My apologies for posting a novel, but it has been a while since my last meaningful post and an even longer time since I have been this excited about the Pacers.
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For those who don’t remember me as FBOF or Beast23, I have been a Pacer fan since their first ABA season. My total investment in the team (season tickets and memorabilia) - 40 years, > 1000 games attended and embarrassingly > $100K spent.
I was not a “fanatic” poster but was a frequent poster on the Star board and on Pacers Digest until about 16 months ago. At that time, I simultaneously became fed up with my team, took a couple of contracts out of state and also underwent personal and family health issues. A few members inquired through PMs, I politely answered, but I rarely posted.
It was a common theme that has been reflected in the observed drop in attendance. It seems that what I perceived to be the value system of my team’s players was in direct conflict with my own. And, the face (or culture) of the league, although changing little by little toward a direction that I just couldn’t understand or appreciate, seemed to change overnight for the Pacers once Reggie retired.
From my perception, first Rose, then later Artest and Tinsley (and eventually Al) had to go. Harrison and Williams were wearing thin with me. Daniels I just haven’t figured out yet. And to gain any hope of significantly improving the team’s personnel, JO had to be traded.
Then the unthinkable hit me squarely in the face. Being very close with a number of people who both know the Simons and do business with them on a daily basis, I was informed that Mel and Herb were about to “retire”. The last remaining chip to be decided was how to deal with the transition of the Pacers. A decision had to be made. Let the Pacers be passed on to David with the real estate holdings, and there was a reasonable probability that the “local” future of our team would be in question; ownership being maintained by Mel and Herb would maintain the status quo… at least for the time required to attempt to change things.
To regain solid footing, the team has to find ways of reconnecting with their fans. And that has to be done immediately, not a year or two down the road. That’s obviously why we’ve seen a transition from Walsh to Bird. Donnie built this franchise, but he was also very patient with his players and perhaps paid too much (at least for our market) in retaining their services from one contract to the next. Larry, on the other hand, if recent occurrences are indicative of what we can expect, will much more outspoken and will be much less tolerant of players who disappoint his expectations of them.
But to get to the bottom line, unlike many of you, I sit here tonight with hope for the future. And, more importantly, I’m back as a fan.
The JO trade has been made. Turn the clock back a year or two and I’d be very disappointed in what we got for JO. But, right now, I’m very optimistic with our new Pacers. Here’s a summary:
· TJ Ford - a capable starting PG with exceptional speed/quickness
· Maceo Baston - a solid role player in the frontcourt
· Rasho Nasterovic - a contributor and a sizeable expiring contract
· Roy Hibbert – a promising player viewed to be the future starting center and missing post defender / rebounder that we need
· Reduced salary, expiring contracts and better trade flexibility
Before the draft was over, a second trade had already been completed. Most on the forum apparently didn’t like the trade. I loved it. Based on no personal knowledge, just what has been reported by others, Bayless would have been a very good player. Not a franchise player, but certainly a good rotational player (and possible future starter) for our team. We also included Ike, a player that I personally didn’t think was a good fit for our needs. In return we got the following:
· Josh McRoberts – a player Bird seems to like. I have my doubts.
· Jarrett Jack – a capable player that many on the forum have wanted for 1-2 years.
· Brandon Rush – IMO a very, very good player (see below).
I was lucky enough to fall into 4 tickets to the NCAA finals this year. I came away very impressed with the obvious players – Rose, Westbrook, Love and Douglas-Roberts. But what I enjoyed most was watching the defensive efforts of the Kansas guards and the offensive work of Brandon Rush. For a very good summary of Rush’s abilities, I suggest you read Thunderbird’s excellent summary from a few days ago.
All I can say about Rush is that if one can accept the fact that there will only be one and only one Reggie Miller, then you should be able to appreciate Brandon Rush… because coming out of college he is about as similar to Reggie in the way that he approaches offense as you are going to get.
He didn’t create many of his own shots, but like Reggie he definitely grasps how to effectively use screens or even an opposing player to rub off his man. He gets his shot off quicker than Reggie and his form is much better. He was the fan favorite of most of the Kansas fans, and after focusing on him off-and-on for 2 games, I’m definitely a fan.
As rookie, we’ll get on him about his defense, but we will definitely appreciate his offensive contributions. He’s got a lot of offensive smarts. The confidence and willingness to take “the shot” is not going to be a problem with Rush, at any range and at any time during the game. Sounds a lot like Reggie, doesn’t it?
What many of you overlook is that it didn’t matter who we ended up with – Bayless or Rush. Either player as a rookie was going to come off the bench. I personally believe that the trade landed us a capable PG in Jack that will see more court time behind TJ Ford than Bayless would have received as a rookie. At the same time, with Rush it also brought in a perimeter shooter better than any we have on our roster. If by some miracle McRoberts pans out 2-3 years down the road, then I think this trade will go down as more than just a good one; it would prove to be an absolute steal.
To complete my hope for the future, I recall that Bird’s comments earlier this week served notice that the coming season’s roster will not include Tinsley and Williams. I was surprised to read that Bird appears to actually have Shawne at the top of his s***-list, somehow pushing Tinsley to a mere #2.
So, it’s pretty obvious that our roster will continue evolving before next season. I've come full circle and renewed my vows. I've regained faith in my team and its management and believe that many former fans will take pride in the players that will be on the roster and take the floor.
It’s been a while, but in closing all I have to say is:
GO PACERS!
----------------------------------------------
For those who don’t remember me as FBOF or Beast23, I have been a Pacer fan since their first ABA season. My total investment in the team (season tickets and memorabilia) - 40 years, > 1000 games attended and embarrassingly > $100K spent.
I was not a “fanatic” poster but was a frequent poster on the Star board and on Pacers Digest until about 16 months ago. At that time, I simultaneously became fed up with my team, took a couple of contracts out of state and also underwent personal and family health issues. A few members inquired through PMs, I politely answered, but I rarely posted.
It was a common theme that has been reflected in the observed drop in attendance. It seems that what I perceived to be the value system of my team’s players was in direct conflict with my own. And, the face (or culture) of the league, although changing little by little toward a direction that I just couldn’t understand or appreciate, seemed to change overnight for the Pacers once Reggie retired.
From my perception, first Rose, then later Artest and Tinsley (and eventually Al) had to go. Harrison and Williams were wearing thin with me. Daniels I just haven’t figured out yet. And to gain any hope of significantly improving the team’s personnel, JO had to be traded.
Then the unthinkable hit me squarely in the face. Being very close with a number of people who both know the Simons and do business with them on a daily basis, I was informed that Mel and Herb were about to “retire”. The last remaining chip to be decided was how to deal with the transition of the Pacers. A decision had to be made. Let the Pacers be passed on to David with the real estate holdings, and there was a reasonable probability that the “local” future of our team would be in question; ownership being maintained by Mel and Herb would maintain the status quo… at least for the time required to attempt to change things.
To regain solid footing, the team has to find ways of reconnecting with their fans. And that has to be done immediately, not a year or two down the road. That’s obviously why we’ve seen a transition from Walsh to Bird. Donnie built this franchise, but he was also very patient with his players and perhaps paid too much (at least for our market) in retaining their services from one contract to the next. Larry, on the other hand, if recent occurrences are indicative of what we can expect, will much more outspoken and will be much less tolerant of players who disappoint his expectations of them.
But to get to the bottom line, unlike many of you, I sit here tonight with hope for the future. And, more importantly, I’m back as a fan.
The JO trade has been made. Turn the clock back a year or two and I’d be very disappointed in what we got for JO. But, right now, I’m very optimistic with our new Pacers. Here’s a summary:
· TJ Ford - a capable starting PG with exceptional speed/quickness
· Maceo Baston - a solid role player in the frontcourt
· Rasho Nasterovic - a contributor and a sizeable expiring contract
· Roy Hibbert – a promising player viewed to be the future starting center and missing post defender / rebounder that we need
· Reduced salary, expiring contracts and better trade flexibility
Before the draft was over, a second trade had already been completed. Most on the forum apparently didn’t like the trade. I loved it. Based on no personal knowledge, just what has been reported by others, Bayless would have been a very good player. Not a franchise player, but certainly a good rotational player (and possible future starter) for our team. We also included Ike, a player that I personally didn’t think was a good fit for our needs. In return we got the following:
· Josh McRoberts – a player Bird seems to like. I have my doubts.
· Jarrett Jack – a capable player that many on the forum have wanted for 1-2 years.
· Brandon Rush – IMO a very, very good player (see below).
I was lucky enough to fall into 4 tickets to the NCAA finals this year. I came away very impressed with the obvious players – Rose, Westbrook, Love and Douglas-Roberts. But what I enjoyed most was watching the defensive efforts of the Kansas guards and the offensive work of Brandon Rush. For a very good summary of Rush’s abilities, I suggest you read Thunderbird’s excellent summary from a few days ago.
All I can say about Rush is that if one can accept the fact that there will only be one and only one Reggie Miller, then you should be able to appreciate Brandon Rush… because coming out of college he is about as similar to Reggie in the way that he approaches offense as you are going to get.
He didn’t create many of his own shots, but like Reggie he definitely grasps how to effectively use screens or even an opposing player to rub off his man. He gets his shot off quicker than Reggie and his form is much better. He was the fan favorite of most of the Kansas fans, and after focusing on him off-and-on for 2 games, I’m definitely a fan.
As rookie, we’ll get on him about his defense, but we will definitely appreciate his offensive contributions. He’s got a lot of offensive smarts. The confidence and willingness to take “the shot” is not going to be a problem with Rush, at any range and at any time during the game. Sounds a lot like Reggie, doesn’t it?
What many of you overlook is that it didn’t matter who we ended up with – Bayless or Rush. Either player as a rookie was going to come off the bench. I personally believe that the trade landed us a capable PG in Jack that will see more court time behind TJ Ford than Bayless would have received as a rookie. At the same time, with Rush it also brought in a perimeter shooter better than any we have on our roster. If by some miracle McRoberts pans out 2-3 years down the road, then I think this trade will go down as more than just a good one; it would prove to be an absolute steal.
To complete my hope for the future, I recall that Bird’s comments earlier this week served notice that the coming season’s roster will not include Tinsley and Williams. I was surprised to read that Bird appears to actually have Shawne at the top of his s***-list, somehow pushing Tinsley to a mere #2.
So, it’s pretty obvious that our roster will continue evolving before next season. I've come full circle and renewed my vows. I've regained faith in my team and its management and believe that many former fans will take pride in the players that will be on the roster and take the floor.
It’s been a while, but in closing all I have to say is:
GO PACERS!
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