The Indiana Pacers can get significantly better tonight — if Larry Bird makes the right decision and drafts a frontcourt player.
Plenty of talented guards should be available at No. 13. Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, and Eric Maynor could all be solid pros.
It's time for an upgrade at power forward.
But the Pacers don’t need them.
With T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack, they already have the best backcourt tandem they’ve had in years. In his first year as a Pacer, Ford was careless with the ball at times, but had solid stats (14.9 ppg, 5.3 apg). Jack had a career season (13.1 ppg, 4.1 apg) and is durable, having missed only six games over his four-year career. He should be brought back.
The Pacers’ frontcourt is a different story.
Jeff Foster is breaking down, Roy Hibbert is still developing, Troy Murphy is a perimeter player who could care less about defense, and Rasho Nesterovic isn’t coming back. With really no low post presence last year, the Pacers threw up 21 three-pointers per game, fifth-highest in the league.
Indiana obviously needs a big guy, so who should they get?
Unless somebody pulls a Danny Granger and plummets right to them, the best frontcourt players available at No. 13 should be DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansbrough, and B.J. Mullens. Bird has made it known that he prefers four-year college players to guys that leave early, so that pretty much rules out Mullens.
Blair or Hansbrough would offer a significant upgrade. More of a hustle player than an explosive athlete, Hansbrough could easily replace Foster. Though undersized at 6-6, Blair dominated the paint at Pittsburgh and could be the Pacers’ best post presence since Jermaine O’Neal.
Also, don’t rule out a trade.
The Pacers have a solid bargaining chip in Murphy, who despite his ridiculous contract won’t ever have higher value. Indiana could unload Murphy for decent value in return.
