Hello season
Posted by pistonsnationThe Pistons (0-0) opening up the 2008/09 season tonight against the Indiana Pacers (0-0) tonight at 8 pm est from the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Game can be viewed locally on Fox Sports Detroit. [GAME CHAT]
Pacers’ Snapshot
Last game: 10/23 (Thur) W 114-91 @ Dallas
Injuries: Mike Dunleavy (sore right knee), Travis Denier (sore left foot)
Tonight’s the night. The first chance for the core to show that they still hunger for gold and to further validate their title in ‘04. First chance for Michael Curry to show the rest of the league that Joe knew what he was doing putting him in the first seat despite his lack of any head coaching experience. First start for Amir Johnson and a chance to show Flip Saunders and his staff that they goofed. First chance for Rodney Stuckey to pick up where he left off in the ECF, we’ve all been holding our breath for that.
This is the first step in the path that hopefully leads to the NBA Finals.
Also, the Pistons are going for their 5th straight home opening win.
First up is the new look Indiana Pacers. This team, like last season under Jim O’Brien, likes to get out and run and hoist up 3 pointers in hurry. Indiana’s got a lot of new pieces in place this season. Ideally a team like the Pistons that know each other like the back of their hands will be able to exploit that. This is a very favorable game to get the season off to a winning start. BetUS.com, a BetUs sports betting website, seems to agree having our Pistons as a 10 1/2 point favorites. You guys should also check out other juicy basketball lines that they are offering.
A lot of new faces this year for the Pacers, 7 to be exact with 3 of them being starters. Let Pacers blog Indy Cornrows be your official Pacers program for the night:
Wow, where to begin? For starters, the Pacers broke free of Jermaine O’Neal’s cap-strangling contract by trading him to Toronto for guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic and forward Maceo Baston (and a draft pick). The addition of Ford signaled that the Pacers were ready to go in a different direction at point guard. Another signal was when Larry Bird told Jamaal Tinsley to stay at home in Atlanta until he was traded.
Tinsley has obliged and will not suit up for the Pacers whether he’s traded prior to the season tipping off or not. From his nameplate in the locker room to the jersey in the team store to the player himself, the Pacers have removed all evidence of Tinsley’s existence in Indy. Well, almost all. There’s still that $21 million salary for the next three years on the books. Bird continues to dangle Tins in front of point guard-desperate teams in hopes a shrewd team will realize Tinsley can still play (which he can, give him a chance…please).
OK, settle back, I’m just getting started with the roster changes since last April. Gone are Kareem Rush (Philly), Flip Murray (Atlanta), Ike Diogu (traded to Portland), Andre Owens (Europe), Jermaine O’Neal (aforementioned trade to Toronto), David Harrison (Minnesota…maybe) and Shawne Williams (traded to Dallas). Whew!
Joining Ford, Nesterovic, and Baston among the new faces for the Pacers are Brandon Rush (13th pick, part of draft night trade with Portland), Jarrett Jack (also from Portland), Roy Hibbert (17th pick, part of trade with Toronto), and local high school hero, Josh McRoberts (trade with Portland). Eddie Jones was traded to the Pacers from Dallas but has yet to report to the team and appears headed for some negotiated retirement or release.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Game preview, Pacers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
