Pacers' summer play impresses O'Brien

Indiana Pacers coach Jim O'Brien left the Orlando summer league last week with a good feeling about the players he expects to be on the roster next season.

[Oh Boy Oberto]

Man are we in trouble. This is not a good sign.
The sky is falling.

[Donnie Walsh]

I think we are a Point Guard away from being a Top 5 Eastern Div. Team. If we could aquire a good Shooting Guard we could be one of the better team in the conference. Be a Fan not a Band Wagon fan!

[Hoosier Sammy]

"Starter Jamaal Tinsley is the only true point guard on the roster."

Tinsley is not a true point gaurd unless you consider no defense, poor decisionmaking, turn over prone and thug mentality true point gaurd skills.

We are in bigger trouble now then we were before O'Brien is nothing more than a Larry Loser puppet. He obviously cannot think for himself or is so affraid he'll lose the job with the only team in the NBA that would hire him he will only say what Larry Loser tells him to say.

The leadership of this franchise has lied to this fan base for the last 3 years. Wake-up Pacer fans.

Boycott Simon Malls and retail outlets it is our only hope for real change.

[sparkplug]

We don't want to hear about the delivery Coach O'Brien .... we've heard about the delivery now for five years.

Just show us the baby!

[Tensely Out]

if the goal is to put the best team possible on the court, then get rid of tensely.

And please, DO NOT bring Stevie Franchise to Indiana. Talk about putting the final nail in the coffen. Any team that signs him will only suffer.

[Colt45]

Donnie Walsh wrote:

I think we are a Point Guard away from being a Top 5 Eastern Div. Team. If we could aquire a good Shooting Guard we could be one of the better team in the conference. Be a Fan not a Band Wagon fan!

I think you need to put the pipe down.
Who's going to play D?

[Tensely Out]

my favorite tensely antic has to be him pouting at bad calls at the end of a game and then either throwing the ball away or making stupid fouls while he throws the game away.

What a leader.

[Dumpster]

Wonder if anyone in the hiring process investigated the new guys thuggery background? The Pacers don't need any more bad actors on or off the floor. Just because they are paid high salaries, that does not make them immune to rules, laws, and the expectations of ordinary society. Character and personal decency count!

[Louisville Pacers]

Hmmmm, interesting story. Tinsley and Armstrong are already on the roster. I assume Armstrong is coming back. Owens gives them three point guards.

Why look for a fourth point guard? Somebody must be out of the mix if they are still looking for a point guard.

[Scott-Indianapol is]

It is a little disheartening when the best thing Pacers writers have to "talk up" about the team is the performance of one of the uber-underacheiving Rush brothers shooting the ball well. Here is a guy that was bounced out of the league for not working hard and he is the main change to our non-playoff team roster? We have some issues.

By the way, it is not being a "bad fan" or "bandwagon fan" to state when things are wrong with the team. I actually think it shows a lack of concern for the team if you just blindly accept whatever crap they dress in the uniform and roll out there to putz away 50 some odd games. If you care about the team, you want it to succeed. If you didn't care, you wouldn't complain.

[Boomer]

Bring in B. Knight....10 times better point guard then Tinsley. I can't watch another year of Jamal

[Student of Life]

I think Jannero Pargo would be an awesome pick up. When he gets going he can really light it up out there.

[TC Paul]

Knight or Boykins would make great starter/backups. Knight's a pure point and would avg 12 assists. Boykins can shoot (O'Brien covets shooting) and is a sparkplug, but $3MM/yr for a 5'6" sparkplug is probably too much.

Regardless, unless a major move is made, this is a 7/8 seed in the (L)eastern conference.

[icehouse]

I think that our team as is will be better than last year. We had chemistry issues due to our style of play and injuries. Im not sayin we r goin to win the championship but I do think we will be a 7 to 5 seed in the playoffs. I hope JO stays and dosent screw us and opt out next season but I really do like our team. I think Tinsley is going to be the X factor. In Obriens new system him and Daniels should be able to show what Bird saw in them. By the way Bird has done a decent job considering what the club has went through. He does listen to the fans, he got rid of Jackson which everyone wanted and yet people still call him out for making that trade. I think he got solid players all we are lacking is a legit scoring threat and a backup PG. I think Rush will light them up with about 20 to 25 per game and Granger will have about 16 to 19 per game. Ilove this line up.
Tinsley / Daniels /Armstong(coach on the florr)
Rush / Dunleavy(could be a great sixth man)
Granger / Willams
Jo / Diogu
Murphy / Foster
I will always be a Pacer fan so my views may be biased but I will always back the Pacers through the good times and bad. No team can win all of the time

[Bulldog Fan Todd]

"O'Brien impressed?"
What else is he suppose to say? "Oh my gosh! What the heck have I gotten my self into," or how about, "It's a good thing I'm getting paid to do this," or even, "Just one bullet. Just one freakin bullet!"
Of course he's saying he's impressed. He has to. This is a no talent bunch. You're not going to challenge this group to excellence. You can only hope to pat them on the back, tell them there not as bad as everyone says they are and hope reality doesn't sink in with this bunch. If it does....man this thing will go even further south faster than you can say twenty win season.

[Double J]

I like Pargo the best out of the bunch of PG's listed. Jim O'brien is the best call Larry has made since firing Isiah Thomas.

[ex-bb player]

The Pacers should jump at the chance to get Brevin Knight,true point guard,shooter,and decison maker,but he will re-sign with his team.The trouble with Indy is your ownership known around the league as,"not big spenders",unfortunatly the fans suffer with players trying to get a start or rode the bench on other teams.You are great fans and deserve better.

[Dumb Dave]

I love how the pacers keep talking about improving the team through trades and free agents and we havent done a freaking thing yet we signed a shooting guard that was cut by the bobcats and then no one wanted him granted he did well in summer league but thats not the big show. Then possible two others a local boy and oanother kid in his brothers shadow. Do something there have been players on the market that would help the team and we've sat back we always do that i wish polian were in charge of the pacers

[Dumb Dave]

maybe this year we wont trade ou rlotter pick cause it looks liek we'll have one

[Bob]

The market is tight! I am sure Larry-Legend will have some deal to spin; however, there is not much out there!

Francis for Tinsley?