The Pacers selected 22-year old point guard A.J. Price with the 52nd pick of the NBA Draft. Price’s addition likely means that the Pacers will attempt to trade T.J. Ford. Price would then back up Jarrett Jack at point guard. Price played in 99 games in three seasons at UConn and he averaged 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. This was a solid pick for the Pacers as Price has a decent future in the NBA.

The Indiana Pacers took the best player in college basketball with the 13th pick of the NBA Draft last night. 23-year old power forward Tyler Hansbrough does everything in his power to win basketball games and that’s likely what drew Larry Bird to draft him. Hansbrough played in 141 games in his four seasons at North Carolina and he averaged 20.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Look for Hansbrough to be given every chance to win a starting job for the Pacers in 2009-2010. The kid is a winner so expect him to help bring a new attitude to Indiana Pacers’ basketball.

The Pacers acquired 7′2″, 278 pound center Roy Hibbert out of Georgetown in the big Jermaine O’Neal trade last night. Hibbert gives the Pacers a talented big man who will likely be the starting center of the future for them. Hibbert played in 136 games (121 starts) for Georgetown and he averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. He has the skills to score more points as the Hoyas ran a big time slow down game on offense. He has a bright future.

The Pacers acquired shooting guard Brandon Rush in the big deal with the Trailblazers last night. His brother (Kareem) already is a Pacer and they both play the same position (shooting guard). Rush is 6′6″, 210 pounds and he has a nice outside shot as he nailed 43.5% of his shots from three point range. Rush played in 109 games (all starts) at Kansas and he averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Rush is a good player with a bright future for the Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers have acquired guard Jarrett Jack, #13 overall pick Brandon Rush (SG) and forward Josh McRoberts from the Blazers for forward Ike Diogu and point guard Jerryd Bayless. The Pacers appeared to get the short end of the stick on this trade as the players they traded to the Blazers have much larger upsides. Jarrett Jack will likely back up at both guard spots for the Pacers this season. He played in 82 games (16 starts) for the Blazers last season and he averaged 9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Jack has never really improved in his career so he is what he is. Jack has now played in 240 games (99 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 27.0 minutes, 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Brandon Rush will get to play with his older brother Kareem Rush who is already a Pacer. Rush played in 109 games in his career at Kansas and he averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Rush’s main skill is as a shooter as he nailed 43.5% of his three point attempts in 2007. Josh McRoberts didn’t get much of a chance last season for the Blazers. He played in 8 games (0 starts) last season for the Blazers and he averaged 3.8 minutes, 1.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game as a rookie. The Pacers might wish that they held onto both Ike Diogu and Jarryd Bayless down the road.