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08-20-2003, 07:16 AM
Mark Montieth: Pacers Q&A
Indianapolis Star sports reporter Mark Montieth answers your questions about the Pacers.
August 19, 2003
Question: There have been many rumors regarding the Pacers and an upgrade at point guard. What do you see taking place? Will the Pacers stick with Jamaal Tinsley or make a run for a solid point guard? If so, who? (John from Evansville, Ind.)
Answer: The Pacers have made it clear they will explore trades and attempt to bring in a veteran point guard, but there's no guarantee that will happen. It's usually easier to make a major deal during the season, before the trade deadline in February. It's highly unlikely they'll panic and do a deal just to do a deal. As for who they pursue, that's nearly impossible to guess. It all depends on who is available, and what another team is willing to take in return.
Question: I know when teams trade players, the salaries of the players involved, for each team, must be within an equal value money range. Does a future draft pick have a monetary value when involved in a trade? For example, can I trade player A who makes a lot of money for player B who makes half as much and throw in a future draft pick to raise the monetary value of my side of the trade so it is in the legal equal money trade range? The reason I ask is to find out if a Pacers future draft pick(s) can be used to bring their value of a trade up to meet the league/union equal money trade guidelines. (David from Georgetown, Texas)
Answer: Future draft picks have no monetary value. They can be used to sweeten a deal, but have no impact on making salaries match.
Question: I've always thought Brad Miller was an adequate defender. Do you see Scot Pollard as a much better post defender? I feel the Pacers need a "tougher" interior defense to take this group to the next level. (Randall from Pendleton, Ind.)
Answer: Pollard is regarded around the league as a better defender and rebounder than Brad Miller, but certainly not as good a shooter. He's slightly quicker and probably a little stronger and more aggressive.
Question: Do you think the Pacers missed out on an opportunity with Golden State recently? G.S. lost Gilbert Arenas to free agency, but then "scrambled to cover" by swapping with Dallas for Nick Van Exel. With the excess of players in need of playing time (Jeff Foster, Jonathan Bender, Al Harrington, Fred Jones, and Austin Croshere), and with Golden State later giving up their leading scorer (Jamison)I believe that an Arenas/Antawn Jamison for Tinsley/Harrington type of deal could have worked well for both teams. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and the numbers would have had to line up. Still, the Pacers potentially could have thinned the ranks without lowering the talent level. Thanks for the great coverage! (Jeff from Avon, Ind.)
Answer: Arenas was a free agent, and would have had to be signed before he could be included in a trade. He signed a six-year, $60 million deal, so you can see how he was valued in the marketplace and how difficult it would have been to make salaries match. The trade you suggest wouldn't work given Arenas' new salary.
The Pacers had no opportunity to sign Arenas as a free agent because they are well over the salary cap, but they theoretically could have worked a sign-and-trade deal for him that would have allowed the Warriors to get something in return for him instead of losing him outright.
Golden State's deal with Dallas surprised me, because it seems heavily weighted in Dallas' favor. All Golden State gets out of it, aside from Van Exel -- who isn't a true point guard in my opinion -- is future salary cap relief because of the soon-to-expire contracts it acquired in the deal. The Warriors were an awfully promising team last season, but they have taken a major step backward this summer.
Question: What is the big wrap Jermaine O'Neal wears around his right arm for? I have noticed that it is always there. (Brian from Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Answer: It's to protect an inflamed bursa sac in the elbow, something he believes he might need surgery for someday.
Question: Are the Pacers any closer to signing Reggie Miller? I thought the plan was to get him signed and then look at signing Jon Barry, but now there's reports that Barry will sign with the Nuggets this week. There's not a lot left out there for the Pacers to sign. Are they still looking at possible trades? (Patrick from Indianapolis)
Answer: It's my hunch that the Pacers have a verbal agreement with Miller. The delay in signing a contract could simply be because they're waiting for him to get back to Indianapolis to sign it. Or, it's certainly possible he needs more time to rehabilitate his right ankle before he can pass his physical. All players must pass a physical when signing a contract. Jermaine O'Neal, by the way, told me recently that he barely passed his because of a couple of nagging injuries.
Barry certainly had the impression he was likely to sign with the Pacers, as we reported. He was looking at houses on his trip to Indianapolis, so he must have believed he was likely to receive an offer. We haven't learned yet if the Pacers didn't have enough money left after making Reggie Miller an offer or if they want to go another direction. They will have 14 players after signing Miller and, presumably, rookie James Jones, so they might be hesitant to add another player, especially if it means they might exceed the luxury tax threshold. Right now they see Ron Artest as the backup shooting guard, with Al Harrington moving into the front line when Artest slides to the backcourt. They are definitely exploring trades.
Indianapolis Star sports reporter Mark Montieth answers your questions about the Pacers.
August 19, 2003
Question: There have been many rumors regarding the Pacers and an upgrade at point guard. What do you see taking place? Will the Pacers stick with Jamaal Tinsley or make a run for a solid point guard? If so, who? (John from Evansville, Ind.)
Answer: The Pacers have made it clear they will explore trades and attempt to bring in a veteran point guard, but there's no guarantee that will happen. It's usually easier to make a major deal during the season, before the trade deadline in February. It's highly unlikely they'll panic and do a deal just to do a deal. As for who they pursue, that's nearly impossible to guess. It all depends on who is available, and what another team is willing to take in return.
Question: I know when teams trade players, the salaries of the players involved, for each team, must be within an equal value money range. Does a future draft pick have a monetary value when involved in a trade? For example, can I trade player A who makes a lot of money for player B who makes half as much and throw in a future draft pick to raise the monetary value of my side of the trade so it is in the legal equal money trade range? The reason I ask is to find out if a Pacers future draft pick(s) can be used to bring their value of a trade up to meet the league/union equal money trade guidelines. (David from Georgetown, Texas)
Answer: Future draft picks have no monetary value. They can be used to sweeten a deal, but have no impact on making salaries match.
Question: I've always thought Brad Miller was an adequate defender. Do you see Scot Pollard as a much better post defender? I feel the Pacers need a "tougher" interior defense to take this group to the next level. (Randall from Pendleton, Ind.)
Answer: Pollard is regarded around the league as a better defender and rebounder than Brad Miller, but certainly not as good a shooter. He's slightly quicker and probably a little stronger and more aggressive.
Question: Do you think the Pacers missed out on an opportunity with Golden State recently? G.S. lost Gilbert Arenas to free agency, but then "scrambled to cover" by swapping with Dallas for Nick Van Exel. With the excess of players in need of playing time (Jeff Foster, Jonathan Bender, Al Harrington, Fred Jones, and Austin Croshere), and with Golden State later giving up their leading scorer (Jamison)I believe that an Arenas/Antawn Jamison for Tinsley/Harrington type of deal could have worked well for both teams. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and the numbers would have had to line up. Still, the Pacers potentially could have thinned the ranks without lowering the talent level. Thanks for the great coverage! (Jeff from Avon, Ind.)
Answer: Arenas was a free agent, and would have had to be signed before he could be included in a trade. He signed a six-year, $60 million deal, so you can see how he was valued in the marketplace and how difficult it would have been to make salaries match. The trade you suggest wouldn't work given Arenas' new salary.
The Pacers had no opportunity to sign Arenas as a free agent because they are well over the salary cap, but they theoretically could have worked a sign-and-trade deal for him that would have allowed the Warriors to get something in return for him instead of losing him outright.
Golden State's deal with Dallas surprised me, because it seems heavily weighted in Dallas' favor. All Golden State gets out of it, aside from Van Exel -- who isn't a true point guard in my opinion -- is future salary cap relief because of the soon-to-expire contracts it acquired in the deal. The Warriors were an awfully promising team last season, but they have taken a major step backward this summer.
Question: What is the big wrap Jermaine O'Neal wears around his right arm for? I have noticed that it is always there. (Brian from Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Answer: It's to protect an inflamed bursa sac in the elbow, something he believes he might need surgery for someday.
Question: Are the Pacers any closer to signing Reggie Miller? I thought the plan was to get him signed and then look at signing Jon Barry, but now there's reports that Barry will sign with the Nuggets this week. There's not a lot left out there for the Pacers to sign. Are they still looking at possible trades? (Patrick from Indianapolis)
Answer: It's my hunch that the Pacers have a verbal agreement with Miller. The delay in signing a contract could simply be because they're waiting for him to get back to Indianapolis to sign it. Or, it's certainly possible he needs more time to rehabilitate his right ankle before he can pass his physical. All players must pass a physical when signing a contract. Jermaine O'Neal, by the way, told me recently that he barely passed his because of a couple of nagging injuries.
Barry certainly had the impression he was likely to sign with the Pacers, as we reported. He was looking at houses on his trip to Indianapolis, so he must have believed he was likely to receive an offer. We haven't learned yet if the Pacers didn't have enough money left after making Reggie Miller an offer or if they want to go another direction. They will have 14 players after signing Miller and, presumably, rookie James Jones, so they might be hesitant to add another player, especially if it means they might exceed the luxury tax threshold. Right now they see Ron Artest as the backup shooting guard, with Al Harrington moving into the front line when Artest slides to the backcourt. They are definitely exploring trades.