Dunleavy & Murphy Bulk Up, Daniels Fully Healed <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I went into the summer believing O?Neal would be moved. It?s apparent now, however, that he won?t be unless a team comes up with a better offer than what?s already been presented. Rather than give up O?Neal for less than his market value, the Pacers want to see how he responds to Jim O?Brien?s system. For that matter, they want to see how everyone responds to O?Brien?s system. They can make more accurate evaluations on personnel before the trade deadline in February. Coaching changes have usually brought dramatic improvement to the Pacers, as was the case with the first seasons under Jack McKinney, Jack Ramsay, Larry Brown, Larry Bird and Rick Carlisle. They?ll wait and see if this one has the same impact. A coaching change also can have a dramatic impact on a player?s career. Jalen Rose, for example, drew 14 DNP-CD?s under Brown, then blossomed under Bird. Had we had a forum like this during Brown?s final season as a coach, a lot of people would have been proclaiming Rose a bust and ripping Donnie Walsh for making the deal with Denver. Rik Smits, meanwhile, struggled under Bob Hill but blossomed under Brown. Longtime Pacers fans might recall the cries to trade Smits before Brown?s arrival. O?Neal has already done most of his blossoming, of course. He was playing well last season until he was injured in February. Maybe playing for a more demanding coach will bring out his best. Maybe it won?t work out. Finding out is a better alternative for the Pacers than a bad trade. *** I?ve never heard a team executive say his players were having a lousy off-season, so you have to remain a bit skeptical until you see them in training camp. Pacers front office people, however, are talking enthusiastically about some of their players. Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy are said to be much stronger. Marquis Daniels has healed from the injuries that slowed him the past two seasons. Jermaine O?Neal, his knee surgically healed, says he feels better than he has in at least a couple of years. He?s 10 pounds lighter than last season. Shawne Williams has been in Las Vegas, working with a specialist. Haven't heard of anyone who's dogging it, although David Harrison hasn't done much yet as he recovers from shoulder surgery. </div> Source: Indystar
I remember I had troy murphy on my fantasy team 3 years ago and he dominated in rebounding. Is he still pretty good?
<div class="quote_poster">TheFreshPrince Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I remember I had troy murphy on my fantasy team 3 years ago and he dominated in rebounding. Is he still pretty good?</div> He's gone through some nagging injuries the last few seasons and was traded to Indiana because he didn't fit Don Nelson's uptempo pace. I also remember Murphy being a beast on the glass a few seasons ago, but he's really digressed the past two years. Should be interesting to see how he does under Jim O'Brien's system. Most of his teams have relied on guard play more than pounding the ball inside. The Pacers also need to figure out how to split the playing time between Murphy and Diogu. The organization is very high on Diogu and see him as their future power forward, but at the same time they can't have Murphy riding pine with the money he makes. Of course trading Jermaine O'neal would free up a lot of playing time for Diogu, Granger, Murphy, and Foster.
