The Chicago Bulls did dispatch of the Indiana Pacers in the first round of last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs in five games, but it was far more difficult than the series outcome indicates. The Pacers come into this season much improved thanks to the addition of former All-Star power forward David West and versatile combo guard George Hill. Frank Vogel also had the interim tag removed from his title, a well-deserved promotion based on the job he did with the team last year after the firing of Jim O’Brien. This team has the potential to be the Oklahoma City Thunder of the East. They have serious dark horse potential as long as they can stay healthy.

2nd Place, Central Division

- Yannis Koutroupis

The Indiana Pacers may be the most-improved team in the Eastern Conference going into the 2011-12, and by adding David West to their impressive young core the Pacers could challenge for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Paul George and Tyler Hansbrough should be even better this season, while the addition of George Hill gives the Pacers a very good point guard rotation. If Roy Hibbert takes the next step Indiana could be scary good.

2nd Place – Central Division

- Bill Ingram

Anybody who watched the Pacers in the first round of last year’s playoffs knows that this is a young team ready to cause some problems in the East. Frank Vogel is a much better coach for this group than Jim O’Brien was, and with a full year under the young head coach looming, we may see that Indy is much more formidable than anybody realized. David West at two years and $20 million has to be considered one of the better values of free agency so far, and the George Hill trade was a great move, as well. They already have to be considered one of the off-season’s big winners, though adding Michael Redd would only solidify that and improve a solid backcourt that already includes Hill, Paul George, and Darren Collison. Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, and Danny Granger round out a roster that looks very young, very hungry, and, believe it or not, very good.

2nd Place, Central Division

- Joel Brigham

Even the most hard to please critic has to admit the stew cooking in Indiana is starting to smell extremely good. Over the past year the Pacers have managed to trade well by acquiring guards Darren Collison and George Hill, draft well by selecting Paul George and Lance Stephenson and lastly work the free agency wire with precision signing two-time All-Star forward David West. The Pacers are still clearly a step below their Central Division rival the Chicago Bulls, but the franchise is undoubtedly showing struggling small market franchises how to compete (trades, drafting and efficient use of the salary cap). A playoff berth, barring a major injury, should be a sure thing in 2012.

2nd Place, Central Division

- Lang Greene

The Indiana Pacers were one of the most active teams this offseason and their moves will likely pay off right away. David West and George Hill are significant contributors who will fit right in with the team’s core of Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert and Paul George. Indiana is heading in the right direction and, if all goes as planned, they should finish above .500 for the first time since 2004. The team also brought back Frank Vogel, which was the right move since his players love him and he had success as the interim head coach last season. The Pacers have been building around young players in recent years and always felt that they were one acquisition away from competing. Now, after signing West, all eyes will be on Indiana to see if they can take the next step.

2nd Place, Central Division

- Alex Kennedy

Top Offensive Player: Danny Granger. Considering that last year, Granger led his team in PPG by over 7 points per night, it should be a pretty easy call that he’ll be the top scorer again in 2012. David West should chip in 17-20 ppg of his own, but as a wing, Granger will have more opportunities to control his shot selection, and that puts him in a better situation to lead the team in scoring once again. That said, it will be a pleasant change for Granger to have another accomplished scorer on the team to take some of that pressure off of him. It might save him from having to resort to so many bad shots. He may even get his shooting percentages back up.

Top Defensive Player: Roy Hibbert. Tied for eleventh in the league in blocked shots last year with 1.75 per game, Hibbert is one of the truly underrated defensive commodities in the league right now. With a further boost in minutes this season (he averaged about 28 mpg last season, a career-high), he could join the small group of players who average 2 blocks a night. At 7’2”, Hibbert is the second-tallest player in the NBA—the tallest when Hasheem Thabeet is making his annual visit to the D-League—so it’s good to see him putting that height to good use.

Top Playmaker: Darren Collison. When the Pacers first acquired Collison a year ago, the expectations for the kid were very high, but Jim O’Brien simply wasn’t the coach to bring out the best in him. Collison’s assist numbers under Vogel, however, were quite a bit better, and he’s only got more offensive weapons to pass to this year. He and David West had a lot of success together in New Orleans, so hopefully they can duplicate that in new environs.

Top Clutch Player: Danny Granger. When a game is close, the Pacers are putting the ball in Danny Granger’s hands. There’s just no question about this. According to 82games.com, his clutch statistics are highest of any player in the regular rotation, but despite what the sabermetrics say, Granger is the guy with the confidence and offensive prowess to get his team wins. There will be more pressure for the team to succeed this season, but that shouldn’t change much for Granger. He’s still the go-to guy in Indianapolis.

The Unheralded Player: Paul George. Around Indy, Pacers fans are talking about this kid as the team’s best shot at a perennial All-Star, but outside of Indiana, however, he’s still a virtual unknown despite a solid rookie campaign. Technically a small forward, Paul gets the most of his minutes at shooting guard, but he can defend either position well and even did a respectable job on Derrick Rose in the playoffs last season. That defense, added to his athleticism, work ethic, and seemingly unlimited potential is a whole lot to get excited about, which is why many believe this could a breakout season for him.

Best New Addition: David West. There were some who believed West was the best free agent on the market this past offseason, so the fact that Indy was able to sign him to one of the most reasonable contracts of the last couple of weeks is highly commendable. Two years and $20 million for a player of West’s ability, even with his injury history, is more than fair. It could even potentially end up looking like a bargain, especially compared to Kwame Brown’s $7 million annual offer from Golden State. West adds at least 18 points and 7 rebounds to an already scrappy core, and his influence on the Pacers should pay immediate dividends.

- Joel Brigham

1 – Tyler Hansbrough – While health is always a concern with Hansbrough, there’s no denying the fact that he had some monster games last season. On the right night, he’s capable of 30 points and 12 rebounds, though that sort of output seems less likely now that West is in town. Still, he’s a perfect energy guy to spell West, and can obviously step right in and start should West have any recurring issues with his knee. He’s a fan favorite in Indiana for good reason, and seeing his role solidify into a sixth or seventh man should be good for him. He has the potential to be one of the better bench guys in the entire league.

2 – George Hill – Because this trade happened six months ago, it’s been easy to forget the fact that Indiana traded their first round pick (talented San Diego State product Kawhi Leonard) for San Antonio’s Hill, a combo guard with the talent to start at either position. Except he most likely won’t start this year, barring an injury to Collison or George, which means he’s an incredible luxury off the bench for Indiana. Long-term, they may regret moving Leonard, but for now this trade looks like a pretty good one for the Pacers.

3 – Jeff Foster – While many people might not think Foster means much to the team at this point in his career, it can’t be understated what a veteran enforcer like that means to a young team. It’s not always easy for younger groups to play as physically as they want, but a guy like Foster can help with that, even when he’s not on the floor. This guy is a Pacer lifer, and he has plenty to share with the less experienced guys on the roster. Re-signing him for the veteran’s minimum was a shrewd move by Indy’s front office because they need him more than most casual fans realize.

4 – David Morway – When the Pacers made the trades for Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy half a decade ago, a lot of folks shook their heads that any organization would take on those kinds of salaries for those kinds of players, but GM David Morway has worked really hard the last five years to put the team in a position to succeed on a huge scale just as soon as those players came off the books. Adding West and Hill were huge coups, and drafting guys like Hansbrough and George at the tail end or outside of the lottery isn’t as easy as it seems. Morway and team president Larry Bird deserve a lot of credit for that; they’ve put together a solid team here when few people thought they ever would.

5 – Frank Vogel – He’s a young coach with a lot to learn, but the Pacers were as though as they were in the second half the season due largely because of Vogel’s influence. There’s heart in this locker room now, a belief that they can do anything, and so much of that confidence is soaked up from the coach. He’s exactly the kind of guy this young roster needs, and a full season under him should make a huge difference.

- Joel Brigham

Indiana was fifth in the league in rebounding as a team last season, and West shouldn’t do anything to move those numbers down. West, Hansbrough, and Hibbert are a huge reason for that, but the guards are good rebounders, too. They hit the boards, and that’s certainly something that’s going to lead to some easy transition buckets all season.

Beyond that, the Pacers have confidence, momentum, and youth on their side. Last year’s playoffs was a huge step in the right direction for this young team, and by adding a little bit of veteran leadership they’ve really put themselves in a situation to succeed.

- Joel Brigham

- Joel Brigham

It’s leap time. This has to be our year to make a quantum leap in terms of performance and results. We can’t just point to being young or inexperienced anymore. We are talented enough to compete, get into the postseason, and take a shot at a team that is looking past us. The question is one of consistency. Too often last year, we disappeared in terms of our offensive efficiency, and moved away from the kind of passing that makes us effective. Darren, this falls on you to keep us together and steer the ship in the right direction. We have guys that bring their lunch pails to work, and we need to reward them for that. Roy, you have continued to improve, and we can find times to run stuff through you, but you are probably the biggest culprit in terms of disappearing at times. I’m not sure how far we will go, but I know we have the ability to improve significantly from last season.

- Anthony Macri

Can Vogel really make the difference he’s expected to make this season and beyond?

In the offseason, the Pacers had to make a decision about their vacant head coaching position—roll with interim Frank Vogel, or find themselves a more accomplished candidate. Considering how well the team played under Vogel when Jim O’Brien was fired, the higher-ups in Indianapolis decided he was the guy to move forward with. The expectation is for the success the team saw in the second half of last season to continue into this one, but what we don’t know at this point is whether or not that success was about Vogel, or just any change of scenery. One way or another, they’re invested in him now. Let’s just hope they made the right decision.

- Joel Brigham