Hardwood Paroxysm Presents: Dream NBA free agent signings

Rodney Stuckey to the Indiana Pacers

By: Ian Levy (@HickoryHigh)

Lately, it has felt like the Indiana Pacers suffer from a striking lack of imagination. It’s been the defining characteristic of their offense for several seasons but their defense was enough to keep them near the top of the Eastern Conference. Last season, amid a torrent of injuries, their defense slipped as well and creativity and imagination did not exactly rush in to fill the void. In their year end press conferences, both Frank Vogel and Larry Bird were not so subtle in their alienation of Roy Hibbert, talking about wanting to play smaller, more flexible and with a faster pace. They followed through on those intentions by drafting another plodding seven-foot rim defender with no post game to speak of and the hint of an outside shot (Myles Turner made 27.4 percent of his college three-pointers).

As such, I have come to grips with the fact that the Pacers will be engaging in definable insanity, trying the same thing again and hoping for different results. To that end, let’s get Rodney Stuckey back (which, to be fair, was another specific goal Bird listed in his presser).

Stuckey was a net positive for the Pacers last season, mostly because he hit an absurdly unsustainable 39.0 percent of his three-pointers. He was a career 28.6 percent three-point shooter coming into the year. He did some stuff in the pick-and-roll, made some tough shots, and generally played hard. For a much higher salary on his new deal, he’ll likely do all that again, although probably making far fewer three-pointers. He will change nothing, but at least he’ll be familiar and comfortable and I won’t have to remember a new player’s jersey number. Hooray for the status quo!

Next: LaMarcus Aldridge to the Sacramento Kings