Pacers Sign C.J. Fair to a Non-Guaranteed Deal

Mar 20, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward C.J. Fair (5) drives to the basket as Western Michigan Broncos guard David Brown (5) defends in the second half of a men

The Indiana Pacers have been looking to acquire some young talent since the Paul George injury occurred on August 1st, and they might very well have found a gem. According to a report from RealGM.com, the Pacers have signed former Syracuse star C.J. Fair to a non-guaranteed camp deal. Fair was one of the most explosive scorers in college basketball last season, and powered Syracuse all season long.

Fair isn’t the type of big move that most Pacers fans have been wanting since losing Lance Stephenson and George, but he does have talent and potential to become a good scorer. Most importantly, he is a good guy on and off the court, and has a great work ethic and passion to get better. Larry Bird likes players that stay all four years in college to polish their game, and that is exactly what Fair did.

Last season with Syracuse, Fair ended up averaging 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. He isn’t known as a lock down defender, but he is not known as a pushover on the defensive end of the court either. The Pacers are hoping that they will get the scoring and athletic ability that Fair displayed at Syracuse, and they hope that he will be able to play to his full potential and earn a roster spot.

If he does indeed make the roster, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him earn himself some minutes. The Pacers are extremely thin at the small forward position, and adding a young player with potential like Fair would be something that could force the team to play him more. Indiana isn’t going to “tank” necessarily, but they also are open to making some trades that involve some of their key pieces.

This could end up being a very good signing for the Pacers, and could mean something in the future if Fair works hard and plays up to his full potential. Frank Vogel doesn’t like to play players that don’t focus on defense, so that will be one area that Fair has to work hard on during camp. Don’t be surprised to see Fair end up making the roster and forcing himself into the conversation of playing time.