For those of you who don't know, my Horse Bucket posts are non-football related. Last night, the NBA season started and our Indiana Pacers won over the Bobcats 106-99. The Pacers have a much different roster than the squad last season,adding players like Al Harrington, Marquis Daniels, Darrell Armstrong, and the rookie Shawne Williams. They are moving to a more up tempo, small ball type of game mirroring the Dallas Mavericks.
The Pacers are still battling character issues on the team, most notably Stephen Jackson. The point guard situation is up in the air, and remains to be seen if C/PF Jermaine O'Neal can stay healthy for the entire year. The positives are last year's surprise rookie, Danny Granger, is back with a full year under his belt. Al Harrington has returned for his second go-around with Indy and Rick Carlisle (who is a very fine coach) has an extension.
What do you think about the Pacers this year? Do they have enough talent to compete for a ring?
Also, SB Nation has no Pacers blog. If you are interested in blogging for the Pacers, email me.