With George Hill’s return to health, the Indiana Pacers -- who are 9-5 with Hill in the lineup -- are slowly finding their footing after a rocky start and currently sit just two games out of the last playoff spot in the East. With whispers of a Paul George return as soon as March, it puts the team in an interesting situation.

On one hand, they can continue to chug along, earn a playoff berth and hope that George returns as some semblance of his former self and helps the Pacers make a late push through a wide-open conference. While somewhat of a pipe dream, this Indiana team might be better and deeper around George than they have been in the two previous years they’ve made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. On top of that, windows for championships can close in the blink of an eye. With much of their core either a free agent or battling Father Time, the Pacers might as well gamble on the unlikely scenario George returns with little to no drop off than complicated decisions regarding personnel they’ll face the next two offseasons.

One player sits smack dab in the middle of this little conundrum: David West. The 34-year-old West has been a huge part of the Pacers' success both on and off the court. But at some point, the steady production of West -- whose declining Free Throw Rate is a cause for concern -- is going to drop off. Couple that with the fact that West has only one year left on his deal after this season (which is a player option) and long-term it’s probably it might be in Indiana’s best interest to move him now while his value is still relatively high.

Because of the Pacers newfound frontcourt depth -- bench players Shayne Whittington, Luis Scola and Lavoy Allen are all posting PERs about league average (which is 15) -- the Pacers could deal West, snag an asset for the future and still possibly sneak into the playoffs this season, if they’re hell bent on doing so. Sans West, they wouldn’t be much of a threat when they get there, which is why a decision to trade the veteran forward should also coincide with a decision to tank; made easier by holding George out for the remainder of the season.

The idea would be that angling for lottery pick in addition to whatever pick/young asset obtained in a deal for West would set up Indiana for both an immediate return to prominence next season and a more promising future. But it’s hard to predict how a team responds not only to losing a player like West’s steadying presence on the court, but his impact as a locker room leader who has helped define the Pacers culture since his arrival in 2011.

On top of that, Scola and Allen are both free agents while the promising young Whittington will be a restricted free agent. In the crazy NBA landscape, there’s no guarantee that any of those three will be back or that the if they are, they can fill the void with the same consistency a then 35-year-old West could. And it’s not as if lottery picks -- like the one they’d end up with if they traded West and set their course on “tanking” -- are a sure bet to turn into superstars. Then again, the Pacers could maintain the status quo, make the playoffs this season (and only have their own mid-first round selection in the draft as a result) and watch as Scola leaves/retires in the offseason, West breaks down and they are left treading the waters of mediocrity.

With just a week before the deadline, the Pacers have a tough decision to make with a franchise icon. For a team that has avoided anything but simple, safe decisions in building their roster over the past half-decade, dealing West triggers an opportunity to swing for the fences. Whether or not Indiana chooses to do it could end up being a defining moment for the organizations future.

Rollin’ Along

As defenses have gotten smart and more sophisticated in today’s NBA, the need for smart decision-making has become paramount not just among lead ballhandlers, but big men as well. In no area is that more evident than the way bigs have been challenged to make quick, accurate decisions while diving to the rim after a pick-and-roll. And it’s why Josh Smith’s role with the Houston Rockets is going to be fascinating to watch.

Teams (well, at least good defensive ones) are no longer standing idly by watching the play happen while player’s like Smith, Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan amble down the lane untouched awaiting a lob pass for a dunk. Especially come playoff time, players that dive to the basket after setting screens will have to navigate a thicket of aggressive ‘tags’ -- where a help defender attempts disrupt the player cutting through the paint with his body or forearm -- before (maybe) catching the ball a split second before another rotation puts a defender squarely on their path to the basket. The frequency and effectiveness of these rotations has forced front court players to acquire or have skills they never needed even just a half-decade ago before Tom Thibodeau’s aggressive defensive principles swept through the league.

Nowadays, a big man is forced to use his dribble to avoid a charge, stop his momentum before whipping a quick pass to a corner shooter or loft a feathery floater far more than they are able to gear up for highlight-reel dunks. Throughout his career, Smith has been underutilized in this capacity because his “star” status allowed him to avoid the less glamourous role of screening and diving to the rim countless times per game. But in a small bit of irony, this is probably an action that Smith could and should have doing even when he was a star because of how well it suits him.

We know all about Smith’s biggest shortcomings -- his jumper and his decision-making when it came to using it -- and because of their impact, it’s easy to forget Smith is a good ball handler and savvy passer, especially when compared to other frontcourt players that spend a large chunk of their time setting screens in pick-and-rolls. On top of that, Smith has other basic attributes, like good hands and great strength, to help make him really hard to guard while rolling to the rim. Just look at this shot against the Pacers where Smith handles the ball in traffic before finishing through contact at the rim.

Very few big men can catch a pocket pass high on the floor like that and manage to create a shot at the rim (also, Houston’s spacing was less than ideal on that play). The more the Rockets utilize Smith in this fashion, especially in lineups when he’s surrounded by shooters, they will put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. That does, however, require some reciprocity from Smith who needs to continue to show the energy and commitment to rolling to the rim every possession even when he’s not getting the ball frequently. And if he does, it will give Houston a new offensive advantage while also breathing life into Smith’s stalled career.