Wednesday Windmill: Just how dangerous are the Indiana Pacers?

One team that seems to be flying under the radar is the red-hot Indiana Pacers, winners of 5 straight games and 8 of their last 10. Led by Victor Oladipo (19.6 points), the Pacers currently have a 25-12 record, putting them just two games back of the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference. In an Eastern Conference that is wide open, this Pacers team needs to be taken seriously as a legitimate contender to reach the NBA Finals.

What makes the Pacers so dangerous is their depth. While Oladipo is their feature player, he has plenty of help around him in guys like Bojan Bogdanovic (16.2 points on 45.7% shooting from 3-point range), Domantas Sabonis (14.6 points & 9.6 rebounds), Myles Turner (13.1 points & 7.3 rebounds), Thaddeus Young (12.1 points & 5.8 rebounds), and Tyreke Evans  (10.5 points). With this depth, the Pacers have the shooters to keep perimeter defenders on their toes and the size up front to bang down low.

The biggest question with this team is whether or not they have a legitimate go-to player in the clutch. It's one thing to have guys who you can go to in the regular season, but it's another to have a guy who you can count on to make a key play in the playoffs. When you look at the rest of the Eastern Conference contenders, it's clear who the go-to players are. The Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Raptors have Kawhi Leonard, the 76ers have Joel Embiid, and the Celtics have Kyrie Irving. While the Pacers can say they have Oladipo, I wouldn't put him in the same league as those other players. At least not yet.

If Oladipo can prove his worth as a legitimate franchise player and show that he's not afraid to step up in the playoffs, then the Pacers have a real chance to go the distance. They have the depth and the versatility to do so. As an added bonus, they have a killer fan base that comes out in droves to support their Pacers come playoff time.

At the moment, I'm not yet sure who to pick to win the Eastern Conference title given that the 76ers and Celtics are underperforming and the Bucks and Raptors are yet to prove they can go deep in the playoffs. With that in mind, I don't see why the Pacers should be excluded from the discussion. They're playing great basketball and have all the pieces to be a nightmare matchup for whoever they face in the playoffs. It's been a while since the Pacers were in the NBA Finals, but I have a feeling this just might be the year that they finally get back.

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Wednesday Windmill: What's up with the New Orleans Pelicans?

One of the more quiet teams in the NBA is the New Orleans Pelicans. They are a team that has one of the league's brightest young stars in Anthony Davis while also possessing the most ridiculous nickname in the history of the NBA. Beyond that, there really isn't much people are saying about them. They failed to make the playoffs last season and likely will miss the playoffs this season.

You combine that with the fact that they are in small market and you get nothing to really talk about, right? Well, if that were the case I wouldn't be blogging about them right now, so clearly there is something to say about them, but what exactly? I've already addressed their horrible nickname and their budding superstar Anthony Davis. What else is there to address?

The honest answer is nothing other than the scary possibility that all they may have to attract fans in a few seasons is nothing more than a goofy nickname and a creepy mascot. That's right, you guessed it:  Anthony Davis isn't likely to stay with the Pelicans long-term. The very idea of Davis not staying with the Pelicans for the long-term has to be making their front office very worried since he is their future.

Just like how Obi-Wan Kenobi was Princess Leia's only hope in Episode IV of Star Wars, Anthony Davis is the only hope the Pelicans have of being any good in the future. As a number one overall pick who can dominate the paint both offensively and defensively, Davis will be highly sought after by many NBA teams once he hits restricted free agency in 2017.

The question that the Pelicans need to answer is "How do we keep him from wanting out of New Orleans?" Even if they are able to hang on to him in restricted free agency, they still need to be able to convince him that New Orleans is a place where he can win championships. While many believe that Davis is capable of winning championships, few believe that New Orleans is capable of winning championships, and therein lies the dilemma.

                                                 (credit: usatoday.com) 

The Pelicans have to convince Davis that they can win championships with him or he's going to eventually leave. A backcourt of Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday is a nice start, no doubt, but the fact that both players are prone to injury makes them a dicey package to sell to Anthony Davis. Can they contend with a trio of Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, and Jrue Holiday in a few seasons? I think the honest answer is "maybe", but "maybe" isn't going to be enough to keep Davis around.

The bottom line is that the Pelicans have to get more around Anthony Davis than what they have. One tradable asset that they have is Tyreke Evans. He's likely going to remain coming off the bench, which automatically makes him rather expendable. I don't mean to say that quality sixth men are always expendable, I'm just saying that they are the first guys to look at when looking at tradable assets.

Evans happens to be a sixth man who is a legit trade chip for the Pelicans. He's very talented and its unclear how exactly he fits in with the team long-term. Trading him could be a good start to getting a better team around Anthony Davis.

At the end of the day, what's up with the Pelicans is that they have the potential to be really good, but it's unclear what their next step needs to be to ensure that they reach their full potential. To be honest, they have to have an attitude of "Whatever Anthony Davis wants, we'll do it".

They need to establish a very good relationship with him on the front end and let him know that whatever he wants, they'll do. If they can at least do that, then they may be able to hang on to him and establish a winning brand. Otherwise, they'll be a team with a silly nickname and a poor product on the floor.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord