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By Ray Mernagh

The signing of Kenny Anderson is the smartest move the new Bird-led regime in Indy has made since firing Zeke as their coach and hiring Rick Carlisle. Anderson is just what this team needs, a veteran point guard who will score key buckets down the stretch of games and deliver the ball to his teammates for easy scores. (Are you listening, Jermaine O'Neal?) Anderson proved himself as a playoff producer two seasons ago during the Celtics post season push, and all you need to do is watch film of the Celts last season to realize how much Boston has missed him. If that doesn't convince you, ask Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, they'll tell you how big a mistake it was to let Kenny go.

Add to all this the fact that the Pacers are reportedly the only team to offer Kenny a guaranteed deal and you can imagine how that kind of disrespect will fuel the proud New York City legend. While it's true that Anderson has been around the league for twelve years, he won't turn 33 until October. Plus his minutes were way down last season as he played behind both Gary Payton and Baron Davis, so he's probably as fresh as a veteran with his resume can be. If he has a steady season that's topped off by a solid playoff performance, he could lock up a 2-3 year deal to stay with the Pacers. And after changing teams three times in the last couple of years, that has to be an attractive carrot to dangle in front of him.

The more I look at the situation, the more I think the Pacers just pulled a fast one equal to that of the Kings pickup of Jimmy Jackson last year. Both are one-time all stars who were drafted extremely high after leaving school early, and had a ton of individual success before becoming traveling guns for hire. However I contend that Anderson will payoff more than even Jackson did come playoff time. If Larry Legend can hold off on the rumored dealings of O'Neal and Artest, and let Carlisle work his defensive magic with much better athletes than he ever had at his disposal in Detroit, fans in Indianapolis could be very happy when the spring time rolls around. And the key might just be a veteran point guard signed for one year at the veterans' minimum.

Ray Mernagh, a freelance basketball writer, is in Pittsburgh Pa. and can be reached at Mernaghr@aol.com