Written by Josh Dhani, Owner of FootBasket
Hey guys, it's Josh Dhani. I now write for the Pacers Pulse.
Hope you enjoy my posts for them! Here is my first one for them.
Well the NBA Playoffs have started a while ago and the Pacers were out of it a while ago. But they did come close, finishing 36-46, three games behind the eighth seeded Pistons who had an 39-43 record. Indy almost made it but lost Mike Dunleavy for most of the last part of the season. But there was one thing that stuck out the most.
Jamaal Tinsley.
That's right! Jamaal Tinsley. After looking at D. Michael Lee's, creator of Layup Drill, article, said that Jamaal Tinsley could be traded for Heat's Udonis Haslem. This article actually spoke to me and it was very well written, and I totally agreed about everything D. said.
But why didn't it happen? Should have the Pacers traded Tinsley for Haslem? If they did that, wouldn't the Pacers have made it to the playoffs. Questions like these have to be answered, and that is why I am here. This is the talk, the Pacers talk, that is.
This trade could be a big help for both teams, not just the Pacers. It would also help the Heat, greatly! First, let's start with the Pacers. The Pacers are looking for that next Jermaine O'Neal. A powerful power forward that can't be denied like O'Neal did. The only probably was for O'Neal is that he committed way too many fouls and was injured most of the time in his last bouts with Indy.
The Pacers can receive bruising forward for the big guys: Troy Murphy, Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, and Jeff Foster. Udonis Haslem can also be a guy for a trade. I mean, who doesn't want Haslem? He can shoot from ranges a lot of power forwards/centers can't. There are some highlights of Haslem in the NBA Finals, and I observed him going for a shot behind the arc! And guess what?
He made it! He actually made it.
Haslem can shoot threes sometimes, but not most of the time. He will shoot it when it really matters. But I mostly see him shoot from the free throw lane or a little higher. He can also be a Jermaine O'Neal by just getting up to the rim and dunk your way through.
And remember earlier about trading Haslem? Yeah, I think that can happen. Indiana can trade him for some draft picks, and that could actually be beneficial. It would be great seeing Murphy and Haslem in the starting line-up. I also observe that when Pacers go for those threes and miss, no one is there to rebound the basketball. Murphy and Hibbert are the tallest players on the team with Murphy at 6'11" and Hibbert a 7'2."
Haslem is small at 6'8" but he can rebound. I have seen him done it before and he can do it actually. And also, who would want to turn down a guy who blocks a shot on one of the best players in the NBA?
And also, the Pacers can you use Haslem for buzzer-beaters and game-winners.
Now why would the Heat want Tinsley? Well here you go!
Tinsley can be a guy who could mentor the young and rising Mario Chalmers, who has been doing great! It will kind of be like the Celtics taking Sam Cassell to tutor the young Rajon Rando. And look how that turned out? Rando is now turning into one of the best point guards in the game. And Tinsley is a sharp three-point shooter.
When I saw Tinsley play in Indy in 2007, he was just too good from downtown. When he is right on the line for the three pointer, he barely jumps, but he still makes it. I've seen him easily make 40-foot shots. Do you realize how much help that can be for a team like the Heat? Dwayne Wade isn't so sharp at three-point shooting, and now, he can finally get a rest besides being the man to do everything.
And who wouldn't want a guy just literally owning the Great Wall of China? And if you want some tight moves from a 30-year-old, the Heat would just take him in a heartbeat!
So you get it, how it can help both teams? The Pacers could have gone at 43-39 and the Heat could have beaten the Hawks, easily, in the playoffs. They would have won the series like these records: 4-2 or 4-1. I just hope this trade will sometime happen soon. Probably in the off-season or next year, but it better happen.
Just expect it...
