Mike Wells from the Indy Star reports that the hot trade involving Troy Murphy to Cleveland for Zydrunas Ilgauskas is fizzling fast because the Pacers are asking for JJ Hickson and draft picks to be tossed into the mix.
Fantastic. The only thing that was going to give the Pacers a bit of hope for next season (as slim as that hope is) has probably sailed.
Statistically, the Pacers don’t appear to be asking for too much. Consider this: Ilgauskas is averaging 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season while Hickson is averaging 6.8 and 4.3. Together, that’s 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds. Troy Murphy? 14 points and 9.6 rebounds. Looks like a pretty fair trade on the page at least, if you don’t consider the fact that the big Z is a massive expiring contract at the end of the season and if you ignore the request for draft picks to be included.
And more great news – Jeff Foster is likely out for the rest of the season with his troublesome back. Foster is heading to LA for more opinions and will probably need surgery. There was a rumour about Foster going to Denver for Ty Lawson, but I don’t know where that stands now.
Reggie Miller said it best when he described the Pacers in light of Washington’s recent troubles (with Gilbert Arenas):
(The Pacers) still haven’t recovered. Other than Danny Granger, who was an All-Star last year and (Roy) Hibbert’s playing well this year. They play hard, but the Pacers have never, ever recovered from that night. Things will never be the same until they get lucky in the draft. They are able to overpay a free agent and things get turned around, but things will never be the same. Let’s hope that’s not the case in the nation’s capital with the Wizards, but it’s just not the same.
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