Nate McMillan calls it "a year of proving it."
It, in this case, is whether the Pacers can move beyond the first round of the playoffs this season after getting stuck there each of the past four years. Can an overhauled team with so many new bodies find immediate success, even with the early absence of its only all-star player?
League-wide analysts don't necessarily believe. Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy and former All-Star Grant Hill are on record predicting something in the neighborhood of a .500 record and a borderline playoff berth, a not uncommon estimate.