At this time a year ago, the Indiana Pacers were in the midst of a coaching search and they knew that their odds of keeping their first-round pick were slim due to conditions of the Al Harrington trade to Atlanta in August 2006.

The Pacers don't have any coaching issues and they know they'll have a lottery pick this year unless they decide to trade it away.

The Pacers, who are currently slated to have the No. 11 pick, are looking hard at either drafting a point guard or big man.

Point guard appears to be their biggest area of concern because the Pacers hope they can trade starter Jamaal Tinsley and the two players that played the position down the stretch -- Travis Diener and Flip Murray -- are both backups.

Pacers coach Jim O'Brien didn't have a player he could depend on at the position. He started Murray for the final month of the season, but it was usually Diener that played the entire fourth quarter.

If they do draft a point guard, Indiana officials want to select one that will fit into O'Brien's up-tempo system and can also be the leader on the defensive end. Texas' D.J. Augustin and UCLA's Russell Westbrook are the two names that continue to be talked about at the No. 11 pick on most mock draft boards.

The Pacers were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last season because they didn't have a point guard that could stop dribble penetration, which led to easy lay-ups or open three-pointers.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT
Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy both thrived in coach Jim O'Brien's up-tempo offense. The two averaged career highs in points and were the focal point of an offense that relied on three-point shooting. Both players attempted at least 389 three-pointers, with Granger making 171 and Dunleavy making 165.

TURNING POINT
The Pacers lost at least three straight games seven times this season. They would have likely made the playoffs if they had half as many losing streaks. Lack of mental and physical toughness is the reason behind the constant losing streaks. They lost more than 10 games where they had leads of at least 10 points.

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