Last Season: The Pacers were without Mike Dunleavy for much of the season because of a knee injury, but even without his 18 ppg the Pacers ranked near the top of the league in offense. The problem was they ranked near the bottom of the league in defense. Last year the Pacers discovered they have a star on the rise in Danny Granger. Granger averaged 25.8 ppg and 5.1 rpg while shooting over 40% from three-point range and was awarded the Most Improved Player of the Year award. With Granger leading the way the Pacers remained competitive all season and finished three games out of the final playoff spot in the East.

Acquisitions: F Tyler Hansbrough, G Luther Head, G Earl Watson, G Dahntay Jones, F Solomon Jones

Departures: G Marquis Daniels, C Rasho Nesterovic, F Stephen Graham, G Jarrett Jack, F Maceo Baston

Starting Five: F Troy Murphy, F Danny Granger, C Jeff Foster, G Dahntay Jones, G T.J. Ford

Bench Mob: Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert, Earl Watson, Brandon Rush, Travis Diener

Most Interesting Man in the World: Rod Benson/Danny Granger. I'm putting two in here because I'm not sure if Rod Benson will make the team. Now that Gilbert Arenas has retired from blogging (for now at least) Benson's blog is the most entertaining among basketball players. Last year he chronicled his life in the D-League and his short-lived stint playing in France. He has self-deprecating humor and keeps the life of an NBA player relatable to anyone. But if it's not Benson, then Danny Granger gets the nod. I don't know much about Granger but I do know he has been planning on building a house with a Batcave.

Over the Hill: Jeff Foster – At 32, Foster is the oldest player on the Pacers’ roster. If he doesn’t start the season on the bench he will eventually become the backup to Roy Hibbert.

Ready to Break Out: Roy Hibbert – Last year Hibbert was a big disappointment. He averaged just 7 ppg and 3.5 rpg and was on the floor just 14 minutes a game. I thought he was a bust who had a very limited offensive game and got by in college because he was 7’2. Well, so far this preseason he is proving me wrong. In two games against the Nuggets he scored 41 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked 12 shots. Hibbert is going to make it hard for coach Jim O’Brien to keep him out of the starting lineup.

Outlook: While every other team is gunning for the free agents after this season, the Pacers will have the cap room after the 2011 season. After 2011 they will have just $21 million locked up and will have a lot of flexibility. This year is about improving and identifying which pieces of their current team are worth keeping and which are worth scrapping. They should be in the thick of the playoff hunt by towards the end of the season and will have a better idea of the direction of the team at that point.

NBA Team Previews