Thread: Pacers need to go in a different direction
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Old 08-31-2007, 01:55 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Post Pacers need to go in a different direction
Quote:
By Warren Blatt, NBA Editor

Sports Network) - There is no denying that the time has come for the Indiana Pacers to start the rebuilding process. They finished the 2006-07 campaign with a disappointing 35-47 record, and did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1997.

Trade rumors surrounding All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal, who led the Pacers in scoring (19.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg) last season, were out in the open throughout the summer. A deal with the Los Angeles Lakers was discussed. Nothing happened, and it appears that Indiana will head into the season as a team searching for an identity.

New head coach Jim O'Brien replaced Rick Carlisle after the 2006-07 season. He is a veteran general who was brought in to try and keep the Pacers in the playoff hunt. O'Brien is not known for his work with younger players. He is a fit for a veteran club that has a shot at advancing to the postseason.
Quote:
The Pacers are no longer a team that is feared in the Eastern Conference. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find many of the so-called experts predicting that Indiana will be in the 2008 playoffs.

Trading O'Neal for players with expiring contracts, draft picks and younger players would get the ball rolling in a new direction for Bird and the Pacers. A deal with the Lakers would have been the right move for Indiana, which would have most likely landed 20-year-old center Andrew Bynum as part of any package for its All-Star forward.

Bird is going to try one more time to win with O'Neal as the center piece of his squad. Unfortunately, by the All-Star break the franchise will be an even bigger mess and will have missed the chance to get some real value for its most valuable asset.
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default...acn4099412.htm
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