After Paul George's horrific leg injury last week during a televised Team USA scrimmage in Las Vegas, the Indiana Pacers have been thrust into a deep hole. They let shooting guard Lance Stephenson walk in the offseason, and now have lost their two best perimeter scorers and defenders for the 2014-15 season.
The top option in play to replace George appears to be veteran forward Shawn Marion. He does not have anywhere near the scoring ability of George, but even at 36 years old Marion is a capable defender both in the post and on the perimeter, as well as a solid rebounder for his size.
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Last season for the Dallas Mavericks, Marion averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game with a PER of 13.7.
While Marion makes sense for the Pacers, him landing in Indiana is far from a done deal. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have reportedly agreed to a five-year, $125 million extension for Kevin Love once a trade can be made official in late August, are interested in signing Marion as well. Clearly, the Cavaliers offer Marion a much better chance to win a title.
On the flip side, the Pacers will soon have a $5.3 million disabled player exception that allows them to go over the top of the Cavs financially. Despite the extra money, Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Marion is leaning toward signing with the Cavs.
The fit in Cleveland creates a role for Marion that will be less taxing on his veteran body; Tristan Thompson will be the primary bench big man while Mike Miller is certain to earn minutes as a reserve small forward.
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