The Fantasy Ninjas have some ideas
The Starting 5:
Raymond Felton, Mike Dunleavy, Danny Granger, Carlos Boozer, Troy Murphy
Key Reserves:
Roy Hibbert, Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush, Jermaine O’Neal/Anthony Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough
Analysis: This set up doesn’t make the Pacers immediate Eastern Conference contenders like the other two scenarios, but it does probably put them in the playoffs and leave them with plenty of money to make a run at a big-money free agent next season. I’d put their projected wins with this lineup somewhere in the 44-48 range, which is still good enough for a homecourt series in the East.
When it’s all said and done, we’re most likely going to see the Pacers improbably end up with the 12th overall pick (the lowest possible pick they can have…meaning the Rockets, Hornets and Raptors all won the lottery), which they’ll inevitably use to draft Gordon Hayward. We’ll watch Larry Bird fumble through the free agency process, while Danny Granger gets older, more broken down and more disheartened. Coach O’Brien will lead this team to another uninspired season that flirts with 40ish wins, but the players don’t get behind the concept of playing together and trying hard until it’s too late to do anything but sabotage their chances at a #1 pick.
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