Season's Greetings: Indiana Pacers 2008-2009 Season Preview

Welcome! Come one, come all, to the main event! It's season preview time, and Upside and Motor is ready to rock your world. The previews will be both concrete and lyrical in this magical world, both by numbers and by prose. To take a look at all the previews, click here.

Straight Up

Straight Up features all the stuff you actually want to see in your team previews: who are the new kids on the block, who skipped town, and where the team stands for the upcoming season. Along with my projection and standing for the upcoming season, it'll also feature three individual awards: Team MVP (let's not get into the debate over exactly what that means), the Most Important Reserve, and the Most Unheralded Asset.

Projected Record: 40-42 (3rd in the Atlantic Division, 8th in the Eastern Conference)
Off-season Acquisitions: T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush, Jarett Jack, Josh McRoberts, "Eddie Jones" (soon to be waived), Austin Croshere
Notable Losses: Jermaine O'Neal, Shawne Williams, Kareem Rush

2008-2009 Team MVP: Danny Granger - It's tough not to like him. He plays intelligently, his off-court life is invisible (a big improvement for this franchise), and most importantly: he's ridiculously productive, especially when you consider how young he is. I keep trying to find reasons to not believe in him, but I just...I just can't. rob + dannygranger 4ever <3 style="font-weight: bold;">

Most Important Reserve: Jarrett Jack - It will be important that the uptempo attack the Pacers employ won't miss a beat when Ford takes a breather or misses a game here and there due to injury, and Jack needs to be able to fill that void. He's a solid all-around player and tougher than you'd think, but he could definitely cut down the unforced errors. This season should be a good one for Jack, who is much more within his comfort zone as a backup.

Most Unheralded Asset: Roy Hibbert - He's an NBA-ready shot blocker and an active force in the paint on D. His offensive game still has a long way to go, but he can still be productive as a rookie and he's not afraid of anyone.


Poetry in Motion

Poetry in Motion will feature my feeble attempts at mimicking the sonnets of one William Shakespeare, complete with a weak, liberal interpretation of iambic pentameter and an identical rhyme scheme. As they say, the NBA imitates art...I mean poetry...err, life imitates the NBA...or I imitate poetry while writing about the NBA. Something like that. Either way, each preview will contain two sonnets: one focusing on a wider, team outlook and another focusing on the roles and futures of individual players. Revel! Criticize! Enjoy!

Here we find the Pacers, one trade later,

Jermaine O’Neal is nowhere to be found,

An opportunity to be greater,

Despite the loss of a big man, renowned.

So much depends on young Danny Granger,

He’s shown that he’s ready to heed the call,

But T.J. Ford must not be a stranger

If Indy is to go to a run from a crawl.

One year ago they were just short of eighth,

With Ford and O’Neal nowhere in sight,

Attention Pacer fans: just keep the faith,

A prophet foretold – I HAVE SEEEEEEEN THE LIGHT!

Hear the gospel the Pacers are preaching,

This year, a playoff berth they'll be reaching.

In Pacerland, it’s all about rebirth,

Granger: the phoenix to rise from the flames,

T.J. will help; the quickest man on earth,

Happens to be a point who helps win games.

Mike Dunleavy has finally found his fit,

Troy Murphy too; he plays his role with poise,

Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert are legit,

Foster brings da funk, Rasho brings da noise.

Tinsley isn’t welcome here anymore,

But Ford and Jack are here to fill the void,

The team needs to develop that rapport

If a playoff spot is to be enjoyed.

Count on this squad for the seven or eight,

Granger’s a ball’r, and he’s not going to wait.

Player Preview Spotlight: Mike Dunleavy

Photo from AP.

The Player Spotlight feature highlights just one of the many cogs that make up the team. They may not be the best player on the team and they may not be the most recognizable (or who knows, they may be both), but I can guarantee that they're interesting. Their game, their on-court persona, their role within the greater scope of the team. Something about the player in the spotlight deserves your attention, and as usual, I'm more than willing to point it out to you.

I thought the following would be an appropriate soundtrack for this spotlight: "Mike Dunleeevay" by fiasco626 and an unidentified friend:

He may not look it, but Mike Dunleavy is an enigma. AN ENIGMA, I tell you. Or at least he's always been one to me. In Golden State, it was easy to feel like he took himself way too seriously. Maybe that's the kind of melodrama that comes with being a semi-bust, but it made him easily hateable. I mean, do you remember that time he exploded against the Mavs over an offensive foul? But then, these little things start to seep into my psyche. Dunleavy laughing and messing around with his teammates. Dunleavy in a funny Duke student video (I can't seem to find it, anyone know what I'm talking about?). Dunleavy making a hilarious face while being completely plastered. Dunleavy throwing a comment about his soft Irish skin into a postgame interview. Dunleavy wearing an amazing leisure suit for retro night. I don't know if it's because he was traded to Indiana or if it was because he finally got that hair cut, but something changed. I don't know if it was Dunleavy, but I know that my perception of him has definitely taken a new shape. Say what you will about my assumptions; I guess I assumed a certain translation of Dunleavy's on-court persona in Golden State from his off-court persona. That's the tricky thing about the fanhood/blogging game -- those without access are forced to form their own ideas through the questions of others. It's not that their questions aren't good or that I could do any better. They're just not my questions, and as such I walk away with certain impressions.

Part of me will always smile upon his woeful years with the Warriors, where he was a guy you didn't want to leave open. But there was always that other side: the one that chimed in "But aww, it's just Mike Dunleavy..." No longer. Last season, Dunleavy played and started in every single game, and posted career high averages in every significant category aside from rebounds (and that includes all attempts and all percentages). My instinct is to say that he has reinvented himself with Indy, but that's not really true. Aside from some natural maturity, Dunleavy hasn't really changed his game from his Warrior days. But the offensive schemes Jim O'Brien employed gave Duns the opportunity he desperately needed. For one, I'm grateful. His new approach to the game has transformed him from that dick who needs to lighten up to a player I can't wait to watch next season. The Warriors-Pacers semi-blockbuster that featured Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Mike Dunleavy, and Troy Murphy seemed like a no-brainer for the Dubs. Two talented players who can give you something on both ends for two overpaid former Warrior "building blocks." Dunleavy will have to show us that same effectiveness this season if he's going to earn that very, very substantial paycheck, but he certainly got off on the right foot. Granger's going to get the spotlight from here on out, and T.J. Ford will certainly get his fair share of attention. But just as essential to the Pacer resurgence is good ol' Mike Dunleavy, Jr.

And if for some reason you didn't watch that video I embedded above, go watch it. Now.

Season Previews, F'real

For those poor, conservative souls trapped in normativity, I'll make sure to send you to a few places where you can read through more conventional, in-depth season previews. Most of these links will be from team bloggers whose trade is knowing what there is to know about their respective teams, so tell your ears to perk up; it's time to listen.

Hardwood Paroxysm
SLAM
Deadspin