26-year old Danny Granger broke out last season as he has turned into one of the best players in the NBA. He played in 67 games for the Pacers last season and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 25.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Granger doesn’t just fill up the boxscore as he is also a outstanding shooter from long range as he hit 40.4% of his shots from 3-point range last season. He is the go to player the Pacers have not had since Reggie Miller played with them. 28-year old Dahntay Jones will back up Granger this season and he is a defensive stopper. He played in 79 games for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 18.1 minutes, 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Jones should be a solid player off the bench for the Pacers. 26-year old Luther Head is also on hand and he has a lot of the same skills as Jones does. But, Head is a better offensive player and he can shoot the rock from long range. Head played in 32 games for the Rockets and Heat last season and he averaged 15.6 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: A

Star shooting guard Danny Granger is the only player on the Pacers who can create his own shot. With that in mind it will be up to the point guards of the Pacers to get the ball to the open guy by driving and dishing. 26-year old T.J. Ford will be the starter at the point again this season and the Pacers need him to stay healthy. Ford played in 74 games for the Pacers last season and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is the guy that makes the Pacers’ offense go. 30-year old Earl Watson has signed on to back up T.J. Ford. Watson played in 68 games for the Thunder last season and he averaged 26.1 minutes, 6.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He should make a solid tandem with Ford. 27-year old Travis Diener will be the #3 point guard and his best skill is his shooting. He played in 55 games for the Pacers last season and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. 22-year old A.J. Price was a 2nd round pick out of Connecticut but he won’t likely see much if any playing time this season.

PROJECTED POSITIONAL GRADE FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON: B-

The Pacers have signed 26-year old shooting guard Luther Head to a 1-year deal. Head played in 32 games (4 starts) for the Rockets and Heat last season and he averaged 15.5 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Head has now played in 265 games (58 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 24.1 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Despite having a reputation of being a good three point shooter, Head has only hit 39.2% of his shots over his career from that distance. This was a nice signing for the bench.

The Pacers have lost free agents Jarrett Jack (Toronto), Rasho Nesterovic (Toronto) and Marquis Daniels (Boston). While none of those three players are elite they all were contributors for the Pacers last season. The Pacers also finally cut ties with point guard Jamaal Tinsley and that’s a good thing. The Pacers did get two players who could help them this season in the NBA Draft. 1st round pick Tyler Hansbrough was the best player in college basketball last season and he should move right into the starting lineup at power forward. A.J. Price was picked in the second round and he will likely start out the season #3 on the depth chart there behind T.J. Ford and Earl Watson. G/F Dahntay Jones, PG Earl Watson and C/F Solomon Jones were all signed as free agents by the Pacers and they should all contribute off the bench. The Pacers also re-signed PF Josh McRoberts who will likely be buried on the bench.

FRONT OFFICE GRADE SO FAR THIS OFF-SEASON: C-