Austin Kent

Are they harder with Peja then with Artest? I think if the Pacers trade Artest for Stojakovic it will be the start of there downfall. That being said, I'm accepting of the fact that I may be eating my words come next May but I honestly don't think the Pacers could touch us without Artest. With Artest we still beat them but at least there is definite touching

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froggyvk

I for one would be estatic if the Pacers traded Artest for Peja. I believe that Artest is the perfect complimentary player to a 20-10 big man such as Jermaine O'Neal. He'll still get you 15 ppg, but for the most part he's willing to give the ball up to the big man. I do think he forced things a bit in the Pistons/Pacers series but that may have been an act of frustration. If I'm a GM and choosing a SF to pair with a 20-10 big man, Ron Artest is my #1 choice. If I'm a GM and starting a team from scratch, I'll chose Peja over Artest. But I'm not sure if Peja would blend in with O'Neal as nicely as Artest has.

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MLKG

I'm of the opposite school of thinking. I thinke Peja would be a MUCH better fit alongside O'Neal than Artest would. Peja is the best shooter in the league and would really loosen a lot of the inside pressure on O'Neal.

Artest is a good complimentary scorer, but is is a pure iso player. The Pacers offense consists of either A) Giving O'Neal the ball on the block, or B) Giving Artest the ball on the block. The thing that killed them was there was no ball movement in the half court and all we had to do was pack it in the middle killing the passing lanes and blanketing Artest and O'Neal with shotblockers.

Throw Peja in the mix and he relieves a lot of the inside pressure on O'Neal, those passing lanes open up and Peja is a very underrated passer.

Indiana's downfall last year was their offense had absolutely no balance. It was just post iso after post iso. Peja would really change that.

On the flip side, they would be a weaker defensive team. But I think the offensive improvement would be greater than the defensive loss.

This would make Indiana a better team, whether or not Peja would actually show up for the playoffs though is another story.

PistonFAN81

I would not like Peja going to the Pacers. I am not saying that Artest isnt that good or anything. But I would not wanna see a player that talented playing for the Pacers, infact I hate seeing Oneal over there

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JustinSane

If Tayshaun can slow down McGrady, Iverson and Bryant, I really doubt we should be too worried about the prospect of the Pacers trading the heart of their team for a guy who can shoot, move without the ball, and very little else. Prince would be on him like barnacles on an oil tanker.

the wall

I agree with JustinSane on the point that I'd be happy to see the Pacers lose the heart and soul of their defense. One of the most intense and competitive players in the league. While Peja is a great player and great shooter, he's not even on the same planet as Ron Ron defensively. And even with Peja, they still need a 4 to support JO. I htink that this trade goes in Sacto's favor.

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Austin Kent

Good point Justin, I guess our team just got so good I forgot about the best defender in the NBA.

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PistonFAN81

I am not saying that I would be worried or anything like that. I just dont like that fact that Peja would be on a team that I dis-like so much!!!

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TheHeff

Please trade ron ron for peja I would LOVE to see this happen. Ron ron is just a beast on D and pretty decent on O. I think it would be a huge blow to the Pacers as they would lose half their D without a clamp down defender like ron ron.

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MLKG

Here's the way I see it. Whether the trade goes down or not, Detroit and Indiana are the two best teams in the East.

Ron Artest does NOT help Indiana beat us. The only reason for taking him over Peja is his defense, and in the playoffs all his defense didn't matter, Rip would score 30 anyway.

Individual defenders are vastly overrated, it's all about team defense, and Peja isn't THAT bad of a defender. Remember the season before last the Kings were the BEST defensive team in the league in terms of oppenents FG%, and I seem to remember Peja shutting down Michael Finley TWICE on the final plays of some playoff games.

Besides, Indiana already has another ace defender in Stephen Jackson

No question in my mind, Artest for Peja would be an upgrade for the Pacers.

Pacers Fan

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RP McMurphy

O'Neal was badly injured and wasn't even close to capable of carrying our scoring load, so Artest felt that he was the one who had to carry the Pacers on his back. He did force things way too much, but I don't think that would have happened if O'Neal had been healthy.

Peja struggled to fit in an offense run through Chris Webber, and O'Neal has similar offensive game to Webber. Like you, I don't see it working.

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