Jamaal Tinsley

Tinsley is attempting to make a comeback into the NBA after playing in the D-league for a year. He is 33 years old and has had a history of off-the-court problems. He may still be able to contribute as the third point guard for the Jazz.

Tinsley is persona non grata with the Pacers, so much so that they've already removed the nameplate from his locker even while he's still on the team. The oft-injured point guard had played in more than 52 games just once in the last five seasons, bottoming out last year with a knee injury that limited him to 39 games. The problems don't stop there - he's run into frequent trouble off the court as well. When he does play, he's the very definition of variance – capable of producing a triple-double or going 1-for-10 from the field with two assists. The problem is that he often falls in love with calling his own number, especially when he starts firing away from outside.

In theory, Tinsley should really benefit from the coaching change. He is a better player in an open, running offense. There's no doubt that his performance is the most important variable determining the fate of the Pacers' season. Unfortunately, much of what we wrote about Tinsley last year remains true - when he's on his game, he's spectacular, but when he's off, he can sink a team. He rebounds better than your average point guard does and he'll also help you in steals. Unfortunately he's prone to shooting (and missing - he shot an abysmal 38.9% from the field last year) first, passing second, a quality not necessarily desired in a point guard. Here's where coach Jim O'Brien's system might backfire - if Tinsley isn't sufficiently restrained from jacking too many three-pointers, the wheels could easily come off. He's also injury-prone - the 10 games he missed last year were actually the least he's missed since the 2002-03 season. He's also standing trial on December 10 on intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct charges stemming from a February bar altercation and could miss some time.

52, 40, 42. That's the number of games that Tinsley has played in each of the last three seasons for the Pacers. Now that Anthony Johnson is a Maverick, the Pacers are placing an awful lot of reliance on Tinsley staying healthy to run their point guard position. When he's healthy and on his game, Tinsley can be spectacular - a danger to post triple-doubles, even. When he's off his game, he's a ill-conceived shot-missing machine and a defensive liability. Which Tinsley shows up will determine the fate of the Pacers' season.

After several so-so seasons, Tinsley emerged as a solid contributor for Indiana’s surprisingly resilient squad last season. He posted career highs in scoring (15.4 ppg), shooting percentage (42%) and rebounds (4.1) and equaled his previous high in three-point shooting (37%) while chipping in 6.4 assists per game. His scoring could decrease some now that Indiana has a full roster again, but Tinsley is pretty firmly embedded as the starting point on what could be the best team in the East.

Tinsley's assist totals have dropped each of the last two seasons, bottoming out at 5.8 per game in 03-04. Tinsley did fight some injury problems last season, but on a team as good as the Pacers, Tinsley should put up better numbers. Keep in mind that Tinsley wasn’t in coach Rick Carlisle’s rotation early on in the season, only to take over and instantly improve the Pacers’ offense. The team operates better when Tinsley plays well, so the Pacers will give him every opportunity to work out of his slumps. He’ll help out your assists and steals, occasionally helping out in other areas as well. On the other hand, he’s a really good bet to hurt your shooting percentage.

Hoping to hold onto the starting point guard job, improve his shot selection, and hold off Kenny Anderson, Anthony Johnson, and Jonathan Bender for playing time. Tinsley was a sporadic player last year - tremendous when he was on his game, awful when off. In his defense, he had to deal with his mother dying from a long, painful bout with cancer, and wrapping up the family affairs after that. When his game went south over the second half of the season, so did that of the Pacers.