Jamie Rhodes-USA Today Sports
On Monday night, the Indiana Pacers lost the fight in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals for a third consecutive season.
Even in defeat, Indiana has seemingly stolen the show these playoffs, emerging as a legitimate championship contender in the year’s to come. From the emergence of both Roy Hibbert and Paul George to the uncertainty surrounding Danny Granger, it remains to be seen what Indiana will look to do to remain competitive within the Eastern Conference.
Well, their first move should be targeting Hibbert’s front court teammate, David West.
“This is my group. These are my guys. I can’t see myself going anywhere else. We’re the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, one of the top four teams in the league, in my estimation,” West told SI.com following the Pacers’ Game 7 loss on Monday night.
The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this past season and there’s no doubt that he’s earned the right to remain in Indiana. That’s why the pressure should be on the Pacers to sign him because if not, other teams will surely be calling once July rolls around. West believes that the Pacers are a contender and rightfully so — they just proved that here in 2013.
Take West out of the fold however, and Indiana surely loses a key ingredient. West has spent the past two seasons with the Pacers, signing a free agent deal prior to the start of the 2011-12 season.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
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