The Pacers will have to defend their Eastern Conference championship without Tyrese Haliburton, who will spend this season rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery. Big man Obi Toppin still believes the Pacers can be “great” without their star guard.
“Ty brings so much to the team and it’s not hidden, everybody understands what he brings to the game,” Toppin told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “So it’s just something that everybody on the team has to do while we’re out there, just doing a little extra knowing what we’re missing and knowing what we need out there on the court and just continue playing Pacers basketball. We’ve built the system here and I feel like everybody has bought into the system. That’s why we’ve been so successful. If we continue doing that, we’re gonna still be great.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Given Josh Giddey‘s defensive shortcomings, handing him a four-year, $100MM contract was a risky move, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. While the Bulls got the deal done without egregiously overpaying, they can’t continue to make large commitments to players that can be exploited on the defensive end, Poe contends. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times takes a different approach, stating that Giddey’s contract compares favorably to several of the Eastern Conference starting point guards.
- The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II projects a Pistons starting lineup of Jaden Ivey, Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren. Sankofa also looks a few other combinations that the coaching staff might want to explore this season.
- Can the Bucks find a reliable point guard? Will Kyle Kuzma have a bounce-back campaign? Those are two of the five questions that could define Milwaukee’s season, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, who takes a closer look at each of those issues.
Name somebody besides Ayo who can play defense on the Bulls. I’ll wait.
There’s that positivity we all love to read
Okoro
Buzelis
It’s a valid analysis. Everybody knows the Bulls have acquired a bunch of offense-first players, and they’ll need to rebalance it somewhat to succeed.
The trade for Caruso made sense. Giddey met the Bulls’ big offensive need for a primary ball-handler. But he’ll always the lack lateral mobility to guard the ball and the perimeter, which is the main reason he didn’t fit in OKC. The fit with Kobe White is questionable for the same reason the rumors of pairing him with Steph Curry made no sense.
Bulls will make playoffs this season.Just don’t forget breathing while responding
Dear mouth-breather,
The play-in is not the play-offs.
Yup,I read your comments like everyone’s else,it is not hard to separate who is an expert and who is a mouth breather like you.All I ask you just to remember in April what you just said:”Play in not the playoffs”.Meet you in April,dear
I appreciate your letting me know you’re an expert. I didn’t know there were any on this board until now.
April.You said play in.I said playoff.Can’t wait to see who is who on this board
I would respect your opinion more if you did not hide behind a fake screen name.
The Pacers are legit to win 45 plus games. Alls game on a veteran team like this will flourish without Tyresse there.
The question will arise are they a better “team” without him. Which is not to be confused with do they “need” him?
Nobody who breathes oxygen on the planet earth has ever wondered if the Pacers are better without Haliburton.
Trading k midd for Kuzma was a bad decision primarily on a human level but apparently also on a basketball level, once you examine what it takes to win in the playoffs.
But not on a financial level. MIL will get something for Kuzma at some point, while Middleton is dead money and probably in his final season. He likely returns to MIL on the minimum after a trade deadline buyout (pending his ankles allowing him to go out on his feet).