New blog will be out later today.

Dear Gas Man,  Packed up and drove to Aspin.  Sorry about the money.

- Lloyd and Harry

The best night of the year came and went in what seemed like seconds.  It’s not the same as going to dinner at the Elks Lodge and watching the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Tom Gugliotta get drafted, but it’s still a really special day.  After my 28 wing encounter on Father’s Day, I headed back to BW’s for draft night on Thursday.  Although the food and company I was with were outstanding, the draft coverage was pretty poor.  Audio was low, while conversations were high.  In the end, it’s the conversations that matter so I won’t worry about the audio too much.  That being said, a new locale may be in the works for next year.

After my original guy, Jonny Flynn, went unexpectedly high to the Timberwolves at 6, I changed my want to Gerald Henderson.  When Henderson went #12, just ahead of the Pacers, our table of 8 started to get hype about the prospects of Jrue Holiday or Jeff Teague donning the blue and gold.  I’ll let the commish take over from here….

With the 13th pick, the Indiana Pacers select……Tyler Hansbrough from the University of North Carolina.  Once the sound of the T came out of the commisioner’s mouth, we acted like a bunch of New York Jet fans on draft day.  In fact, my buddy Betten sent me a text just prior to the pick claiming that they’ll probably go with Hansbrough.  In the back of my mind, I knew he could be right.  But at the forefront, I laughed it off. 

As we know, he was right.  Initially, the problem I had with the pick was the fact that I felt you could get Hansbrough about 5-6 spots lower.  I looked at it as a negative that we already know what he is and what he’ll provide. 

I was still a little bit in shock when I woke up Friday morning, but I decided to give some more thought to the pick.  In a so-called weak draft, what is wrong with getting a guy that we know what we’re getting?  Hard work, rebounding, and a will to win that we haven’t seen in many years.  He’s probably a 14 and 8 type of guy, but who am I to place a ceiling on Tyler Hansbrough.  He’s been proving people wrong since high school.  Oh, and by the way, I’ll take a 14 and 8 guy any day…especially when his teams win ballgames. 

That being said, there’s still work to do for the Pacers.  They’ve announced that they’re letting Marquis Daniels test the free agency market, and with Mike Dunleavy’s uncertainty, are in dire need for another wing.  Daniels has been hampered by injuries, but I’m not quite understanding why they’re letting him opt out.  While 7.3 million dollars seems like a lot of money to pay a 6th man, I think you have to if you want to make ground in the Eastern Conference.  It’s only for one year. 

I feel a little like Mr. Obvious calling into the Bob & Tom Show, but I’m anxious to see what direction the Pacers go starting on Wednesday (the first day of free agency).  Although the Jack-Ford combo was used at times during the season, I’m not sure that does anything to win ballgames.  A wing is a priority this summer.

The Pacers are still far from being a player in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve got flexibility in the next year or two to make some progress.

They went safe in the draft, but safe may turn out to be the best bet in this years draft.