22-year old small forward Paul George has been named the 2012-13 NBA’s Most Improved Player.  He won the award by playing in 79 games (all starts) for the Pacers in 2012-13 and he averaged 37.6 minutes, 16.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  He had 23 double-doubles and 1 triple-double for the Pacers this year.  He scored more than 20 points in a game 34 times this year and he had at least 10 rebounds in 22 games.  With Danny Granger missing most of the 2012-13 season, the Pacers needed someone to step up offensively and George was that guy.  He played in 66 games (all starts) in 2011-12 for the Pacers and he averaged 29.7 minutes, 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  George deserved this award as he really stepped up his game for the Pacers in 2012-13.

The Pacers are going to shut down 29-year old SF/SG Danny Granger for at least a week due to knee soreness.  Granger has played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Pacers so far this year and he is averaging 14.8 minutes, 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Granger is only shooting 28.6% (10 of 35) from the floor, 20% (2 for 10) and 62.5% (five of eight) from the free throw line this year, so he is looking rusty for the Pacers.  The Pacers need to shut down Granger until he’s almost 100%, because he’s too important to risk further injury by playing him too early.

UPDATE:  (3/28/2013) - The Pacers have shut down Danny Granger for the rest of the 2012-13 season as he needs left knee surgery.

The Pacers are likely going to get 29-year old small forward Danny Granger back for tomorrow’s game against the Bobcats.  This will give the Pacers a huge lift as Granger has not played yet this season.  Granger played in 62 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 33.3 minutes, 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He has now played in 510 games (423 starts) in his first seven years with the Pacers and he is averaging 33.2 minutes, 18.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  The Pacers will likely watch Granger’s workload for the first couple weeks or so, before turning him loose.

UPDATE:  (2/22/2013) - Danny Granger still hasn’t returned yet, but he’s getting closer.

The Pacers will be without 29-year old starting small forward Danny Granger indefinitely due to left knee soreness. Granger played in 62 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 33.3 minutes, 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The guy who will see the biggest bump in minutes until Granger is ready to return to action is 26-year old SG/SF Gerald Green. Green played in 31 games (2 starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 25.2 minutes, 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assist per game. The Pacers hope that Granger isn’t out of action too long as he is the best offensive player on the team.

The Pacers have signed 26-year old SG/SF Gerald Green to a 3-year, $10 million dollar deal. Green played in 31 games (2 starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 25.2 minutes, 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He has now played in 212 games (43 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 17.3 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. This was a good pickup for the Pacers as Green should give them nice energy and offense off the bench starting in 2012-13.

The Pacers have signed 24-year old point guard D.J. Augustin to a 1-year. $3.5 million dollar deal. Augustin played in 48 games (46 starts) for the Bobcats last year and he averaged 29.3 minutes, 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. He only shot 37.6% from the floor last year and that is pretty awful. Augustin has now played in 282 games (142 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 26.8 minutes, 10.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Augustin will battle George Hill for the starting point guard job in training camp. This was a solid addition for the Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers have acquired 25-year old PF/C Ian Mahinmi from the Mavericks for 24-year old PG Darren Collison and 31-year old SG/SF Dahntay Jones. Mahinmi signed a 4-year, $16 million dollar deal with the Mavericks before he was dealt to the Pacers. Mahinmi played in 61 games (12 starts) for the Mavericks last year and he averaged 18.7 minutes, 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has now played in 149 games (12 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 12.2 minutes, 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. This was a nice addition for the Pacers as Mahinmi is an improving big guy, which they need.

Darren Collison played in 60 games (56 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He played in 139 games (135 starts) in his two years with the Pacers and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Collison was made expendable when the Pacers re-signed George Hill. Dahntay Jones played in 65 games (3 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He played in 186 games (31 starts) in his three years with the Pacers and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.

The Indiana Pacers will have to ante’ up to re-sign Roy Hibbert as the Blazers have signed him to a 4-year, $59 million dollar offer sheet. Hibbert played in 65 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 29.8 minutes, 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game. Hibbert has played in 297 games (256 starts) in his four years with the Pacers and he has averaged 24.3 minutes, 11.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Hibbert is currently #6 in Pacers’ history with 477 blocked shots. The Pacers better think long and hard about matching the offer Hibbert got from the Blazers, because he keeps getting better every season.

UPDATE: (7/11/2012) - The Pacers have matched Portland’s offer sheet for Roy Hibbert.

The Pacers have re-signed 26-year old guard George Hill to a 5-year deal worth $40 million bucks. Hill played in 50 games (9 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 25.5 minutes, 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He has now played in 281 games (64 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Hill will likely bump Darren Collison to the bench and start at point guard starting in 2012-13. This was a smart move by the Pacers.

The Sacramento Kings picked 23-year old shooting guard Orlando Johnson out of UC-Santa Barbara with the 36th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2012 NBA Draft. They then traded him to the Pacers for a wad of cold, hard cash. Johnson is 6′5″, 205 pounds. Johnson played in 31 games at UC-Santa Barbara last year and he averaged 34.4 minutes, 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Johnson played in 124 games in his four years in college and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Johnson will likely give the Pacers some offense off the bench as a rookie.