[Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

[freddielewis14]

.@bkravitz in defense of Pacers President Larry Bird: https://t.co/eW18qA3FV2 @WTHRcom

— John Stehr (@JohnWTHR) April 25, 2017

[freddielewis14]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

http://www.wthr.com/article/kravitz-go-ahead-and-blame-bird-but-hes-got-one-hand-tied-behind-his-back

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - They have the 24th highest payroll in the NBA. Twenty-fourth out of 30 teams. We’re talking about the Indiana Pacers now, the vanquished Indiana Pacers, who were bum-rushed out of the playoffs Sunday by the Cleveland Cavaliers. You should know this, too: Five of six teams with a payroll lower than 25th failed to make the playoffs, the Utah Jazz being the only exception.

Meanwhile, seven of the eight teams with the highest budgets – including the Cavs, who are No. 1 – reached the playoffs.

So here’s what I’m saying: While Larry Bird has made some mistakes over the years – drafting Tyler Hansbrough instead of a point guard, firing Frank Vogel for Nate McMillan, and there are others – I’m also saying he has to be absolutely perfect in order for the Pacers to be the kind of team everybody around here wants them to be.

And for a couple of years, yes, he got it darned close to perfect, building a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals two years in a row – only to run into that Lebron fellow. The Pacers have been a playoff team virtually every year since the Brawl rebuild, except, of course, the year when Paul George missed all but six games while recovering from a gruesome leg injury.

Understand, the Pacers absolutely refuse to tank and "trust the process," whatever the process is supposed to look like. That’s not how Bird is built, and that’s not something Simon wants, fearful that years of losing would leave Bankers Life Fieldhouse looking and sounding like a mausoleum. By refusing to drop to rock bottom, the Pacers always find themselves in the middle of the NBA Draft, and there, Bird has hit pay dirt with players like Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert (through a trade), Paul George, Myles Turner and second-rounder Lance Stephenson.

I get email after email, "Why don’t you guys trash Bird the way you trashed Ryan Grigson?"

Here’s why:

The Colts, and specifically Jim Irsay, will spend whatever money is necessary to build a Super Bowl champion. Beyond that, free agents will come here, motivated by the opportunity to play with Peyton Manning and then Andrew Luck. The Colts have proven they can win and win regularly, as evidenced by their incredible run through the 2000’s and their Super Bowl in 2006.

The Pacers, and specifically Herb Simon, prefer to maintain a humbler budget. Year after year, the Pacers rank somewhere in the 20’s in budget, never, ever, going over the luxury tax. (Although Simon said recently he might think about increasing the budget if the right player comes along). That’s not a shot at Simon, who, along with his brother, saved this franchise. But the budget is a reflection of the fact the Pacers play in a smaller market and don’t have the local revenue streams other teams possess.

Free agents, well, they don’t look at Indianapolis as the center of the NBA universe. David West was a nice exception, being a family-oriented guy who found that the slower Central Indiana lifestyle suited him. But by and large, NBA players are not drawn to our fair city, and they certainly aren’t drawn by the fact the Pacers have never won an NBA title and aren’t close to winning one.

This, then, sets up as one of Bird’s most important summers – shoot, it might be his most important summer. This is the summer that will determine what kind of the team the Pacers have for the next several years.

In the end, I’m becoming more convinced than ever Bird is going to have to trade George, preferably before the NBA Draft. Yes, the All-NBA team situation will have an impact on how much the Pacers can pay to keep George and yes, the NBA has smartly chosen to reveal the All-NBA teams earlier this summer, understanding that teams like the Pacers have to make major decisions based on those awards. But George can and will get paid a massive amount of money wherever he goes; he can choose to sign a two-year deal with the Lakers and then set himself up for a more massive payday thereafter.

I thought it was instructive to hear how George answered my post-Game-4 question, a question he had to know was coming, about free agency.

"I ain’t there yet, Bob," he said. "Next question."

He ain’t there yet? You’re telling me he hasn’t thought about his future a couple of thousand times in the last few months? Puh-leeze.

He could have said, "Look, I love Indy and I grew up here as an NBA player, but the future is very unclear and we’re a long way from making any determinations."

Or something like that.

If we are to assume that George ultimately wants to be somewhere else – and that’s my assumption – it’s imperative Bird trades his star player this summer. The longer Bird waits, the less he will get in return. The good news is, the Lakers, George’s apparent target, will have one of the top three picks in the Draft, so there are some decent options for the Pacers.

Again, Bird has made some mistakes; in retrospect, dealing the draft choice that became Kawhi Leonard for George Hill was a total disaster. But, then, how many people felt strongly that Leonard, out of San Diego State, would become an MVP candidate and one of the finest players in the league? But he built the Pacers out of the detritus of the Brawl, made them a playoff team, even made them a championship contender, only to see his team pulled apart by West’s decision to bolt and Lance Stephenson’s mistaken choice to take off in free agency.

So go ahead and blame Bird all you want, but like any Pacers general manager, he’s got one hand tied behind his back. Money talks in the NBA and in all of sports, and the Pacers don’t have it – or better yet, aren’t yet willing to spend it.

.

[vnzla81]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

Kravitz is very good at kissing a** crazy how he still talks about West his mancrush is never going to die LOL, might as well let Montieth write the same article.

[Ace E.Anderson]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

Kravitz is very good at kissing a** crazy how he still talks about West his mancrush is never going to die LOL, might as well let Montieth write the same article.

I can't stand Monteith lol

[Since86]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

I'm just amazed Kravitz can write an entire argument making Larry the victim of a tight budget and not one single mention about his FA signings falling flat.

Tight budget puts the premium on signings working out, and it just hasn't happened.

[Sollozzo]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

I can't stand Monteith lol

If the Pacers brought Artest, Jackson, and Tinsley back, Montieth would write a puff piece article about how it's exactly what the franchise needs. His ability to spin for the home team is unmatched in the history of sports journalism.

[freddielewis14]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

I'm just amazed Kravitz can write an entire argument making Larry the victim of a tight budget and not one single mention about his FA signings falling flat.

Tight budget puts the premium on signings working out, and it just hasn't happened.

The argument is tight budgets would force you to sign whatever talent you can get.

So if the Pacers can't get anyone because players don't want to come here unless we overpay and Simon won't overpay for stars because it's too expensive, but will overpay for for 10 mill players to field a team, then it creates an excuse for the Al and Monta signings.

The problem becomes worse when Simon also demands to be competitive making the playoffs and we have to convince PG we're doing something.

I'm not saying this is the case btw, I'm just saying the "FAs falling flat" is the point of the article. Kravitz is saying Bird is putting a team together with one hand tied behind his back.

[freddielewis14]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

If the Pacers brought Artest, Jackson, and Tinsley back, Montieth would write a puff piece article about how it's exactly what the franchise needs. His ability to spin for the home team is unmatched in the history of sports journalism.

To be fair he is employed by the Pacers, whats he supposed to write?

[Since86]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

The argument is tight budgets would force you to sign whatever talent you can get.

What? That is absolutely *** backwards.

When money is tight you don't buy whatever you can, you make informed decisions to try and stretch your money as far as possible.

Yeah Bird has one hand tied behind his back so to work around it he decided to out a blindfold on.

[Pacerized]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

Seriously, "I ain't there yet" is about the same thing as saying "we're a long way from making any determinations" Bob.

[freddielewis14]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

What? That is absolutely *** backwards.

When money is tight you don't buy whatever you can, you make informed decisions to try and stretch your money as far as possible.

Yeah Bird has one hand tied behind his back so to work around it he decided to out a blindfold on.

I don't think you understand.

Last year without Monta we don't make the playoffs, maybe this year too. So if Kravitz is correct, Simon got exactly what he wanted. 24th in the league in spending and a playoff appearance.

So in the owners eyes this was no failure, even a good signing.

[Since86]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

I understand perfectly.

Saying the pacers don't make the playoffs without Monta doesn't prove your point for a number of reasons.

Being short on cash so you spend it on whatever you can find is a good way to spend money and not get a lot in return. You know, exactly like Monta and Al Jefferson.

Who needs to read montieth when we've got our exclusive version right here?

[cdash]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

Kravitz doesn't strike me as a guy with a good pulse on the Pacers--and it's been that way for awhile. If budget is such a concern, you would think they would stop trading draft picks so they can control young, cheap talent for several years as opposed to trading them away. Lazy article imo.

[cdash]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

I don't think you understand.

Last year without Monta we don't make the playoffs, maybe this year too. So if Kravitz is correct, Simon got exactly what he wanted. 24th in the league in spending and a playoff appearance.

So in the owners eyes this was no failure, even a good signing.

For someone arguing opportunity cost so fiercely with Teague's free agency, this is an odd take.

[Peck]

Re: [Kravitz] In Defense of Pacers President Larry Bird

Two things.

1. The point of any Kravitz or for that matter any columnist article is for all of us to talk about them, not their idea. He is just doing what typically they always do and that is take a contrarian point of view so that we all discuss it.

2. We've made the playoffs all of those years minus the year Paul broke his leg. Why does he make this mistake? Because he didn't bother to cover the Pacers other than rarely during the O'Brien years so it's easy for him to make this mistake.