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NBA Power Rankings: The Regular Season Begins

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 20, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) prepares to shoot over Cleveland Cavaliers forwards LeBron James (23) and Kevin Love (0) at Value City Arena. Cleveland won the game 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) prepares to shoot over Cleveland Cavaliers forwards LeBron James (23) and Kevin Love (0) at Value City Arena. Cleveland won the game 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 23, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) in a time out during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Pacers win 88-79. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

--. Previous: . Indiana Pacers. 27. team. 100. Let’s take a quick look at the list of good things about the 2014-15 Indiana Pacers: Head coach Frank Vogel got a well-deserved contract extension. All right! That was fun. Now let’s take a look at the bad: Lance Stephenson is gone; Paul George is out for probably the entire season; George Hill will miss at least the first three weeks of the season with a knee injury; David West will miss at least the first three games of the season with a sprained ankle; Rodney Stuckey’s status is uncertain for  Indiana’s season opener; Larry Bird may physically morph into Angry Bird this year; and all the pressure in the world is on Roy Hibbert. <p> </p> <p>Hibbert, in case you’ve forgotten doesn’t do so well with pressure. Every time he showed us flashes of dominance in the playoffs, he followed it up with an underwhelming regular season. This past year’s meltdown was particularly discouraging, and the seven-footer’s trade value has never been lower. Can Hibbert anchor another strong defense to keep Indiana in games? Or does the loss of PG-13 and Born Ready leave this offense in shambles? Considering all the injuries in play, the Pacers will be one of the league’s worst teams to start the season.</p>

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