Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason | Roster
Last year: 41-41, fourth in Central, eighth in conference
Coach/Pres.: Isiah Thomas/Donnie Walsh
Arena, first game: Conseco Fieldhouse (18,345); Nov. 6, 1999
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 964-1,054/0
Notable: Miller was first Pacer to score 20,000 points

THE ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Travis Best	6.1 apg	They want Rose at PG, but Best is fine
SG	Reggie Miller	92.8 FT	Still among league's best on 3s, at line
SF	Jalen Rose	20.5 ppg	One of four with 20 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg
PF	Jermaine O'Neal	2.81 bpg	Watch his scoring go up, up, up
C	Jeff Foster	3.5 ppg	Was among leaders in rebs per minute
6th	Al Harrington	7.5 ppg	Bulked up summer has him ready to bang
7th	Austin Croshere	.394 FG	Wow, did anyone go backward like him?
8th	Jonathan Bender	.355 FG	Just not ready, but team thinks he can play SG

		The Pacers seem to underachieve. There is enough talent for them to be very good, but it hasn't happened yet. Jermaine O'Neal came on strong last year and should continue his improvement. Jalen Rose is a quality player, and Reggie Miller is still in great shape. He plays the two-guard as well as just about anybody. The Pacers may not be very high on Travis Best, but I think he does a very good job for them. In the frontcourt, Austin Croshere is solid, and Al Harrington has been playing well. Jonathan Bender is still an enigma. He needs to step up and get his game going. Everybody points to Indiana as a team that can slip, but I'd be surprised if they don't make the playoffs.

By Jeffrey Denberg
Special to ESPN.com

Cut to the chase, this team should be pretty good. After going 41-41 a year after making the Finals, the Pacers are an interesting blend of veteran smarts and blazing young talent. Reggie Miller reported in superb shape for his 15th season, appearing stronger at age 36, showing a quick step to the hoop, a leader by example.

Austin Croshere's work in the preseason suggests he has come out of the funk that saw his shooting numbers and rebounds plummet after signing a seven-year, $54 million contract. Croshere has been more aggressive in exhibitions, beating opponents off the dribble, taking the medium range jumper he's so good with.

Jalen Rose sleepwalked through a portion of the exhibition schedule but will be "on" opening night. Young vets Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington are among the brightest in the league, nice rewards for team president Donnie Walsh, who gambled on O'Neal when he traded Dale Davis and drafted Harrington out of high school.

Jeff Foster is another deceptively athletic big man and the Pacers are waiting, if somewhat impatiently now, for third-year string bean Jonathan Bender to blossom into a contributor. Blessed with marvelous athleticism, the 20-year-old from Picayune, Miss., has teased with his talent, but hasn't been able to reproduce that form on the court.

Who's Who
The central cast remains largely the same although the Pacers nibbled over the off-season, trading a future first-rounder for rights to point guard Jamaal Tinsley as a No. 27 pick, signing free agent forward Carlos Rogers for the minimum and bringing in 7-1 Slovenian Primoz Brezec, their No. 27 pick in 2000.

Tinsley can be a key ingredient here because Rose's offense clearly suffers when he is asked to run the point and Travis Best was not overly impressive in his try at playing starter minutes (32 a game). While some teams were concerned enough about Tinsley's reputation to pass on him, Thomas likes his toughness and his smarts. If Tinsley responds he will get ample minutes, even as a rookie.

	FANTASY SLEEPER
	Al Harrington, SF -- The Pacers' future starting small forward spot belongs to '98 high school-to-pro draft pick Harrington, who has the ability to one day be a star. Right now he offers the realistic possibility of 13 points, 7 rebounds and a steal and a half per night.

The Big Question
Can the Pacers emerge from the middle of the pack and take a run at the East's leaders? That can be answered positively by Miller, assuming he remains healthy, and by the young frontcourt players, assuming they mature. Along the way Isiah Thomas is like a junior Don Nelson, experimenting, adding new voices in the coach's offices. While Nellie has his 12-man board of coaches, Thomas is quietly building his own empire. In addition to four official assistants, the Pacers have added George Glymph, O'Neal's high school coach; Mark Aguirre, who tutors low-post offense and during camp Thomas brought in Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to teach big men. Scout York Larese worked with shooters over the summer.

Best/Worst Case Scenario
The Pacers survived a transition season by nosing into the playoffs, stunning Philadelphia in Game 1 of the first round before faltering. They could return to the 50-win level if Rose and Miller combine for 40 points a night and the others step up. At worst they could take a small fall into the high-30s. This is one of the most lethal perimeter combinations in the league because both Rose and Miller are long. They thrive on postups and, though the rule changes will discourage isolations, this team has the shooters to break zones so long as Miller and Rose are on the floor. There's the temptation to play Rose at the point, where he has a wonderful advantage against every other point in the league. If one of their key players slumps or suffers an extended injury, they could slip, but don't expect that.

OVERRATED	UNDERRATED	TEAM MVP
Austin Croshere. His Finals performance vs. LA looks to be an aberration.	Jermaine O'Neal. Will O'Neal for Dale Davis go down in history as one of "those" trades?	Jalen Rose. If he gives up this PG thing, could be All-Star small forward.