Battle At the Point On Tap In Indy
by Steve Weinman on Sep 27, 2008 12:00 AM EDT
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With certain troublemakers still on the payroll and plenty of questions remaining about his team's basketball acumen, Larry Bird remains entrenched in his efforts to remake both the Indiana Pacers' roster and the team's image. He did pull off two significant draft night deals, which means that coach Jim O'Brien has some remodeling of his own to do on the Pacers' rotation. That starts at the top with the point guard slot.
No matter his contract status, Jamaal Tinsley is all but assured not to be involved at this point. Larry Legend did pick up a point guard in each of those two draft night moves, snagging T.J. Ford along with center Roy Hibbert in the deal that sent Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto and obtaining Jarrett Jack from Portland along with the rights to Brandon Rush in exchange for Ike Diogu and the rights to Jerryd Bayless.
The Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells reported Tuesday that Jim O'Brien has declared an open competition between the new acquisitions for the top spot on the depth chart. We're listing Ford as the favorite.
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The Pacers have a pair of floor generals whose skill sets and deficienies complement each other well. Ford is the more explosive of the two. He has the lightning speed and the flair for dynamic play in the open floor. The former Texas Longhorn loves to get up and down the floor and sprint out on the break. He has the quickness to get to the basket and can distribute the basketball, too (6.9 assists per game and 8.4 per 36 minutes for his career).
In contrast, Jack seems more suited for the slower game than is Ford. He doesn't possess Ford's breakaway speed or his ability to get to the rim, but he shoots the ball a bit better from mid-range and the outside. Though he isn't spectacular from long range, his 33.2 career three-point shooting percentage easily tops Ford's 31.0 mark. Jack doesn't rack up quite as many assists (4.0, 5.3) because he doesn't look to penetrate and kick quite as often and seems more comfortable running the offense from the atop the circles. However, he is a bit more careful with the basketball than Ford, turning it over less than twice per game (2.6 per 36 minutes) to Ford's 2.7 giveaways per game (3.3 per 36). Jack has shot the ball more effectively throughout his career (55.6 percent true shooting), but Ford has raised his efficiency in each of his four seasons and wasn't terrible at 53.3 percent true shooting last season, though he is at just 49.7 for his professional tenure.
Defensively, Jack no doubt has the edge. He has a reputation as a scrappy player with a tough streak, and his size is a big help at the point. At 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, Jack dwarfs Ford, who is listed generously at 6 feet and 165 pounds. Small even by point guard standards, Ford tends to be a liability against any guard even remotely comfortable going to the post, and though he is quicker than Jack, he isn't as rugged. When the team needs added defensive intensity, Jack will be in the floor.
But despite Obie's reported claims that defense will be a deciding factor in determining playing time, the coach's system makes Ford the most likely starter. No matter how much he preaches a commitment to defense, O'Brien his shown that he loves to run his freewheeling up-and-down, heave-'em-up system. Ford is simply the better-suited guard for running that offense. His affinity for the fast break will allow the Pacers to keep the tempo up. Ford's ability to get in the lane will lead to plenty of kick-outs to his swingmen for three-point attempts, which is of course a crux of the Obie system. Though Ford isn't as efficient as Jack, he does look to shoot with more regularity, particularly on drives to the rim, and he is a higher volume scorer. The freestyle, always-in-go-mode feel of O'Brien's offense should be a boon for Ford.
Jarrett Jack is one of the league's best fitted players to the role of backup point guard. He isn't spectacular but doesn't take unnecessary risks and doesn't cost his team possessions when he is on the floor. That he will be a defensive presence in addition to providing a bit more shooting range is a bonus. But he doesn't have the dynamic ability that T.J. Ford does in the open floor, and Ford's ability to take this high-octane offense to new heights remains the most likely attribute to catch Jim O'Brien's fancy this fall.
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i agree, T.J. ford will win hands down (unless he gets injured). I still remember Ford torching Rondo at the start of last season to the tune of 32 points (or around that) in Toronto and Ray Allen’s game-winning shot (one of a few throughout the season) was the saving grace.
Memphis also have a log-jam at the PG spot, not sure who will win that one though (most likely Mike Conley Jr).
also, the first person who I can remember that openly declared he was stockpiling talent in order to create competitive practices was Danny Ainge in 2006. Now more teams are doing it…
by patterson.adam on Sep 27, 2008 1:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
TJ Ford was an excellent and shrewd decision by Bird and his cohorts – he has continued to improve and his competitive drive will keep his injuries from overtaking his career.
That being said, I am hesitant to label the Jarrett Jack move as a success. He’s more of a delonte west type than a true point guard and he is not suited to run a team. He also isn’t a great shooter so really defense is the best thing he has going for him and he should be destined for a role on the bench on any team. Jerryd Bayless, IMO, has superstar potential. The blazers ripped off Larry Legend in that department. Despite not being a true point guard, he can score much better than Jarrett Jack and he has the explosiveness necessary to play at this level. A backcourt tandem of Bayless and TJ Ford would have been dynamite – especially on a fast breaking Jim O’Brien team. It’s just unfortunate we won’t get to see that happen. Jack seems like he was just an insurance move for Ford’s uncertain future. They took the less risk, less reward route, and you just can’t do that when trying to build a playoff/championship caliber team.
by Slick on Sep 27, 2008 2:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
true that Jarrett Jack is definitely a less reward route in terms of ball skills, but with T.J. Ford they didn’t need Bayless and the time it takes to develop a rookie PG (Bayless will make me pay for that comment I bet). they have Roy Hibbert as their main project by the looks of it and they have taken on rookie Brandon Rush as mentioned in the above article. Obie was never one to develop rookies either (apart from J.R. Bremer).
also, Jarrett Jack is a leader and an instigator, something that is VERY important to any championship calibre team. do you remember Jack standing up to Lamar Odom in a good ol’ fashioned standoff in early 2007? that’s probably what he is most well known for :)
by patterson.adam on Sep 27, 2008 3:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
by patterson.adam on Sep 27, 2008 3:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think O’Brien just said that to be polite towards Jack. Ford will surely be the starter.
I absolutely agree that they both complement well – Jack is indeed a very good backup to Ford, for the reasons Steve points out (I’d add that Ford is a decent full-court press defender, and that can be very important to the Pacers).
As a side note: I think Obie, in spite of his fast paced clock management system, is seriously committed to defense (and has one of the best defensive assistant coaches in his coaching team). The problem is that he lacks the personnel. But, while stats may prove me wrong as this is is purely a naked eye observation, I think the Pacers decreased their pace during last season, most probably as a way to protect their poor defense. Even “true believers” like Obie have to be pragmatic.
Obie also made another interesting statement: that Murphy would be the starter at the 4 (I’m guessing Rasho will be the C and Foster will come off the bench – I’m also betting Foster gets back a starting spot somewhere during the season, as usual). In my view, Obie should consider putting aside his system for some possessions and run some DDM sets. Fits his lineup very well.
Slick,
Fair points, but:
- the Pacers didn’t trade Bayless straight up for Jack. They got Rush, who, in my opinion, is going to be a very good player and fills a huge need in their roster.
- a Ford-Bayless pairing wouldn’t work out I think. They’re both too small to be effective defensively and quite similar on their offensive game.
by cordobes on Sep 27, 2008 3:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
(It’s off-subject, but I’ll say it anyways. It’s possible O’Brien’s system produced the best results that could’ve been obtained from the Celtics roster he had to work with. But I sure hated watching that style of basketball.)
by no kidding on Sep 27, 2008 4:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
TJ Ford has the starting spot. Obie is trying to keep Jack motivated because he’s been one of the guys stepping up as a leader during the summer … but TJ is way and away the better player and better fit for the Pacers starting lineup. Ford is about to have a great season.
I’d love to see Obie get TJ Ford to make a greater commitment to
pressuring the ball up the floor because he’s very good at it when he puts his mind to task … but too often he lets the opportunity slide by.
It’s a good combo for the Blazers. Bunch of good wings too. Nice perimeter play. The interior is the biggest question, how much do all their bigs contribute?
by Who on Sep 27, 2008 10:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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