Head coach Jim O’Brien led the Pacers to a 32-50 record (39%) last season. He has a 104-142 record (42.3%) during his three years with the Pacers. I don’t see any improvement in the play on the court but until this season I think the front office was just as much to blame. I love the deal for Darren Collison who proved while Chris Paul was out of action in New Orleans that he is a big time player. O’Brien will have no excuses not to improve but at least a couple of wins this year. O’Brien has a career record as a NBA head coach of 286-300 (48.8%) and he is 14-17 (45.2%) in the post season.

23-year old Roy Hibbert played a lot better in his second year with the Pacers but the team is hoping for even more. Hibbert played in 81 games (69 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 25.1 minutes, 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 151 games (111 starts) in his two years with the Pacers and he has averaged 20.2 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. If Hibbert can take another step forward it will result in more wins for the Pacers this year.

26-year old Solomon Jones gave the Pacers solid minutes off the bench last season and they hope that it continues this year. Jones played in 52 games (2 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 13.0 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 208 games (10 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 10.4 minutes, 3.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

33-year old Jeff Foster has been banged up the last couple of years for the Pacers. He played in 16 games (3 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 15.9 minutes, 3.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Foster has now played in 697 games (342 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 21.0 minutes, 5.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. It would be nice if Foster could stay healthy and give the Pacers some minutes behind Hibbert in 2010-11.

29-year old Lance Allred will likely have a hard time making the Pacers’ roster. He is the first completely deaf player to play in the NBA. He played in 3 games for the Cavaliers in 2007-08 and he averaged 3.3 minutes, 1.0 point and 0.3 rebounds per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PACERS CENTERS IN 2010-11: B-

The hope for the Pacers is that second year man Tyler Hansbrough rebounds to eventually start at power forward this year after missing a lot of time last year due to sickness. He played in 29 games (1 start) for the Pacers in his rookie year and he averaged 17.6 minutes, 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Hansbrough only shot 36% of his shots from the floor as a rookie as he just didn’t seem to deal well with the speed of the game. The Pacers need him to step up in 2010-11.

23-year old Josh McRoberts is not a favorite of the coaching staff but he might start at power forward anyway if Hansbrough isn’t ready to give it a go. McRoberts played in 42 games (3 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 12.5 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He has now played in 83 games (3 starts) in his 3 years in the NBA and he has averaged 10.0 minutes, 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

24-year old rookie Magnum Rolle could also wind up with a few minutes this year at power forward. Rolle played in 34 games at Louisiana Tech last season and he averaged 13.9 minutes, 8.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 2.1 blocked shots per game. He played in 93 games in his college career and he has averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PACERS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: D

27-year old Danny Granger is by far the best option the Pacers have on offense heading into 2010-11. Granger played in 62 games (all starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 36.7 minutes, 24.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has now played in 369 games (282 starts) in his five years with the Pacers and he has averaged 32.9 minutes, 17.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 blocked shot per game. The Pacers need to find a way to keep Granger healthy in 2010-11 if they are going to surprise some folks.

20-year old Paul George was a first round pick of the Pacers last June. He played in 29 games for Fresno State last season and he averaged 33.2 minutes, 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game. George played in 63 games in two years at Fresno State and he averaged 33.9 minutes, 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game. George might eventually bump Granger to shooting guard but not likely this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PACERS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A-

The Pacers don’t appear to have a high impact scorer at shooting guard unless they let Danny Granger play here which isn’t likely. 25-year old Brandon Rush will likely have the first shot to win the starting job but he will miss the first five games of the 2010-11 season due to a league suspension. Rush played in 82 games (64 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He did shoot 41.1% from three point range which was a positive last season. Rush has now played in 157 games (83 starts) in his first two years with the Pacers and he has averaged 27.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Rush will need to step up his game if he wants to continue starting for the Pacers.

30-year old Mike Dunleavy is trying to have a comeback season after being banged up most of last year. Dunleavy played in 67 games (15 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 22.2 minutes, 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He has now played in 566 games (379 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.8 minutes, 12.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

29-year old Dahntay Jones had by far the best season of his NBA career last year for the Pacers. Jones played in 76 games (26 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 24.9 minutes, 10.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He has now played in 401 games (133 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 17.4 minutes, 6.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Jones is a very solid defensive player but the Pacers hope he can repeat the numbers he put up last year.

33-year old James Posey’s career is winding down but he still has a nice stroke from outside. He played in 77 games (2 starts) for the Hornets last season and he averaged 22.5 minutes, 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Posey has now played in 815 games (479 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 27.5 minutes, 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Posey could give the Pacers 15-20 decent minutes per night in 2010-11.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PACERS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: D