Don't get me wrong, I wanted Fred Jones to succeed. How could you not?

Indiana Jones was the first Pacer to win the slam dunk competition, succeeding where Terence Stansbury, Kenny Williams and Jonathan Bender (don't get me started) all failed? Make no mistake, this was a vital step towards the Pacers dispelling the unathletic "dirty chicken fighter" image they worked so hard to maintain thru the 90s.

I had high hopes for Fred last season. After Ron Artest went postal, the Pacers lineup full of more unfamiliar faces than Transformers: Season 4, and Jonesy had the keys to the General Lee. A breakout year was his for the taking.

Aside from some flashes (Fred was great at PG for a few games), Fred looked incredibly average last year. Freddy has a decent jumper, but is a bit undersized, which hurts on both ends. He can't shoot over most 2's, but can be shot over and posted up. And, despite being able to jump out of the building, he can't always get his own shot.

Dead man dunking.
Bird and the boys already declined Jonesy's option for next season, his numbers after 12 games stink, and Sarunas Jas-a-can't-spell-it is looking like a dead-eye sparkplug that's breathing down his neck. The writing's on the wall Freddy: good money says you'll eventually end up in Atlanta, aka the land of misfit toys, where you and Al Harrington can live for personal stats and run things as the Pacers that should have been.