to memorable moments, Reggie Miller has a truckload of them. My favorite, unlike most others, was not the 25-point fourth quarter or the 8 points in 8.9 seconds. It was game five against the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 playoffs (back when it was a best of five series in the first round), a game I watched live on TV, where Miller hit that 40-footer at the buzzer to force overtime, and then forced a second overtime with a two-handed dunk in traffic against three Nets defenders. The Pacers eventually lost that game, but the fact that they, as the number eight seed, pushed the first seed and eventual NBA finalist that far was something I'll never forget.

I had a final exam later that day and I remember I needed to get going soon. I was almost glad when it appeared that the Nets had put the game out of reach. And when Reggie hit that improbable bank shot, I went nuts. And so did the telecast, which went black momentarily after the shot went in, driving me even more nuts. 

Then when Reggie faked the shot at the top of the key and drove into the lane instead, throwing down that insane two-handed dunk, I lost it again. This was a guy that dunked only a handful of times every season, and he had the balls to drive the ball down the throat of three defenders down by two in the dying seconds of an overtime elimination game. That's the type of player Reggie Miller was, and I hope that is the way he will always be remembered.

Thanks for the memories Reggie, and congratulations. 

It's been pretty much dead around here since the Pacers missed out on OJ Mayo.

Let's see...Danny Granger bought a house in California -- does that mean he is considering heading over there permanently in the near future? Brian Shaw is staying for another year as associate head coach, as far as we know. Bankers Life Fieldhouse announced some new renovations...all pretty mundane news.

ESPN started their season predictions already, and the experts say the Pacers will finish third in the East behind Miami and Boston, even though they will have the same record as the Celts at 50-32. The records themselves are not really indicative of much because they are averaged out, meaning they will generally be lower than expected.

But I don't see the Pacers falling behind the Celts in the standings. As much as the Celtics improved during the offseason with the addition of Jason Terry and what not, they did lost Ray Allen and their two core guys, Pierce and Garnett, remain on the decline. The Pacers, on the other hand, have a core that is getting better. Their new additions might not add a whole lot considering who they've lost, but they are younger and improving. Definitely more potential if you ask me.

Oh, yes, the latest news is that the Pacers and the Hawks are two teams in the running for Anthony Tolliver, a free agent coming off a season at Minnesota. The Cavs and Wizards are also said to be interested. Tolliver, a 6'8" forward, averaged 4.1 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes a game with the Wolves. The Pacers already have three SFs in Granger, George and Gerald Green, but I guess another solid shooter off the bench as insurance doesn't hurt.