http://hoopshype.com/previews/indiana.htm ADDITIONS: Danny Granger (New Mexico) and Sarunas Jasikevicius (Maccabi Tel Aviv). SUBTRACTIONS: Dale Davis (Detroit), John Edwards (Atlanta), James Jones (Phoenix) and Reggie Miller (retired). STRENGTHS: Great defense... They have tenacious defenders at every position... Ron Artest can shut down pretty much any perimeter player in the league ... Jermaine O'Neal is an intimidating presence in the paint ... Team defense is excellent... The offense is not that good, but O'Neal, Artest, Stephen Jackson and Sarunas Jasikevicius can score in bunches when inspired ... Quite a deep squad ... They are loaded at the wings and have a lot more size, strength and athleticism than the average team in the Eastern Conference... Very consistent squad ... Players don't have personal agendas and execute pretty well ... No room for stupid mistakes with a coach like Rick Carlisle ... This will be a highly motivated group... The Pacers will have a chip on their shoulders after all that happened last season. WEAKNESSES: The volatile Ron Artest is always a question mark ... Will he become a distraction? ... How would he react faced with a situation similar to the one he went through at the Palace of Auburn Hills last year? ... They are very deep at the point guard position, but none of their floor generals have the status of the point guards other contenders in the East have... Same goes with the center spot... Other than Jermaine O'Neal, David Harrison is the only big man with the ability to score inside consistently and he's got conditioning issues ... Rick Carlisle doesn't allow his team to run the fast break much... The Pacers barely get easy baskets in the open court... Their halfcourt offense might not be a beautiful thing to see some nights ... They've lost some offensive firepower from beyond the arc with Reggie Miller and James Jones gone. PROJECTION: 1st in the Central Division / 1st in the Eastern Conference --

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