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  • Why Signing Deandre Ayton is a Bad Idea

    Why Signing Deandre Ayton is a Bad Idea
    2022/07/13

    Introduction

    Welcome back to my Substack page. Yes, this has been renamed to The Westside Report. If your wondering this used to be the Pacers Court Stack. I chose to rename it to allow for a name to be used for both the podcast and blog portions, to make it less confusing for new viewers. I plan to be more active over the next few months and be sure to get out at least one article/podcast a week.

    Why Signing Ayton is Bad Long Term

    First of all I want to say is I have been receiving threats and hate mail all week on my Twitter for my stance on Ayton. I believe Ayton is a great player but I think signing him isn’t smart long term for the Pacers. Why I believe this is because of the timing and because of the cap hit that it would mean. Y’all believe signing him to a max contract is alright because we have the cap now but forget we have to resign Tyrese Haliburton next off-season.

    I will admit it is hard to have losing seasons but they are necessary to return to greatness. We all want the same thing, that is a championship. If we all just relax and wait for the right time we can maybe find the perfect combo to compete in the Eastern Conference again. That will take another season or two before that is a realistic projection for the Pacers. However, it will be well worth it.

    We all know our owner and his opinion on offer sheets. However, I think if your going to do it. Just do the the offer sheet. Why give up assets that you could trade elsewhere and get more assets, like draft picks. Problem is Phoenix is dead set on to not lose Ayton for nothing, and they want more in return than Myles Turner. I feel it would be dumb of the Pacers to add in draft picks when you know they will be lottery picks. Just wait maybe Phoenix will change their minds or maybe just give up and wait for the draft next year.

    The main reason why I disagree with most Pacers fans is because I feel signing Ayton is something that will affect Isaiah Jackson’s development. Just like Myles Turner before him, if Ayton is signed. Isaiah Jackson will have to either play the 4 or play as the backup center long term. Some fans be telling me that Isaiah Jackson has a long way to go, however if you sign Ayton to a 4 year, time will slip by quickly. I feel Isaiah Jackson is 2 years away from showing his full potential and I personally believe he has more potential than Ayton has. If you really want to Isaiah Jackson to succeed the best option is to sign Ayton to a contract that is less than 3 years in length.

    Other Pacers News and Points

    The Pacers Summer League roster was fun to watch. I will leave most of my opinions for my next article which will breakdown the Summer League but I will say Mathurin made his statement already. I am excited to see him this season because he has a really good chance to be the Rookie of the Year.

    Thanks for reading The Westside Report! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewestsidereport.substack.com
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    21 分
  • Why Losing Jalen Smith Isn't The End of The World

    Why Losing Jalen Smith Isn't The End of The World
    2022/03/04
    IntroductionPacers fans we need to have that conversation. Yeah we may all love Jalen Smith, but let’s be real. He isn’t going to be on this team next year. Maybe it isn’t a bad thing though. Jalen Smith has help contribute more evidence that players get better when they arrive in Indiana. That is a net positive in my opinion. Today, I will be giving you reasons why you shouldn’t be worried about losing Jalen Smith.Background For Casual FansSomething I want to start to convey in my articles and podcasts is more background for the casual fan. This was requested by multiple subscribers since my last publication. This will give fans more background on recent events that have a big part in the reasoning of the articles themselves. Like today, I will give a background on Jalen Smith; who he is, when he joined the Pacers and how did we acquired him.Jalen Smith was acquired by the Pacers at the trade deadline last month, in the trade that sent Torey Craig to the Suns. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Suns. Some may remember him from his scuffle with IU fans in Bloomington while he was playing for Maryland. While A Member Of The SunsJalen didn’t get the playing time that he needed in Phoenix. Playing in the shadow of Deandre Ayton (who I will discuss later in the article), he wasn’t able to show his talents. Last year in his first year, he split his time with the Suns and the G league’s Agua Caliente Clippers. He really didn't play quality minutes all year for the Suns. As we all know the Suns went on to the NBA Finals and lost to the Bucks. This year, he was better but he just didn’t mesh with the roster. The Suns traded him to bring back a familiar face in Torey Craig who helped them in the Finals run last year. However, the truth is the Suns don’t have much cap space this upcoming off-season with Devin Booker’s contract expiring. They had to make a move to win now. The problem is the Suns didn't pick up Jalen's 3rd year rookie option. It was surprising when they chose that option but it showed that he wasn’t someone they saw as a long term asset. If they did they could have gotten a lot more in return.So Far With The PacersSince joining the Pacers, Jalen has been a steal according to most Pacers fans. He has showed some elite potential and proven himself as a go to guy. In 8 games with the Pacers, he has average 13.1 points per game and 8 rebounds per game. It's true he has shown some immaturity and temper issues which I believe isn’t a big deal but he better grow up soon. If he doesn't he could struggle with finding a long term landing spot.My Thoughts Before Jalen SmithLet’s keep this in mind. The future of the team before Jalen was already bright. Isaiah Jackson is going to be a core piece on a NBA team at some point. He has shown elite potential already at times. Myles Turner has obviously had a big impact on his growth so far. You can see that in his game.Even though we only had a day to think about it after the Sabonis trade, a future with Myles at the five is something I really want. Myles is a rare talent in today’s game. If he can improve on the offensive side. We will be in great shape. Down the road, just imagine a lineup with two explosive defenders at the four and five in Myles and Isaiah. You can’t tell me for one second that you don’t want to see that!There is a reason that fan-bases around the NBA have been requesting their front offices to trade for Myles Turner. He is a complete game changer and can be a key piece to a championship team. Not only that, Myles is the longest tenure on this roster and has been on this team since 2015. Four years before Malcolm Brogdon who is the second longest tenure on the roster, who joined in 2019. The team is now in the second retool/rebuild since he joined the team. If believed Kevin Prichard was going to move him, he would have already done it.Other DirectionsThe Pacers are at a crossroads. It’s hard to layout all the options. I tried making a list but there are way too many directions. The fact is Jalen is gone and what direction do we move in. We can do it with one of our draft picks this year or in free agency. We will see but these are some of the possibilities. The DraftThe Pacers have many different options in the draft. Obviously, this may not be something fans want with the recent draft history. For example, Goga Bitadze was drafted only 3 years ago and he has showed little progress in development. The organization always says “we see it in practice”. However, that’s not been apparent in games at the NBA level. Don’t get me started with the NBA G League because it’s not the NBA.The truth is the draft is the most likely possibility. I can’t see the Pacers passing on Jabari Smith or Paolo Banchero. Even if we aren’t in a position to draft either one, I believe Kevin Prichard will not pass on the opportunity to move up and get one of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ...
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    29 分
  • Domantas Sabonis The Guy Everyone Discounted

    Domantas Sabonis The Guy Everyone Discounted
    2022/02/21
    IntroductionThis is my first post here on Substack. I want to introduce myself before we talk about the trade. First of all, welcome to Pacers Court. This blog will be the place I give my full take on the Pacers and the rest of the NBA. I previously was the head of Lockerbie Sports. While at Lockerbie, I hosted many podcasts including Breaking Dahn and the Morning Lockerbie Show. I enjoyed my time there. However, Lockerbie closed up last month after 2 years and I've moved into independent journalism. I hope to find a new home at some point but right now this is where you'll find me.Domantas Sabonis Leaves IndyPacers said goodbye to Domantas Sabonis last Tuesday as he was traded to the Sacramento Kings. It's hard to fathom that he's gone. Sabonis has been a player I've believed in since he was traded here with Victor Oladipo in the Paul George Trade. Sabonis grew so much as a person, and as a player while he was here. Getting married to his wife Shashana Sabonis in August. Watching him go from a throw in player to a 2 time All-Star. It's been a great ride. I'll never forget the time I got my 2019-20 city edition Sabonis jersey. I was so excited and I've hanged it on my wall ever since.Sabonis brought it nearly every night on both ends of the court. Becoming a consistent double double guy for the Pacers. He may not be missed in the short term but over time I feel more Pacers fans will feel it. He is a big loss for this franchise regardless if it was a good move for the future.Overall TradeThe Pacers knew going into this season that this would be the last year for the Turbois experiment. If Rick Carlisle, wasn't able to find a way to make it work they were going to move at least one of them.As we all know, Sabonis was the one who was moved. According to WOJ, Pacers and Kings made a big trade that included Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and 2027 2nd Round Pick headed to Sacramento, and Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson coming back to the Pacers. Personally I believe this trade was an absolute steal. As I said on my twitter, Kevin Prichard broke the entire City of Sacramento's ankles. The rest of the league was shocked because it was thought around the league that Tyrese Haliburton was untouchable.Regardless, Tyrese will be a major impact player for the Pacers going forward. He will be the franchise cornerstone, the first since Paul George. Only 21 years old, he will have many season of growth in front of him and he should easily reach All Star level by the time it is over with. Not only that, he will no doubly go down as the best Pacers point guard in the NBA era of the franchise.The other asset Buddy Hield is also a great pickup. Hield is one of the leagues best 3 point shooters and should fill the role that Doug McDermott did during his time here in Indiana. He has already made some fans call Gainbridge Fieldhouse, The Hieldhouse.How will the Sabonis Era be remembered?I feel a lot of people aren’t talking about the legacy that Sabonis has left. I believe he will be forever loved here in Indiana. Some fans may turn on him because how he went out. In general, how can you blame the guy for leaving?Kevin Prichard messed up. Plain in simple. He’s the reason Sabonis wanted out. Yeah he may have left eventually but KP is the soul reason. Those who believe Sabonis’s legacy is tainted aren’t right because he didn’t give up on us. We gave up on him.When Sabonis comes back to town on March 23rd. Pacers fans will give him a proper send off. I believe it won’t be as strong as Victor was but it should. The fact is that Victor gave up on us. He didn’t want to be here. Sabonis did and I feel he will be loved here even in a different jersey. The Next EraThese trades obviously give a signal. The Pacers are rebuilding on the fly. The Pacers should rebound next season. With the assets they’ve gained and the draft assets we have. As fans of this team, we need to continue to be hard on Kevin Prichard and ownership. We can’t count on them to do the right thing. Being right so far, doesn’t mean they will continue to do the right thing. Don’t be surprised when they do make a bad move.Pacers fans have made it clear over the course of this season. We want to draft Jaden Ivey. Being from Indiana, it makes so much sense. He’s an absolute stud and should make a great one and two punch with Haliburton. We also need to keep in mind the other guys on the draft board. The Pacers have Duarte already so maybe drafting someone in a position of need makes more sense. Now let’s be honest, Herb Simon is 87 years old. He doesn’t have many more years left. I believe he completely open to risk everything to win a championship. He has been open to spending money which has been great in the past. Also keep in mind, he has a soft-side for in-state talents as we all know. He also really likes getting butts in the seats. Don’t be surprised when we trade for Gordon Hayward, Eric Gordon, ...
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    25 分