The Official Site of TJ Ford

Mon, Nov 3rd 2008, 11:52

Ford Ready To Push Pacers To Postseason

Every year there’s a team that surprises everyone, rocketing up from the depths of anonymity to claim a playoff berth. Last season it was the Atlanta Hawks, This year, there’s a very good chance that team could be the Indiana Pacers.

At the heart of Indy’s summer makeover was the acquisition of point guard TJ Ford, The Pacers felt it was important to shore up their point guard position, an area of concern for the team for quite some time, and Ford was the primary piece of the puzzle when they traded Jermaine O’Neal to the Toronto Raptors
. So far, they’re thrilled with the results.

“I think TJ brings a lot to the table with his speed, quickness, and play-making ability,” says Mike Dunleavy. “It may take him a little time to figure out his new teammates and the new coaching staff and what we’re trying to do out there in terms of pushing the ball and running and then getting the defense. There may be an adjustment period there, but TJ’s a smart guy and he’ll figure it out. He’s going to be a good floor general for us this year.”

“TJ’s fast!” exclaims Marquis Daniels. “He gets the ball up the floor, he finds guys, he can get his own shot . . .he’s a great point guard.”

“I think TJ is going to be a very important part of this team for many years,” says Rasho Nesterovic, who came over in the trade with Ford. “We have a lot of new guys and we don’t all know each other yet, but he’s going to be an important part of getting us together as quickly as possible.”

“TJ’s a terrific guy. He really is,” says a smiling David Morway, the Pacers’ General Manager. “He’s already started to take over floor leadership of the team and he’s a very good player. We’re playing at a very high tempo, so it’s a perfect tempo for him and we have really high expectations for him in combination with Danny (Granger) and Mike (Dunleavy) and the rest of our young guys. Jarrett Jack is a great complement to him and we’re really excited about Jarrett, too. He’s bigger, so it not only gives us the option to put him in against bigger point guards, but also to play them together at times.”

If preseason is any indication, the new offense is going to be something to see. Head coach Jim O’Brien finally has the pieces he needs to push the tempo, and Ford can’t wait to get the regular season started.

“It’s been a good start for us and it’s definitely something I was looking forward to after I knew I was being traded out of Toronto,” Ford told HOOPSWORLD recently. “It’s exciting to be a part of a team where we’re looking to run a lot and play very up-tempo. This will be the first time since I’ve been in the league that I’ll really be able to push the ball the way I like to.”

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