Pacers looking to score – plenty

INDIANAPOLIS – Seventeen players. Sixteen guaranteed contracts. Fifteen available roster spots. One Jamaal Tinsley.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 2008-09 Indiana Pacers.

On Monday, the Pacers kicked off training camp with media day, when players moved station to station to take photos and give interviews.

In an organized mess, the players gave their best senior photo pose and graced the media with the same textbook answers all the NBA players – excluding Josh Howard – give to the media.

The festivities kicked off with coach Jim O’Brien speaking about anything and everything.

He started by talking about the job Larry Bird and David Morway did in filling the needs at point guard and center. Then he started talking about how he expects the team to play this year.

Let me simplify it for you.

Here is all you need to know about JOB’s basketball philosophy – shoot the three.
This team will light up the scoreboard. They will try to mimic the Phoenix Suns ­– pre-Shaq – and they actually have a team able to do it.

By dumping Jermaine O’Neal for TJ Ford and a big Serbian frown named Rasho Nesterovic, the Pacers gained the speed at the point needed to run the JOB offense. And they added depth by getting Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush from Portland during the draft to mix with a bench already including Shawne Williams, Marquis Daniels and, if he makes the team, Austin Croshere.

For the first time ever, this Pacers team might have too much depth. There is a good amount of talent on this roster, and playing time might be scarce for a few players who would otherwise deserve minutes.

However, it will all work out and the Pacers should prevail. If their chemistry meshes – and it looks promising because the team already played a softball game before training camp and were joking during media day like school-aged children – expect this team to be toward the top in points scored per game and potentially fight for a playoff spot in the still weak, yet vastly improving, Eastern Conference.

Of course, also expect them to be in the top of points allowed per game. The defense is still an issue, and Georgetown rookie Roy Hibbert will take a little time to develop before he turns into a strong shot blocker.

But if you enjoy seeing games where two teams combine for 250 points, tune in to Pacers’ games.

Their motto will be shoot, shoot, shoot.

Which leads to my next point. That motto is only for on the court, not off the court. You hear that Pacers? Cough – Jamaal Tinsley – cough. No gunfights this year.

Hopefully that won’t be an issue anymore. Jamaal isn’t practicing with the team and isn’t even in Indianapolis. He is completely removed from the team, but he is still on the roster.

Once he is traded, (and trust me, he will be traded) all you Pacers fans who jumped ship because of a few incidents at Club Rio and Cloud 9 have no reason to not support this team. Bird has done everything you’ve asked for.

He has traded away problem children for upstanding citizens. He has cleaned house and lined up a whole new team of “high character” guys.

Now, the question is, can they win? That’s a different story.