25 Dec 10 Pacers Search for Point Guard Cure: Jose Calderon Could Be the Vaccine

Doug Benc/Getty ImagesThe Indiana Pacers are an organization that has been in disarray since the "Malice at the Palace." They fell out of contention in the Central Division and NBA's Eastern Conference not too long after.From the days of Reggie Miller, Mark Jackson, Dale Davis, and Rik Smits and being championship contenders, the Pacers have dramatically fallen off the radar of the NBA to a being a team that barely can finish .500.In 2006-07, the beginning of their demise, the Pacers had to suffer through one of their worst seasons in franchise history, Reebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
finishing with a 35-47 record. This record was the worst record they've collected since the 1988-89 season when they finished with a 28-54 record.Gone from the good old days are franchise icons like executive Donnie Walsh, coaches Rick Carlisle and Isiah Thomas, players Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Dale Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, and Al Harrington. In their place are Troy Murphy, Danny Granger, and a team of average NBA players.The Pacers last season finished with the worst record they've had since the 1988-89 season, an abysmal 32-50. Far from the record most Pacer fans remember and expect from their team.Team President Larry Bird on August 4th stated the organization was looking for point guard help and that the front office is not resting until that position is filled. Point guard has always been one of the most important positions to fill in the NBA.The point guard acts as a quarterback on the offensive end and is the first line of defense on the other end. Usually the championship teams always have a good veteran point guard leading their teams. Boston has Rajon Rondo, the Lakers have Derek Fisher, the Jazz have Deron Williams, the Mavericks have Jason Kidd and so on."You like to see if we can get something done, especially at the point position," Bird said. "We're talking to a lot of teams; there are some teams interested in what we have. We told people we weren't going to be in any hurry to do something."Currently, more than 20 free agent point guards have found a new home this offseason, and with the cream of the crop already signed, it appears the Pacers will need to trade for the point guard help they seek.Young point guards Darren Collision and George Hill are unavailable and the rumored All-Stars Chris Paul, and Tony Parker are probably not a realistic option for the Pacers unless they trade their best player, Danny Granger, in the process.Right now, probably the best available point guard for trade would be Jose Calderon out of Toronto.Calderon's contract still has two years left on it, paying him an average of around $9 million a year. However, Calderon's outside shooting and ability to control the offensive end lends itself perfectly to Jim O'Brien's system. He is a pass first point guard who can shoot the three.So I'm going to propose a deal for both sides:To Toronto: TJ Ford and Mike Dunleavy.To Indiana: Jose Calderon, Traded Player Exception (worth roughly $10 million), and Marco Belinelli.Why Does This Work for Indiana? Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers 43 Troy Polamalu Realtree camo Jersey
They get that point guard they've been coveting. They also get money to work with and a first round pick. Losing Dunleavy hurts initially, but with the likes of Rush, Jones, and Lance Stephenson to fill the void at shooting guard and Granger and George filling the void at small forward, the move can be done. This is also not saying the Pacers could use the Trade Player Exception.2010-11 LineupCalderon/PriceRush/D. Jones/Belinelli/StephensonGranger/GeorgeMurphy/Hansbrough/McRobertsHibbert/Foster/S. Jones+ 10 Million Trade Player Exception from TorontoWhy Does This Work for Toronto?They get salary relief as a result and end up getting roughly $20 million in expiring contracts. Couple that with the roughly $12 million in expiring contracts with Evans, Banks, and Belinelli, the Raptors could be big players in the Free Agent market next year.That all depends though on how Toronto is received in the NBA's inner circle amongst its players. If the players feel this organization is going nowhere, they will not cross the border to play here full time. Toronto's 2010-11 LineupJack/Ford/BanksDeRozan/Barbosa/WeemsDunleavy/KleizaJohnson/Davis/EvansBargnani/Dorsey/Alabi/AndersenHowever, what I stated above Reebok Green Bay Packers 21 Charles Woodson Realtree camo Jersey
is just a fantasy prediction, the reality of the situation is that unless a trade is made, TJ Ford remains Indiana's only true veteran option at point guard.His relationship with Jim O'Brien is strained and in the end, it may take some time to mend fences and make up so the Pacers can start their return to glory sooner, rather than later, if at all.