22-year old Roy Hibbert has likely won the starting job as he is having a super pre-season for the Pacers. Hibbert is a huge man at 7′2″, 278 pounds and he knows how to throw his weight around. He played in 70 games for the Pacers last season and he averaged 14.4 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. With his minutes likely doubling this season look for Hibbert to put up decent numbers. 32-year old Jeff Foster is also a tough banger in the paint. He played in 74 games for the Pacers last year and he averaged 24.7 minutes, 6.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. His minutes will likely drop a little bit this season which could make him even a little bit more effective due to rest. 25-year old Solomon Jones will likely be #3 in line at both center and power forward for the Pacers this season. He played in 63 games for the Hawks last season and he averaged 10.7 minutes, 3.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. With more playing time Jones will be able to show that he can really play in this league.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: C

The Pacers have three white guys playing power forward this season and they all have talent. 29-year old Troy Murphy will be the starter and he is a very underrated basketball player. He played in 73 games for the Pacers last season and he averaged 34.0 minutes, 14.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Murphy is also a long range assassin as he nailed 45% from behind the three point arc last season which is very, very rare for a power forward. 23-year old Tyler Hansbrough will back up Murphy this season. He was the 13th pick of the first round of the NBA Draft last June by the Pacers. Hansbrough quite simply is a winner and he will bring that attittude with him to Indiana. 22-year old Josh McRoberts will be the #3 guy in line at power forward for the Pacers this season. He played in 33 games for the Pacers last year and he averaged 8.5 minutes, 2.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B

The Pacers are hoping that 29-year old Mike Dunleavy will be able to play a lot this season. He only played in 18 games last season for the Pacers and he averaged 27.5 minutes, 15.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. The need a healthy Dunleavy to give them another solid option on the offensive end of the basketball court. 24-year old Brandon Rush will back up Dunleavy this season. He is much more athletic than Dunleavy but his game is not as well rounded as his. Rush played in 75 games as a rookie last season for the Pacers and he averaged 24.0 minutes, 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He has a nice upside and he should show steady improvement as the year goes on for the Pacers.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: C