As it stands today, Indiana is 15-14 - good for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. They may very well squeeze into the playoffs this year, but at the end of the day, this franchise is still swimming in the deep end of the pool of mediocrity. If they don't shape up soon, they will drown in that pool. Danny Granger is an excellent young talent who has shown vast improvements in his perimeter game this season, but other than that, what does this team have? An abundance of middle-aged (NBA years) veterans who are either maxed out as a player or closing the door on the prime's of their careers. Their star, Jermaine O'Neal, doesn't even fit in Jim O'Brien's new system he has implemented in Hoosier land. Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh have been the posterboys for the word "NBA hell" for the past few years. They've done nothing to change it. They are lucky they play in a place where basketball is life and has fans loyal to a fault, because if they were in a higher-market city they would be criticized out of town. Being in Boston for 13 years as a player, Bird knows. This team is desperately in need of a direction. Let's say they make the playoffs this season. Yay, they either get swept or defeated in 5 games in the first round to a team like Boston, Detroit, or Orlando. Then they enter the offseason with no lottery pick, rather one in the 15-17 range. That produces a very solid young player, especially in this deep draft class, but nothing that changes the outlook of the roster or team. They enter 2008-2009 in the same stage - mediocre and searching for an identity. They need to get with the program.
What moves do you see as essential for the Pacers to move out of this mediocrity? I think that Walsh and Bird believe that this team can still contend in the East. They might very well be right, dependent of how O'Neal performs. They have a solid group of guys but outside of JO, no one is noticeably good. They're just in a state of denial right now and I think if O'Neal can't pick it up after this season, Bird and Walsh won't be afraid to tear it apart and rebuild around Granger. Not a bad plan but that'll mean at least one more early playoff exit for the Pacers.
The Pacers need to trade O'Neal so that they can find an identity like CB32 said. They need to become a young, developing team and just rebuild. You can get a fair amount of young players and possibly a pick for O'Neal. He isn't good enough to lead them to the promised land, why hold onto him? Build around Granger and call it a day.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Locke @ Dec 27 2007, 06:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>What moves do you see as essential for the Pacers to move out of this mediocrity? I think that Walsh and Bird believe that this team can still contend in the East. They might very well be right, dependent of how O'Neal performs. They have a solid group of guys but outside of JO, no one is noticeably good. They're just in a state of denial right now and I think if O'Neal can't pick it up after this season, Bird and Walsh won't be afraid to tear it apart and rebuild around Granger. Not a bad plan but that'll mean at least one more early playoff exit for the Pacers.</div> "Bird and Walsh believe this team can contend in the East"... that's the problem. What moves? Well, I'm not exactly an inside source, heh. So I don't know what's out there, but I agree with playaofthegame. They need to get rid of Jermaine. He doesn't fit in that system as it is, as I mentioned before, and his value is only going to decrease with time. They should have dealt him this summer. If they keep this current core and keep adding mid-round draft picks - ala Shawne Williams - to this roster, they aren't going anywhere. They'll be anywhere from the 6-10 seed, never a lock for the playoffs, let alone advancing in them. Jermaine is not what he used to be and that roster is full of mediocre veterans. To top if off, they are a team that solely relies on the jumper. That won't get it done in the postseason. If they keep this group, it won't just be "one more early playoff exit." It'll be "let's hope they can make the playoffs period." If they do, it's a fist round exit each year. It's a never-ending cycle that will not turn for the better unless they make some decisions and pick a direction. My proposed direction: get rid of Jermaine, gain young assets, build from the ground up while still keeping a couple veterans for leadership/experience purposes (such as Jeff Foster).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (o.iatlhawksfan @ Dec 27 2007, 07:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't think they should trade O'neal. He and Granger are there only chance of making the playoffs.</div> But once they make the playoffs... which again, still is not anywhere near a lock even if Jermaine stays healthy for 82 games... where do they go from there? Bounced out in the first round in 4 or 5 games, then back to the same old song and dance next season.
They're stuck in the middle of the pack, just like a lot of teams in the east. Besides Boston and Detriot, no team in the east scares me at all. If Indiana does decide to rebuild, there will be a tough road ahead for them. I don't really see what they can get for JO, because I don't think his trade value is very high right now. Not to mention even if they do trade JO, they still don't really have much flexibility under the cap. Tinsley has a big contract; Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy are high payed players as well, and I honestly don't know why they traded for them in the first place.
