Like the rest of the Pacers, second round pick AJ Price had an erratic sophomore season.  Due to a knee injury he suffered during a charity game in New York before the commencement of the 2010-2011 season, Price missed the first few months and his numbers were down almost across the board -- 50 games (all off the bench), 15.9 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.356 from the floor including 0.275 from three point range, and 0.667 from the line -- and yet watching him, I could swear that Price has improved, even though his turnovers remained steady at 1.1 per game.

Price's numbers are by no means impressive, but with Collison often struggling and the other option being TJ Ford, he was often called upon in the second half of the season to lead a young team.  And all things considered, Price did an okay job.  He is a scoring point and always will be, and not much of a passer, and probably never will be.  He is what he is and a relative steal from the second round (52nd overall), plus importantly he displays the confidence of a lottery pick, evident from a few big shots he knocked down last season.  But his role should not be the immediate back-up PG.  

To be honest, Price is probably best used as a third-string point guard where he could thrive if the top two PGs are struggling or are injured.  He wasn't afforded that opportunity very often in his second year, but with the acquisition of George Hill, Price could very well end up in that role -- if the Pacers don't trade him.

If the Pacers keep him and he continues to get similar minutes, I expect Price to put up better numbers this season, provided he stayed in shape.  This time he won't be playing catch up like he did last year after the knee surgery, and with more experience and confidence under his belt, Price could be a very valuable guy to have on the bench, called upon from time to time to provide an offensive spark or relieve struggling or injured guards.  For under $900,000 a year, Price is a bargain.

Grade: C+ 

Wow, the 2011-2012 season is about to begin shortly and I still haven't finished my 2010-2011 player reviews.  Better get a move on then.

Up next is Jeff Foster, the ageing 34-year-old veteran who is on the verge of re-signing a one-year contract with the Pacers.

In 2010-2011, Mr Pacer only played in 56 games due to injury, and started in only 3 (in favour of Tyler Hansbrough and Josh McRoberts and Roy Hibbert).  That's actually 40 games more than he played the season before.  His numbers also continued to slide, though they were up slightly from 2009-2010.  He averaged only 3.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, but when you take a step back, Jeff's numbers are actually still quite impressive, especially considering what he has gone through the last couple of years.

Foster actually set a career high with 6.1 offensive boards per 36 minutes, and tied his career high with 13.4 total rebounds per 36 minutes, the best since his rookie year.  Think about that for a minute.  Despite his limitations, Foster has undoubtedly established himself as one of the most efficient rebounders in recent years.  Not bad for a skinny 6'11" white guy who isn't particularly athletic (and hasn't been for years).

In the playoffs, Foster played sparingly (averaged 18.6 minutes over 5 games) but was a headliner for leading the rough 'em up strategy against the Bulls and Derrick Rose.  Bulls fans labeled him public enemy number one, but every team in the NBA would love a guy like Foster on their squad.

When he retires (most likely after the coming season), a lot of Pacers fans will be disappointed.  Through all the rubbish that happened over the last few years, Foster has been the one pillar of integrity in the team.  He will always be a limited role player -- a guy in the mould of the Davises (Dale and Antonio) who go after every rebound, hustle after every loose ball, never back down from anybody and basically does all the dirty work in the key, even playing the villain if he has to.

Unfortunately, while Foster was relatively effective when he did play, he didn't play enough to make a significant impact on the team last season, at least onthe floor.

Grade: C+

While the rest of the world is still trying to digest the Chris Paul to LA Lakers trade that never was but may still yet happen, the Pacers have been busy trying to reshape their own roster.

One of the first things they will do is re-sign Jeff Foster to a one year contract so that he can hopefully finish his career in Indiana, where he belongs.  Very classy move by the Pacers.  Jeff won't do as much on the court as he used to, especially at his age (he'll be 35 in January) and with the mileage on his meter, but he'll be a stabilizing force in the locker room and help the Pacers' young players develop and keep their heads on straight.

Reports are also suggesting that the Pacers will cut ties with Mr "Three Pointers Only" James Posey, who did not appear at training camp.  The Pacers would like to send Posey and his fat contract packing, but are thinking of ways to avoid using the valuable amnesty clause on him.  Maybe they can work something out, but at this stage of his career, Posey's past glories are not going to be as attractive to other teams as they used to be.  Posey helped the Pacers less than he hurt them last season in my humble opinion, at least on the court, so it will be a smart move to let him go.

Lastly, the Pacers appear to have sadly given up on acquiring Nene, whom I felt was the best option amongst David West and Carl Landry.  The New Jersey Nets apparently offered the max $15 million, which I think would have been overpaying him by a significant amount, so it's the smart economic decision to make by the Pacers.  Now they focus on the risky West and the questionable Landry, both of whom would help the Pacers but aren't as good fits as Nene (I reckon).

The Pacers' current roster looks like this (signed players only):

PG: Darren Collison
PG/SG: George Hill, AJ Price, Lance Stephenson
SG/SF: Paul George, Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush
SF/PF: Danny Granger, James Posey*
PF: Tyler Hansbrough
C: Roy Hibbert

*will most likely be gone before the start of the season

Free agents who are gone or are unlikely to return: Mike Dunleavy (Bucks), Solomon Jones, Josh McRoberts
Free agents likely to be signed or re-signed: Jeff Foster (PF/C), Jeff Pendergraph (PF)

If the Pacers go ahead and sign Foster and Pendergraph and cut Posey as expected, that puts their roster at 12, with enough players to play but looking slightly flimsy on size and experience up front.  There are also far too many guards/undersized small forwards.

Chances are the Pacers will find ways to make more changes, including adding an experienced big man and a reliable scorer to pair with Granger.  The obvious trade-bait guys are Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush and AJ Price (if we assume no one will take Stephenson), but none of these guys will exactly get any GMs around the league excited, so it's probably best not to get too excited at this stage.

Stay tuned. 

Lots of craziness in the NBA today.  First, Chris Paul was going to the Lakers via Houston for essentially Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, angering the crap out of everyone as it looked like the Lakers might pull off the impossible task of acquiring both Paul AND Dwight Howard.  Then, amidst all the protesting, NBA Commissioner David Stern killed the deal for 'basketball reasons' (yeah right).  

Secondly, Tyson Chandler is supposedly closing in on a deal with the New York Knicks, and Caron Butler signed with the LA Clippers, effectively destroying the Mavs' chances of a repeat. 

Thirdly, Dwight Howard is reportedly going to ask a trade to the New Jersey Nets to team up with fellow superstar Deron Williams.

Fourthly, Greg Oden is apparently going to accept the Trailblazers' offer, ending speculation that the Pacers might have had a chance to bring the oft-injured center back home.

None of these really affect the Pacers, except perhaps foreshadowing that it's going to be very difficult for the Pacers to make any significant inroads this short offseason. 

But wait, there is Pacers news!  Lost in the pandemonium of the day was the fact that Mike Dunleavy Jr has signed a $7.5m 2-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.  Dunleavy had a patchy history with the Pacers, starting off phenomenally but then struck by injury, before making a decent, albeit sporadic comeback.  Although the Pacers kept saying that they wanted to bring Dunleavy back (presumedly for a much lower price), they don't seem to have kicked up much of a fuss at all.  Let's face it, Dunleavy's days as a productive Pacers player are long gone.  He is at best, a streaky shooter with decent court vision, but his lack of athleticism, often unreliable shot and horrendous defense meant that he was always going to be a role player without a genuine spot in the rotation behind developing players like Paul George.  Nevertheless, I wish him all the best.

And another piece of news that got swept under the rug is the explosive revelation that the Pacers are on the verge of signing power forward Jeff Pendergraph from the Blazers!  

Who?  Yes, Jeff Pendergraph! The third-year player missed all of 2010-2011 due to injury (red light, anyone?) after playing in 39 games during his rookie season, in which he averaged 2.7 points!

Okay, maybe I'm being cynical here.  Chances are the Pacers are signing Pendergraph for next to nothing, and chances are it is merely as a back-up plan since Solomon Jones is definitely out the door (they would have preferred to sign a statue over him) and all signs point to Josh McRoberts signing a more lucrative deal elsewhere.  I don't think it means that the Pacers have given up on Nene or David West or even Carl Landry, but it might suggest that the Pacers are potentially open to trading Tyler Hansbrough for more pieces.  I hope not!

The next few days are going to be very interesting! 

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