Pacers Free Agents Donald Sloan and Lavoy Allen

The Pacers are going into the 2015-2016 season with a lot of positions to fill, this article will discuss two recent free agents that played with the Pacers last season. I will then give my opinion if the player should be on next year’s team.

AP IMAGE: Donald Slaon
Had a great year for the
Indiana Pacers and is now
an unrestricted free agent.

Donald Sloan is a 27-year-old PG who played the last two seasons with the Pacers, and his current salary is $948,163. Donald Sloan saw increased minutes per game last season due to the injury riddled Pacer season. Donald Sloan started 21 games and averaged 7.4ppg, 3.6apg, 1.2tpg, and shot 40% from the field. All of his stats were improvements from the season before. Donald Sloan is a solid backup point guard and filled in great when George Hill and C.J. Watson were injured. Donald Sloans stats courtesy of http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/6424/lavoy-allen 

Resign Donald Sloan to a 3-year deal for around what we are paying him now. He is a trustworthy backup and capable starter if injuries start to pile up again. Plus his price tag isn’t that high.

Lavoy Allen is a 26-year-old PF who was acquired by the Pacers when they traded Danny Granger to the 76ers. Lavoy is currently making $948,163 and is third in rotation at PF but can also play Center. His numbers were nearly identical from when he played in Philadelphia averaging 5ppg, .6bpg, and 5.1rpg. Lavoy is a decent big man that will be deep in the rotation, don’t expect big numbers but except a player that’s good on the boards and has a constant motor. Lavoy Allen's stats courtesy of http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/6424/lavoy-allen 

AP IMAGE: Lavoy Allen
Spent time at PF & C and
provided great bench depth.
He is also now a free agent

Resign Lavoy Allen unless you can find an upgrade for around the same price. His numbers are in par with what you would expect for his skill level and minutes played. I think he’s a character player and worthy of the Pacer uniform.  

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Pacers Free Agents C.J. Watson & Rodney Stuckey

The Pacers are going into the 2015-2016 season with a lot of positions to fill, this article will discuss two recent free agents that played with the Pacers last season. I will then give my opinion if the player should be on next year’s team.

AP IMAGE: C.J. Watson played
an important role for the Pacers
last season while George Hill was
Injured

C.J. Watson is a 31-year-old point guard point guard in his second year as a Pacer. C.J. saw an uptick in minutes due to an injury-riddled season for the Pacers. He also saw a stat jump with 10ppg, 3.6apg, and 1.8tpg. C.J. did all this averaging 24.9 minutes per game. C.J. was a very comparable backup to George Hill and has a potent 3-point shot. C.J.’s down side is that he’s often injured only playing 57 games last season and 63 before that. Larry Bird has stated that he doesn’t see C.J. coming back next season. States Courtesy of http://es.pn/1GAjhPd

Don’t Resign C.J. Watson unless the point guard market has dried up and he is your last option. He does have some value as a backup but he isn’t reliable for a health standpoint. 

AP IMAGE: Rodney Stuckey
was the perfect replacement
for a departed Lance Stephenson

Rodney Stuckey is a 29-year-old point guard/shooting guard. He came to the Pacers last year on a one-year deal. Rodney both started and came off the bench as a sixth man. After being discarded from the Pistons and seen as a bust, all he really needed was a fresh start and a team that believed in him. Rodney excelled in Indiana shooting the best percentage in his career and averaged 12.6ppg, 3.1apg, and 1.7tpg. Rodney can score off of the dribble and has no problem being a sixth man in the league and looks to be so once Paul George comes back healthy. Larry Bird has talked highly about Rodney stating that “the Pacers need guys like Rodney, he was a major plus for our franchise” Stats courtesy of http://es.pn/1duBvXa

Resign Rodney Stuckey 3-4year deal, he is a pro on and off the court and plays good basketball on both ends of the floor. He will be a great compliment to Paul George and will get even more looks with Paul getting double-teamed.

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Pacers Free Agents Luis Scola & Chris Copeland

The Pacers are going into the 2015-2016 season with a lot of positions to fill, this article will discuss two recent free agents that played with the Pacers last season. I will then give my opinion if the player should be on next year’s team.

AP IMAGE: Free Agent PF Luis
Scola may be target for the Pacers

Luis Scola is a 35-year-old PF played his best year in a Pacers uniform last year as he averaged over 20 minutes per game and produced 9.4ppg, 6.5rpg, and 1.3 assists. All of these stats were better then the previous year. Stats courtesy of http://es.pn/1Ap8t5o Luis can spread the floor with his deadly mid-range shot and is competent on defense and rebounding. His only downside is his price tag, which came in last year at 4.8 million.

Resign to a lower two-year contract and Luis is a lock to come back to the Pacers, he is a dependable inside/midrange scorer and a competent backup to David West. However only do this deal if the money is right. 

AP IMAGE: Chris Copeland
Improved his stats last season
but still saw limited playing
due to his defense.  

Chris Copeland is a 31-year-old SF/PF who saw his playing time increase last year with the injury to Paul George. In this increased role his numbers rose. Copeland averaged 16.6 minutes per game and produced 6.2ppg, 2.2rpg, and 1apg. All of his stats were better then the previous year. Copeland is a deadly three-point shooter and has mediocre skill at driving the lane. His downside is his ability to defend. Stats courtesy of http://es.pn/1BldlDo

Don’t Resign Chris Copeland due to his inability to adapt to the way the Pacers play defense is the main reason he is always on the bench. It does the Pacers no good to have a three point threat if all he does is sit on the bench his contract was also quite high at 3.1 million.

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Indiana Pacer Players W/Player Options

Hey y’all, the Indiana Pacers have two very important player contracts coming up in Roy Hibbert and David West. Their combined salary for next year is a staggering $27,514,031

AP IMAGES: Roy Hibbert has a player
 option for next season, meaning he can
choose to stay with the Pacers or decline
the money and become a unrestricted free
agent

Roy Hibbert who could make $15,514,031 next year provided us with a subpar center performance last year. In fact Roy hasn’t really played well for over a year and a half. Ever since the Pacers collapse after the all-star break in the 2013-2014 season.

This year Roy averaged 10.6 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and 1.6 blocks per game. Points per game and blocks both fell this season, Roy did rebound better this year but this is most likely because Lance Stephenson is gone and Paul George was hurt, and they are both good rebounders at the guard positions.

I think the Pacers would prefer if Roy Hibbert would decline his player option, because he hasn’t played up to his max player contract. Also they are looking to play a faster style next year and Roy will not be able to keep up. 

On the other side there is no way Roy gets anywhere close to that kind of money anywhere else in the league. Roy would be walking away from millions of dollars for no reason that benefits him. A decision to not take the money only benefits a club that makes billions of dollars a year. The only reason I could see Roy leaving all that money is if he is so unhappy in Indiana that going somewhere else would be worth sacrificing millions of dollars.

If I were Roy Hibbert I would take the money and do whatever Coach Vogel told me to do, however as a Pacer fan I want Roy gone. I want to make it clear that I love Roy Hibbert I think he is a good player and a great human being. He just simply isn’t worth the money we are paying him.

David West stands to make $12,000,000 next year as a 34-year-old PF. David West had a decent year but was injured for some time and missed 16 games.

AP IMAGES: David West also has a Player Option
and has the choice to stay or go if he declines the
option he will become an unrestricted free agent.

David West averaged 11.7 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game. David saw his points per game go down, his rebounds stayed the same and his assists went up over last season. We basically got what we expected out of David.

The Pacers would like to keep David West around even though his numbers will likely not improve that much. David West has a great locker room presence and is the vocal leader of this team. He still has nights where he leads the team in scoring and has the ability to spread the floor.

If I were David West I would strongly consider not resigning with the Pacers, David is a strong asset for any team to acquire. Granted he may not get the same about of money at this point in his career I have to believe that he is chasing a championship in this stage of his career. Theirs a little doubt in what direction the Pacers are going and if Paul George can get back to his all-star type play. However as a fan I want West to stay, he is a great leader a good defender and he can still score.  

What would y’all like to see happen, would you like to see them both take their player option or neither. Maybe just Hibbert or just West let me know in the comment section below. Thanks