Call me a fan of the Pacers; they are the type of team I try to build in fantasy basketball, but always end up with something closer to the Wizards (I suck at fantasy). The last game saw the Raptors put up a lot of really bad jumpers, while the Pacers annoyingly hit a lot of open ones. The Raptors offense has gotten better since that game, but the Raptors need to get some cheaper baskets to open things up some.

Tim Donahue and Jared Wade from Eight Points, Nine Seconds (a Reggie Miller reference) were gracious enough to answer a few of my questions:

True or False: David West was the best free agent signing of the summer.

Tim True – Granted, I haven’t done an exhaustive comparison, but I’m hard-pressed to imagine any other free agents bringing as much of what their new team needed – toughness, maturity, leadership – as David has brought the Pacers. Despite individual numbers that are low for him (18.3 PER, .430 eFG%), he has been a big part of Indy’s 7-3 start.

Jared True. Look at West’s individual numbers and he doesn’t jump out as someone who has been a major difference-maker so far, but just his presence has been huge. He has been a key cog in the spacing and ball movement that has helped Indy’s starting lineup be the second best 5-man unit in the league so far among those that have played at least 100 minutes. And this doesn’t capture his effect off the court. He is a no-nonsense, grown-up presence in the locker room who all the players have praised for being a team leader since day one.

There’s been some rumblings about Grangers role on the team moving forward with the emergence of Paul George; does he finally get traded, and what will the Pacers want in return? (who are you pining for?)

Tim I have never really put much stock into any Granger trade rumors. He’s what I call a “zero sum” trade asset – meaning it’s hard to do a trade where you significantly improve the team after taking Danny off of it. Paul George isn’t ready yet, and wing depth isn’t great for the Pacers. Indy can get more value out of Danny on the floor than they can in any trade – at least for now.

Jared I don’t see any way Larry Bird trades Granger this season. Perhaps if he can’t pull out of this shooting tailspin, but then you’re not going to get much back. In the summer, I could see it. But George would have to show more. Danny remains the most dynamic offensive player on the team and while West and Hibbert have shown something up front, the Pacers would need to get an equivalent perimeter threat back in return.

Is it time to start mentioning Larry Bird in the same breath with the other top executives in the league?

Tim I think it’s time to recognize that Bird is a good, solid head of the Pacer organization, but so many test remain before you can consider him a top exec. Keep in mind, the Pacers haven’t won more than 37 games since he took over from Donnie Walsh. I love his patience, and that alone may put him in the top half of the execs of the league – but it all has to translate to success on the floor and in the playoffs first.

Jared It’s too early for that, but he has done a much better job navigating the salary cap hell Indiana was in than most people were giving him credit for even six months ago. He just waited and waited and waited. His endgame was seizing an opportunity to trade for a guy every team would love on their bench in George Hill and signed West to a top-notch contract, all the while stacking up young, cheap, promising assets. The roster is probably still one big piece away from being any more than the Hawks have been the past few seasons, but even that is a big leap forward from the doldrums this franchise has muddling through the past four years.

Match-ups

Point Guard
It pains me to say this, but we’re missing Bayless; Jose needs some relief. Collison made a lot of things happen for his teammates last game, and has show range on his jumper. I’d rather Calderon keeps him on the perimeter and gets a hand up on him when he shoots then let him start attacking the defense off the bounce then kicking to an open wing for a three.
Edge: Even

Shooting Guard
DeMar can’t give Paul George 7 open looks from beyond the arc like he did last game; or the guy is going to hit 4 of him like he did. Not sure wtf is going on with DeRozan, but he’s had since Wednesday off, and needs to do better. An easy way is to get to the line, which requires him to attack paint, which requires him to get his head in the game. Put some pressure on George on defense, and hopefully his legs wont be in every shot he takes.
Edge: Indiana

Small Forward
It’s great to have Kleiza back; Wednesday against the Kings he took away 14 minutes from Butler/Johnson. It’s not like he’s going to play 30 minutes tonight, but a gradual increase in court time will only help things out. I can deal with 10 minutes each for Butler and Johnson a game; max. Good luck with Granger tonight.
Edge: Indiana

Power Forward
I like the different looks Indiana can throw at the 4. Between Hansbrough and West, they can trot out beast after beast. If Bargnani can’t go tonight (listed as questionable), Davis wont be cutting it. If he can, he’s going to be playing injured, which could make things worse.
Edge: Indiana

Center
Get used to seeing this tonight: Hibbert  backs Johnson/Magloire down from the elbow for a layup. The play from any forward other than Bargnani has been inconsistent at best. While Amir has had some big games recently, he’s had a tough time with large centers, only mustering 2 points the last time out (although he did grab 10 boards). I’m not high on this match-up at all.
Edge: Indiana

Injuries

Toronto
Jerryd Bayless – Ankle, day-to-day
Andrea Bargnani – Calf, questionable
Aaron Gray – Heart, out

Indiana
George Hill  - Back, should play
Tyler Hansbrough – Eye, should play
Danny Granger – Ankle/Food Poisoning, should play

Keys to the Game

• Rotate on the perimeter; the Pacers had 10 very clean looks from beyond the arc the last time out. Have to make them work for their baskets, and not give them 3 Mississippi’s to shoot
• Defend the paint; Magloire did a good job on Hansbrough, frustrating the kid. The front court needs to throw elbows, knock people down, and not concede an inch
• No second chances; I’d like to see the Raptors give up less than 10 offensive rebounds tonight. The Pacers will take plenty jumpers, with plenty rebounds
• Control the pace; can’t get into an up-and-down game with the Pacers. They have a lot of guys who can get out on transition and open things up. Need to slow it down and grind them into the ground

The Line

Nothing has been posted yet, but with Bargnani injured and possibly out, I don’t like the Raptors chances.

Photo Credit: Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images

The Raptors are on the second night of a back-to-back, and rolling into Indiana (9-9) who are two games ahead of the Raptors for 7th in the East. Yes, the Raptors currently hold the 8th playoff seed; half a game ahead of Milwaukee. Could be a nice win for the Raptors who play the Knicks again on Wednesday and will be looking to exact some revenge after yesterdays loss.

Injuries

Toronto
Reggie Evans – Out
Peja Stojakovic – Out

Indiana
Niente

Match-ups

Point Guard
I guess that settled that: Jose Calderon is the better PG. Since Jack got moved, Calderon has been averaging 10pts 8.6ast; numbers approaching the levels that had us all saying he was a top flight point guard when he got that big contract. The good news is that Jose is playing like the Jose we all know he can play like, the bad news is that he has another speedy point guard to deal with tonight in Darren Collison, who the Pacers landed in a damn good deal for themselves in the summer (only cost them Troy Murphy).

Collison was one of the prizes of the summer, and Bird somehow managed to engineer a trade that opened up playing time for Hibbert to shine, and land the point guard he desired, all in one-swoop; not to bad! Darren sees the court very welle, and is able to create off the dribble. He wont kill us from the perimeter, but his jumper is pretty good, have to get a hand up on him and things should work out. I like the energy Jose’s been-bringing on defense; hasn’t been stellar, but he’s not making it easy for the other point guard either. I’d like to see him continue that and make Collison beat the Raptors with his jumper and not his play-making when he gets going.

Should be noted that Collison is a pretty good defender, so Jose can expect to be tested on both ends of the floor.
Edge: Even

Shooting Guard
It’s going to be a long night for DeRozan/Barbosa, I just have a feeling. Dunleavy seems to be one of those guys that always gets up to play against the Raptors. Fortunately for us he comes off the bench, and DeMar will have to deal with Rush for longer stretches. Rush was one of the guys we wanted to draft when we drafted Hibbert (talk about this later on) and traded to Indiana for Jermaine O’Neal *shudder*. The kid is very athletic, blocks shots, and a solid defender on the perimeter. DeMar will be wise to attack him as he has some intensity issues that render him useless at points; something DeMar knows all too well.

There are massive match-up issues for Barbosa when he’s in with Dunleavy, this is where Triano/Carlessimo have to get creative with their line-juggling, but Barbosa can’t defend Dunleavy; and neither can Dunleavy guard Barbosa. Depending on who’s playing, the Raptors can have the advantage in this match-up. The Pacers are a big team overall, so unless the Raptors small-ball unit is playing off the chain, it will tough to get Barbosa playing time at the shooting guard. Bayless could see reduced minutes tonight as Barbosa would most likely get some of his minutes at the back-up PG.
Edge: Indiana

Small Forward
The wing situation is going to be a rough one for the Raptors tonight, where the Pacers are deeper than the Raptors, and able to throw different looks at us all night. Fortunately Weems (and DeRozan) have both started to play a little better the last couple games. Weems especially is finishing aggressively around the rim, when he’s actually engaged in the game. Granger is approaching elite-level scorer status the last couple seasons, and could easily go off for 35 (although we’ve been able to manage him rather nicely the last couple years).

I’m sure Posey’s good for a 3 pointer, if that…maybe he’s not, but the guy is a serviceable back-up off the bench in limited playing time; he’s a two-time world champion, that counts for something at the end of the day. The key will be to play Granger hard on both ends, and getting him into foul trouble. Since Weems is one of the two best finishers on team with a head of steam, running it at Danny can prove effective since he’s a tweener on defense who likes to swat balls (he’s not a bad shot blocker either, but you can’t block them all). Weems needs to rebound from a gawdawful game against the Knicks yesterday, and wont have an easy time of it. Still, he’s shown some resilience so far.

As an aside, I’ve lost confidence in Kleiza. It’s not that he can’t be a good player for the Raptors, as a spot up shooter off the bench he could still be a solid contributor, but he’s taking on too much and can’t deliver. Maybe Karl had it right with his usage in Denver…
Edge: Indiana

Power Forward
Amir has really stepped up in Reggies absence, with a couple monster games. He’s been able to play under control and not get foul happy which leads me to believe that the coaching is getting through to him. The Pacers front court isn’t very strong after the starters, McRoberts is a good shooter from the perimeter, but can’t handle Johnson in the block on either end of the floor. I expect to see situational match-ups with Josh covering Bargnani, which will only lead to more trouble for the Pacers.

On Amir, McRoberts can’t defend and is a poor rebounder for his size; all the makings for a 20/10 night for our Young One. Ed Davis is making some significant contributions given that he’s coming off a pretty brutal injury. I’m really liking this kid a lot, and he too will have an advantage against Josh on the glass and in the quickness department.
Edge: Toronto

Center
Like I said earlier, the Raptors front court is better than the Pacers. Hibbert, much like McRoberts, is a big lumbering player who can’t keep up with either Bargnani or Johnson (or Davis or Dorsey). He does, however, pose some problems since he’s a traditional center who can score from 15ft-in. Bargnani didn’t play heavy minutes yesterday (33), so he should have the legs to get after Hibbert and/or McRoberts, doesn’t really matter who’s covering him tonight, he will own.

His rebounding has improved, and should be able to contribute on that front. My only hope is that Jeff Foster doesn’t find the fountain of youth and make an impact off the bench; he’s really feasted on the Raptors front court over the years with his hustle and grit.

The Raptors front-court has the horses to really make a positive impact on this game; had this not been the second night of a back-to-back, it could have gotten messy for the Pacers.
Edge: Toronto

Side Note:
Does it upset no one else that the Pacers have two players, Granger and Hibbert, who by all rights should be a Raptor, that are thriving at positions that we currently need filled? Anyone?

Keys to the Game

Don’t get Down Early
The Raptors are on the second night of a back-to-back, so they need to use their energy effectively, and not to play catch-up; the game could be put away early if they come out flat. To Triano’s credit, he managed minutes pretty well last night, so the Raps won’t be totally worn out to start the game. The easiest way to stay in the game will be to pound the ball into Amir and Bargnani (depending on match-up and court positioning) and let them molest the Pacers front court. Getting into an up-and-down match to start the game may prove difficult to sustain and put them into a hole.

As always, the 3rd quarter push will be crucial, so catching a collective second wind at the half will be important. Jose might want to go back to handing out Gatorade in the locker room; seemed to help.

Rebounding
This would have been a perfect game for Reggie’s hustle, he could have easily grabbed 17 rebounds against a slow footed Pacer front court.

The Pacers are 3rd in the league in rebounding, with the whole team chipping in on the glass. Boxing out and crashing the boards should be the minimum requirement to see the floor tonight. Anything Bargnani can give us above 6 rebounds will be massive.

Perimeter Defense
Two words: Julian Wright; the kid Is our best defender on the perimeter, and can help. He’s clearly not the answer, but he has the size, length and athleticism to both all three of Granger, Rush and Dunleavy. Won’t hurt, right?

Make Your Free Throws
The Raptors went 11-22 from the line yesterday against the Knicks. Not saying if they hit them they would have won (they wouldn’t have), but they could have changed the complexion of the game. 50% from the the charity stripe is unacceptable.

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Last week I linked to an article which said that Brandon Rush was Phoenix’s top target, today there’s news out of Houston that the Rockets holding pick #25 are trying to move up to snatch Rush. Where there’s so much smoke, there’s fire. Rush has had tremendous workouts and has garnered praise from across the board, even more so than CDR. The only reason to pass him over is because of his previous injuries but he seems to be completely over them. Get ‘er done, BC.

Back to the workouts, Roy Hibbert felt he had a good workout and thinks that the management couldn’t have asked for a better workout in terms of getting good perspectives of players. He says no NBA office or even players check draft boards like Draft Express or NBA Draft because they’re “comical”. He’s also very proud to have graduated college.

Derrick Rose wants to play in Chicago which would mean the Heat have to look for a PG elsewhere. Blah blah….can the draft happen already so we can stop with these stupid articles. Juan Carlos Navarro is returning to Spain instead of becoming a free agent, the Grizz will still make a qualifying offer just so they have first shot at him if he does ever return. He got more money in Spain than he did here, can the same be true for Calderon?

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Did you know that I get mail too? Tons and tons of it, most of it are tempting Viagra deals but if you set your filters just right, a Raptors email might sneak through. I’ve collected some of them over the past few weeks and have finally decided to answer your call:

Q: Arse, your blog sucks, you don’t know dick-all about basketball, you have no access to any NBA or Raptors insiders and have absolutely no authority to speak about basketball. And what kind of a stupid name is Arsenalist you dumb turd. Get a life and shut this nonsense down before you make even more of a fool of yourself. – Butcher Manson, Toronto, ON

A: Thanks for the email Butch, I appreciate it. I can’t really argue with you about any of the points you make. All I can do is present a weak rebuttal: I’ve watched every Raptors game over the last decade and have the ulcers to prove it. I highly doubt I understand the game anymore than you, all I hope to provide is a fan’s perspective and a forum for other fan’s to talk some ball. Sure, you’re not going to find breaking news stories here but at least you’ll get an honest perspective of the Raptors without it being defiled by employer obligations, loyalties to players, coaches or management or all the other cursory censorship that goes on when talking about athletes in the spotlight. Also, I hope you get AIDS.

Q: It’s June 17 and the draft is coming up and many teams are holding tryouts. What about the Lakers and Celtics? Are they holding tryouts or must they wait at the end of the final. If they must wait, isn’t it unfair to them since they don’t get as much time to prepare? – Chad J, Mississauga

A: How the f*ck should I know? Have you tried using Google to navigate your way all the way to Lakers.com or Celtics.com to figure this out? Don’t ever email me again and stop coming to my site you dumb c*nt.

Q: I rite from Italy (Forza Bargnani!). I not you like how hate Bargnani hes grait playr in Italy and vill be grait in NBa, beter than KoBe and more good than Lebran. Raptorz shud traid Bosh (he ovary-rated) and give minutes to Bargnani to be good. Antonio Cassalini, Milano, ITALY!

Thanks for your email Tony. Just to let you know you have a better chance of conveying your thoughts if you just write them in Italian and use Google Translate to do the trick. It has to be better than whatever you’re spewing here. I’ll humor you though, Bargnani has more to prove in the NBA than any other player. Yes, let that last sentence sink in your skull. He has to earn his minutes on the team through hard work, dedication and commitment, nothing will be handed to him and if he doesn’t step up this year, he’s a gonner come summertime.

Q: There is a distinct way that I watch the NBA playoffs once the Raptors are eliminated. Essentially, I try to see what each team does differently than the Raptors that has allowed them to advance deep into the playoffs. So my question is this, what is the most distinctive characteristic shared by the Lakers and Celtics that the Raptors currently (and glaringly) lack? My answer? Above-average perimeter defence. – Chris B, Toronto

A: Chris, I’m shocked that after watching four full rounds of the playoffs you came to the conclusion that the difference between the Raptors and Lakers/Celtics is above-average perimeter defence. I’ll point you to their roster and you’ll notice the Lakers have Kobe and the Celtics happen to have Pierce, Garnett and Allen. Don’t waste your time analyzing basketball, I believe there’s a lawn that needs mowing.

See ya!