<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Let me lead today?s exercise session. Everybody take a deep breath. Exhale slowly. Relax. The unrest that is flitting around some media and fan circles because the Pacers haven?t yet announced a major trade or free agent signing is, to put it politely, absurd. And to put it impolitely, it's stupid. Passing judgment on them or any other team at this premature point makes as much sense as commenting on the Colts? effort in training camp. In other words, it hasn?t even started yet, so what?s the problem? True, some NBA teams made draft-related trades or have announced impending moves. But for the most part, the summer follows a natural progression. In June, teams focus on the draft. Trades are made that involve draft picks, but not many. In early July, teams focus on their summer league teams, although a few free agent acquisitions are announced. And now it?s nearly time for the real trade and free agency action to start. Keep in mind that the Pacers have often made their most meaningful moves late in the summer. They traded Dale Davis for Jermaine O?Neal on Aug. 31, 2000. Last summer they traded for Al Harrington on Aug. 22, after some were ripping them for not getting the deal done. So if a week or two passes and the Pacers haven?t traded O?Neal, it doesn?t mean it won?t happen. Doesn?t mean it will, either, but there?s going to be a process. I hate to be the bear of boring tidings in this knee-jerk world, but it probably will take awhile for things to play out with the Pacers, just as it did last summer. So hold those roster analyses. As for the rest of the league, there are two forces of nature at work. There are more capable free agents than there are teams with mid-level or better contracts to offer. And there are more media outlets feeling the need to "feed the beast" than there is legitimate news to report. That means there will be a lot of bogus rumors and a lot of waiting around for things to shake out. We?ve already seen hot rumors of Garnett being traded, followed by rumors of Garnett staying put. We?ve seen rumors of the Knicks pursuing Ron Artest, followed by the Knicks ?cooling? on Artest. The truth is, it?s mostly been a lot of media-driven hype. Stay tuned for the real thing. Just be patient. </div> Source: Indy Star
