[B]Pacers 2015 NBA draft[/B]
With the 11th pick, Indiana should have plenty of options in a deeper-than-average draft. However, a batch of freshmen and teenagers will dominate the 14 picks of the lottery. For a team like the Pacers, whose four-year playoff streak ended due to an injury-plagued season, rebuilding with a neophyte prospect is not as enticing as reloading with a youthful but capable player who could fit into the winning culture immediately...
Committed to run more and play smaller next season, Indiana will need hybrid bigs to keep up with the pace as well as fresh blood for a frontcourt if veterans David West and Roy Hibbert choose not to exercise the player option on the final year of their contracts. While the idea of both opting out is highly unlikely, West will be 35 years old before training camp and Hibbert's future looks murky at best after Bird proclaimed at the end of the season: "I can't guarantee him anything. He's going to have to earn it."
-- Indianapolis Star
