Are the Pacers punishing Tinsley?
Are the Pacers punishing Tinsley?
Are the Indiana Pacers intentionally not trading Jamaal Tinsley as a form of punishment? Jamaal Tinsley recently filed a grievance with the Pacers thinking that is the case.
Last summer Larry Bird made the statement that he was going to trade Tinsley but wanted to get something in return. I believe Larry Bird has kept his word and has tried to trade Tinsley. The problem is that Tinsley has developed a reputation for getting into trouble off the basketball court. He also has a reputation for being injury prone. Add to that the fact that he is under contract for about $7 million per year through the 2010-11 season and it becomes difficult to make a trade.
I think there may have been some opportunities for Bird to trade Tinsley but the offers have not been good enough. It is possible that Bird may be asking too much and in my opinion he should unload Tinsley as quickly as possible. Every team in the NBA is struggling financially and the Pacers are no exception. They are fortunate in the fact that they have some expiring contracts that they can let go this summer. Daniels is a free agent and his $7 million can easily be dropped. The Pacers aer overloaded at his position. Rasho is also a free agent and his $8.5 million will be off the books.
The Pacers will have room to deal more this summer with Tinsley if Bird wants to wait that long. He could unload Tinsley's $7 million for a $9 or $10 million contract and still be able to cut the Pacers overall payroll.
I think Bird has made some good moves in the past year and I look for him to continue to work on improving the Pacers. I look for Tinsley to be gone by the end of summer at the latest.