NBA fans across the country woke excitedly Thursday, knowing that the trade deadline was that afternoon and there would be a flurry of deals across the league. As always, those fans got excited over the biggest rumors- after all, who didn’t want to see what Rajon Rondo could do in Houston, with shiny new toys like James Harden and Dwight Howard. Fans want to see blockbusters at the deadline, moves that can push a contender over the top.
That’s what Rondo-to-Houston would have been. It seemed perfect. Rockets head coach Kevin McHale has a history with Celtics GM Danny Ainge- not only did they play together on championship teams in the 80s, but they’ve worked to bring a Big Three together before. McHale was the GM in Minnesota when they traded Garnett to Boston. This would just be returning the favor. Rockets GM Daryl Morey is among the most ambitious front office masterminds in the league, so of course he’d use McHale to lure Rondo to Houston just as he did with Howard.
Unfortunately, the deal fell apart. Or maybe it never really existed. You never know with trade rumors, especially when Houston (who along with Golden State, is the de facto answer to the question “Player X is available. Who might be interested?”) is involved in the rumor. With just hours remaining until the deadline, NBA fans realized that the biggest deals they were going to get were for Spencer Hawes and Gary Neal. The NBA was headed for yet another disappointing trade deadline. That’s when NBA fans got a consolation prize.
At the last minute, the Pacers struck a deal with the 76ers to acquire Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen in exchange for Danny Granger and a 2015 second round draft pick- one of six second round draft picks Philadelphia acquired Thursday. The move was an instant upgrade for Indiana- in one fell swoop they got rid of Granger, saved four million dollars, and picked up insurance for Andrew Bynum.
Not to mention, the price was cheap. There was tension between Granger and the front office- Granger got hurt, Paul George took his job, and Granger became a fourteen-million-dollar bench player. Larry Bird had gone as far as to say that Granger “doesn’t work hard enough” just two months ago. The harsh truth is that Granger was dead weight to the Pacers- in the past two seasons he’s missed 121 games. This season, while putting up just 8.3 points per game, Granger is shooting a woeful 35.9 percent from the field. As for the second round pick, it’s not until the 2015 draft, and it’s likely going to be one of the last five picks in the draft.
Now, the bigger question: what do Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen bring to the Pacers? More specifically, how do they help the Pacers get past Miami? For Lavoy Allen, the answer is little. His main purpose will be to serve as insurance in the highly likely event that Andrew Bynum doesn’t work out. To be clear, I’m not bashing Allen- the Pacers simply have a crowded frontcourt. Hibbert, West, Bynum, Scola and Mahinmi are all ahead of him on the depth chart. When he does see the court, he can play power forward and center, but given the Pacers penchant for 7-footers at center, the 6-foot-9 Allen will mostly play power forward. His main contribution will be rebounding, and Pacers fans shouldn’t expect much from Allen offensively. He’s never averaged above six points or shot above 50 percent.
On the other hand, Turner is a major piece. The former No. 2 overall pick in 2010, Turner has improved every year he’s been in the league. He broke out during the 2012 playoffs with strong performances against Chicago and Boston, averaging 11.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. He’s also an interesting fit for a sixth man role with the Pacers. Turner will do more than just back up Paul George at small forward. In college at Ohio State, Turner would play stretches at point guard, and did it well enough to win the Wooden Award in 2010. He’s one of few players than can play point guard, shooting guard and small forward- which is what he will do for Indiana, functioning as a utility knife off the bench.
Turner will produce across the board- providing points, rebounds and assists. Defensively, I’m less sold on Turner as he’s regressed this season. For his career, he has allowed 106 points per 100 possessions but this year that’s up to allowing a career-worst 110 points per 100 possessions. He’s also caught the turnover bug this season, averaging a career-high 2.9 per contest. While Turner has had problems with both before, I think they’ve been worsened by the 76ers all-around bad play, and can be reined in a bit by a fresh start on a contender. Against the Heat, his ball-handling and shot-creating ability will help take pressure off Paul George and Lance Stephenson to create offensively.
This trade may be exactly what Indiana needs to get past the Heat in the playoffs. However, while adding Turner makes the Pacers better, they still need to clinch the No. 1 seed in the East if they want to reach the NBA Finals. That is what will determine the outcome of the Miami-Indiana Eastern Conference Finals- just like last year. The Pacers hope that the versatility Turner adds to the team will help them hold on to that No. 1 spot- following the Heat win last night the Pacers lead is down to just 1 1/2 games.
-Jay Hillman
You can catch Jay Hillman as the co-host of WIUX’s Excessive Celebration on Saturdays from 1-2 PM ET. Follow Jay on Twitter at @JayChillman for more.
