2014-2015 Finish: 53 - 29

Season Highlight

The Pacers led by the leagues most flamboyant GM were fresh off of their first playoff birth in over 10 years and were looking to prove that the 13/14 season was no fluke.

Season Lowlight

After a second consecutive playoff appearance the Pacers were swept out of the playoffs chasing their tails by a veteran lead Miami Heat team that entered the series short handed.

Best Trade

TEAM	ADDED	LOST
	Jamal Crawford Tristan Thompson Timothy Hardaway	Kyle Korver Spencer Hawes Brandon Knight
	Kyle Korver Spencer Hawes Brandon Knight	Jamal Crawford Tristan Thompson Timothy Hardaway

This was a pretty interesting deal where technically both teams win out in the trade. Sheed is on record as publicly bashing deals that involve senior citizens. Here he trades for oldest bonafied gunner in the leage in Jamal Crawford. But does bracket the deal with super rebounder Tristan Thompson and the perennially underrated wing Timothy Hardaway Jr. Moving Kyle Korver who is no spring chicken either along with Brandon Knight and Spencer Hawes who didn't seem to fit the system was a solid move.

Worst Trade

TEAM	ADDED	LOST
	Perry Jones Steven Adams Thanasis Antetokounmpo Second rounder (Hou) for 2015 Second rounder (Orl) for 2015	Marcin Gortat
	Marcin Gortat	Perry Jones Steven Adams Thanasis Antetokounmpo Second rounder (Hou) for 2015 Second rounder (Orl) for 2015

The former GM of the Year didn't really make any bad trades per se. This deal only comes up because of the Tristan Thompson hold out potentially leaving Adams as a starter and Perry Jones as a heavy usage backup. If the Thompson situation gets resolved sooner rather than later then this trade goes back to be a pretty fair move.

Other Notable Trades

TEAM	ADDED	LOST
	Vince Carter
		Vince Carter

With the acquisition of Vince Carter the Pacers SG rotation is so old they run practices using a peach basket as a hoop.

TEAM	ADDED	LOST
	Marcus Thornton	Tony Allen Ryan Kelly
	Tony Allen Ryan Kelly	Marcus Thornton

Marcus Thornton coming in for the offensively challenged Tony Allen and Ryan Kelly was a solid attempt to bolster the bench and land a potential 6th man.

Best FA Signing

Micheal Beasley was an outstanding midseason pick up as he steped right in and managed to average 17.5 pts a game as a starter and nearly 9 a game as a bench player. If he had been available for the whole season he could have garnered 6th man of the year consideration.

Worst FA Signing

Sheed signed a number of low salaried min players but non can really be considered bad.

Star

Blake Griffin has continued to stake and claim ownership of this team. At 23 ppg and 11 rpg he is hands down the most prolific power forward in the game and will likely remain so for years to come.

Surprise

Tiny Tim Jr is likely the biggest surprise. He has stepped in and really established himself as a potential all-star and will likely solidify the #2 scoring option spot as Crawford begins to fade into his geriatric years.

Goat

Jamal Crawford. Although great during the regular season after his acquisiton by the Pacers. He lead them with 23.9 points a game. But didn't quite raise his game in the playoffs and showed signs of running out of gas.

Draft Report Card

The Pacers drafted late in the 1st round and the 2nd round. Jarell Martin and Sir'Dominic Pointer respectively will likely be stashed or sent to the D-League. The most likely rookie to make an impact with them will probably Thanasis Antetokounmpo who's rights were acuired via trade. Thanasis spent last season in the D-League but has the length and athleticism to be a productive wing player in the NLL.

The Pacers are poised to build on the last two seasons of success with the exception being that the Tristan Thompson situation has created a cavernous hole for them at center. Thompson wants a max deal But Sheed has wisely decided to against tying up so much money with a player that has such limited offensive impact. The Pacers best player Blake Griffin is on record with how much he loves playing with Tristan. But he isn't the GM or the owner so his weight can onlly carry Tristan's negotiations so far. In his favor the Pacers are clearly commited to him after paving the way for teh starting center spot by trading Gortat. If the Pacers and Tristan can reach a reasonable middle ground everything should end up being just fine.

Upcoming Free Agents

Tristan Thompson - A restricted free agent. But wants more money than he is worth. Management isn' going to budge so he needs to come back down to earth. He has a good situation in Indiana and truthfully has no other options.

Goran Dragic - A silky smooth hard nosed floor general. Goran has pretty pledged his alegiance to Sheed and the Pacers and is rumored to be coming back at a slight discount.

Luke Babbit - An impactless journeyman that does have a decent shooting stroke. Will likely be re-signed and then sent back to the end of the bench.

Dewayne Dedmon - Has great size and some good tools. But has trouble staying healthy. Could find a place with the Pacers if Tristan's situation remains unresolved.

Jeremy Lin - A major fan favorite in Indiana. But wants more playing time and is expected to leave for a team than can offer more playing time.

Marcus Thorton - A great low budget gun slinger. Will be cast asside thanks to the arrival of Vince Carter

Michael Beasley and Jordan Hamilton - Neither player is expected to return.