We we finally get to a team that is still playing.  The Pacers are
again represented by:

   Richard "T-Bone" Burton 

Who shows that he is almost as big a homer as Curtis and Rob by selecting:

   Alan Henderson, PF, 6-9.  Indiana

==============================================================================
I. Team Needs/History
The Indiana Pacers are coming off their best year in NBA history. They
won a division title for the first time since their ABA days after a
slow start. The Pacers finished the season with over fifty wins, was
one of only three teams to sweep their first-round opponent, somehow
managed to survive the Knicks in game seven at Madison Square Garden,
and, as of this writing, are tied 2-2 with Orlando.

I said it last year and I'll say it again: the secret for a mid- to
top-level team without an immediate need to get better through the
draft is to draft what you will need the most in a year or two, not
now. However, the team has one immediate need, and there are one or
two additions that would be nice.

   A. CENTER
	Rik Smits has finally become the kind of center that GM Donny
Walsh envisioned. Larry Brown has Smits palying about 30 pounds
lighter than previous coaches wanted. Not a guy with a big build in
spite of his height, Smits' weight reduction has made him more mobile,
reduced his knee problems to almost non-existent, and increased his
endurance. This has made him one of the league's top offensive
centers. Rik uses his 7'4" frame and good shooting touch to draw out
opposing centers and open the lane for Miller, Jackson, McKey, and the
Davisses. Smits is also a good passer, and improving with time.  After
a big first half, he often draws double teams outside of the lane then
dishes off to a cutting teammate for a quick two points and maybe a
foul.  Smits' rebounding and defending have improved, though he will
never be a monster rebounder, even at 7'4". His offensive game takes
him (and the opposing center) away from the basket and out of position
for rebounds. This is not a problem with Dale and Antonio Davis and
Derrick McKey on the same team.
	At backup this past year was LaSalle Thompson; he will be 35 at
the start of next season. He has said he will not be in Indiana next
year; it is time for Tank to leave, but we wish him well. THis leaves
a ~$2,000,00 salary slot open. Scott Haskin, the '93 first round pick,
is a 6'11" banger who was drafted with the idea of his backing up
Smits; injuries and the unexpected play of Antonio Davis impeded his
progress. Haskin has spent the whole year on injured reserve, which
created problems for the Pacers when LaSalle Thompson went out for the
remainder of the season. The pacers have 9 non-free-agents on their
roster; Haskin was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was
thankfully taken. Good riddance. His leaving opens up a ~$1,400,00
slot which can be used to re-sign Antonio Davis.
	Greg Kite was brought in as an emergency backup. He's not even
convincing in this role. Backup center is definitely a need; whether
this can be addressed in the draft, or if the team will need free
agency is a big question. Drafting so late, it isn't likely the Pacers
will be able to draft an adequate backup. Also, reserve power forward
Antonio Davis fills in at backup, which gives him more minutes without
taking them from Dale Davis.
	The Pacers may have their backup playing overseas. The team
drafted Spencer Dunkley, a 6'11" center, a couple of years ago in the
second round. He has been playing well in Europe, and may be ready to
play this year. Antonio Davis, another second round project, went this
route with good results.  Dunkley is worth at least inviting to camp,
and may prove good enough to be the needed backup. However, one can't
count on this.

   B. POWER FORWARD
	The Indiana Pacers may be blessed with what may be the best power
forward duo in the NBA. In more than name, both Dale and Antonio Davis
are quite similar. Both are 6'11" power forwards who can rebound,
block shots, play tight defense, run the floor, and provide big dunks
when the Smits and Miller draw extra do. They both are intelligent
players, rarely making dumb mistakes. They feed off one another, each
pushing the other in practice and in games, but the rivalry is
friendly one. The Pacers are as solid at this position as any team in
the league, assuming Dale's offseason surgery for his seperated
shoulder is successful. Antonio is a restricted free agent this
year. Signing him with Haskin's or Thompson's salary slot is a high
priority.
	Sam Mitchell is a 6'7" swing forward who was a throw-in player on
the Chuck Person-Pooh Richardson trade; he is more important to the
Pacers than Pooh ever could have been. Mitchell backs up McKey and
plays power forward when the Pacers go to a small(er) lineup. Mitchell
is not a great player, but like McKey, he is the type of player
everyone wants to play with. He rebounds, defends, and has a great
work ethic. And Mitchell can produce, too. When at Minnesota, Mitchell
averaged double digits in points and was a solid rebounder. In Game 4
of the Knicks series this past year, Dale Davis went down with a
seperated shoulder, and Mitchell stepped in with 11 points plus his
usual rebounding and defense. This position is solid.

   C. SMALL FORWARD
	Derrick McKey may just be the second best player in the league
today, after Jordan, but no one seems to notice this. McKey puts up
solid, if not great, stats (12ppg, 4.3apg, 5.3rpg, 1.5spg, .500fgp, a
1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio from a ballhandling 6-10 forward in
93-94) but is best known for his defense. That McKey was only
second-team all-defense in the league truly shows how little people
understand defense. The only defensive stats which are kept are steals
(but not "failed steals" which lead to an easy backet for an opponent)
and blocks. If you block a shot, often it's because your man got the
ball where he shouldn't have in the first place. Most of McKey's
blocks, though, come from leaving his man to help a teammate. And
McKey's defense is more about cutting off passing lanes, rotating to
cover two men when a teammate doubleteams, keeping his man from ever
seeing the ball, keeping rebounds alive for his teammates, etc. During
one stretch this year, McKey held opposing starting small forwards (a
position known for scoring punch) to under 10 points and 40% shooting
in 14 of fifteen games. (The only double-digit scorer was Glenn Rice,
who seems to give Derrick trouble for some reason.) Coach Brown and
Derrick's teammates want to see him shoot and drive more, but with
Smits and Miller on the team, McKey only looks to score when the team
needs him to. The team has a defensive presence, a toughness, a
scrappiness it sorely lacked before, due as much to McKey as Larry
Brown.  He'll never make the All-Star team, but McKey is the most
important player on a championship-contending team. It would be nice
to see him shoot (and score) more, but you can't have everything.
	McKey's backups are Mitchell and Duane Ferrell. Ferrell was signed
as a free agent, and has been a bit of a disappointment. He did show
improvement during the course of the year, though, and now seems to
have a better grasp of Brown's approach to the game. However, he
didn't play too much in the playoffs. It would be nice to have more
firepower at this position, but the Pacers can stand pat here without
much trouble.

   D. SHOOTING GUARD
	What can you say about Reggie Miller? The man is a paradox. A
skinny 6-7, he is also one of the league's ironmen; he only missed one
game this year after being leg-whipped in The Jordan Bowl (brought to
you by Bud Ice Draft Light). Reggie is a superstar, one who thrives
under pressure. He is very confident in his abilites but isn't a
spoiled star since he grew up in the shadow of his sister. Reggie, a
shooting guard, gets to the free throw line more often than most
centers, and is deadly at the charity stripe (.897 last season). He is
a bigtime scorer who understands team play. Reggie may well be the
best shooting guard in the league, at least among those who don't see
themselves as bigger than the game.
	Backing up Miller is veteran Byron Scott. Byron had a horrible
series against the Knicks, but he's still in great shape and his
skills are showing few (if any) signs of eroding. (Witness his clutch
three in the last seconds of Game 5 of the Knicks series.) He has
brought maturity, experience, and focus to the Pacers, the best money
the team has spent in the last 20 years.  Scott, however, may only be
around for another year or so, then moved to an assistant or
management position. (Byron would eventually make a very good coach.)
	The third shooting guard is Damon Bailey, who spent the year on
the injured list after knee surgery. Damon was drafted in the second
round last year, probably as a publicity stunt. After his knees healed
up from surgery, he began practicing with the team and was a pleasant
surprise. He impressed the coaching staff and players with his energy,
toughness, and work ethic. He won't ever be as good as Reggie, but he
may be the next Billy Keller, and that's damn good value for his
league-minimum salary. Besides, cutting Damon before giving him a
chance to play could be a PR nightmare ... especially if he hooks up
with another team and does well.

   E. POINT GUARD
	This position is solid if somewhat frustrating. The starting job
belongs to Mark Jackson, who came to the Pacers for three players who
wouldn't have seen court time at Indiana. Jackson is a pretty good
offensive point guard; he averaged over eight assists a game his last
year with the Clippers.  He is deceptively slow; not a quick player by
any stretch of the imagination, Mark is quicker than you'd think, and
can occaisionally lull opponents into complacency before slicing into
the lane and dishing off for an assist. As for his defensive skills,
... well, Mark Jackson averaged over eight assists a game his last
year with the Clippers. Jackson comes from a long tradition of
St. John's players with little/no defense. Which is where Workman
comes in.
	Consummate journeyman Heywood Workman was brought on board in '93
to back up Vern Fleming, who was then the backup to Pooh
Richardson. When Pooh went down with an injury, Workman got playing
time and turned out to be better than Fleming. Workman barely made the
Pacers' roster in '93-94, then led the team deep into the playoffs
once he got his chance. Workman is a defensive demon. After Blaylock
and Harper put up big numbers on Jackson, Workman came in and all but
shut them down. The guy is also gutty. It was his taking a charge on
Charles Oakley in Game 3 of the Knicks series that pushed the game
into overtime. As an offensive player, .... well, Workman is a
defensive demon. His offense is better than Jackson's defense, so
Workman gets his share of minutes. He doesn't start because it is
important to establish Smits' offense early and because Haywood has no
problem with being the backup as long as he earns his minutes.
	Vern Fleming is the fifth guard in the rotation behind Miller,
Scott, Jackson, and Workman. Vern has been around for quite a while,
and has played as a Pacer more years than any other. He and Scott are
both near the ends of their careers, and one may be let go before this
upcoming season. I'd be tempted to let Vern go, since basketball is a
business and sentiment has little/no place in business, but he does
have solid if not great point AND shooting guard skills if one of the
four ahead of him gets hurt. Plus, the guy is gutty and knows what it
takes to win. He, like Mitchell, is important to team chemistry, so
keeping Vern around for one more year, then letting him be the first
NBA Pacer to have his jersey retired, is probably a good idea.

************************

In short, the Pacers are solid at every position. A backup to Smits is
needed as injury insurance and to help Antonio Davis, but the team is
drafting kinda late, so free agency may be needed to successfully fill
this hole. A high scoring/solid rebounding small forward to
backup/compliment McKey would be nice, but this is not a top priority
since Ferrell and Mitchell have shown signs of life. The reserve
guards are aging, so drafting a backup guard who may be able to play a
year or two down the line might be a nice idea. Also, when one drafts
this late, going with Best Player Available is generally the best
option. You can usually trade talent at position X for talent at
position Y, so if one is unsure, drafting for talent, not position,
minimizes the potential for big mistakes. Mostly, you are looking for
a guy who will fit in with your team. Here, that means someone who is
1) intelligent, 2) unselfish/a team player, 3) plays D (or is VERY
willing to learn), and 4) is a hard worker.

II. Your Selection (and explanation)

Alan Henderson, PF, Indiana. Henderson would be a decent player with a
solid background who can provide rebounding, scoring, and defense from
the bench. He also would have Derrick McKey as a mentor/teacher, and
there ain't many better than McKey. Henderson fullfills the above four
criteria, and would be a big fan favorite. I see Henderson as
eventually being a poor man's McKey, and a decent replacement for
Derrick down the road, but Henderson has more of a scorer's
mentality. This is sorely lacking on the Indiana bench (outside of
Byron Scott).

III. Others considered (and why considered)

George Zidek, C, UCLA. Big. Really big. He won't be given the lion's
share of minutes behind Smits, so he will have time to develop before
being thrown into the viper pit. He'll never be great, but we're only
looking for a backup right now. Potential trouble when George takes a
pay cut entering the NBA.

Jarvis Lang, SF/PF, UNC-Charlotte. Lang will provide scoring and
rebounding from the small forward spot. Lang has a history of injury
problems, but in playing a backup role will reduce wear and tear and
injury potential. He has great work ethic, and could play significant
minutes when Indiana goes to a smaller lineup.

Greg Oostertag, C, Kansas. Fills a big need, no pun intended. His
maturity is questionable, but if he comes in he HAS to know he isn't
going to get a lot of minutes at first.

John Amaechi, PF, Penn State. Amaechi is raw, but he would fit in with
Indiana's inside game. AD and DD are not smooth offensive players, and
Smits needs gritty, defensive-minded rebounders around him. Amaechi
would fit in well. He had trouble with double-teaming in college, but
he wouldn't face that
in the NBA.

Cory Alexander, Virginia. Cory is a solid if inconsistent point guard
who has been hit by injuries repeatedly. He would be strictly a
backup/emergency point guard, but he has the tools to develop in time.

Jerome Allen, Penn. Allen is a good, intelligent player and has solid
if not superstar skills. He would be a nice find this late and has the
potential to develop into a damn good guard.

IV.  Who the team will probably take

Damned if I know. Donny Walsh rarely fails to surprise in his drafting
or his trades. The thing is, he's usually right. His drafting of
Miller instead of Steve Alford was not overly popular, but no one
doubts this now. Drafting Chuck Person was a minor surprise, but Chuck
became ROY. Trading Herb Williams for Detlef Schrempf raised a few
eyebrows, but made the Pacers legit. His drafting of Dale Davis was
greeted with shrugs, and Walsh's choosing Antonio Davis in the second
round was ignored. Walsh found Michael Williams in the CBA, then
traded him and Person for Richardson and Mitchell. Then he got
Jackson, who has meant so much to the team. Taking Bailey in the
second round was seen as a publicity stunt, but Damon has stuck around
and is well-liked by the players and coaching staff. My best guess is
that Walsh will take the BFPA (Best Future Player Available). Unless
there is a good backup center available, expect Walsh and Brown to
draft a project who can play in Europe for a while. This worked with
Antonio Davis and is allegedly working with Spencer Dunkley.

V.  Other moves that the team should make
(In no particular order of importance)

1) Make sure that the free agents who want to stay are re-signed; make DAMN
   sure that Antonio Davis and Heywoode Workman want to stay.
2) Get that backup center!!!
3) Make a decision, quickly, on the backcourt.
4) Give Dunkley his chance to shine.

=============================================================================

Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner