| The Desire To Change Authored by Andrew Perna - June 26, 2008 - 5:50 pm
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However, this afternoon O’Neal confirmed to the Associated Press that he is in fact headed to Toronto.
Many consider the deal to be beneficial to both Indiana and Toronto, which it might be, but the Pacers will benefit from this swap far more than the Raptors because of what it signifies.
For the last two seasons Larry Bird has clung tightly to the belief that the Pacers were just a minor tweak away from competing in the Eastern Conference. Health and consistency were always mentioned as reasons why Indiana didn’t extend their impressive postseason streak, which started in the mid-1990s and only ended last spring.
When Bird brought in Jim O’Brien to coach the team last summer he asked fans for an extended amount of patience, something not even the most hopeful fanatic wanted to provide Larry Legend.
Heading into this offseason there was doubt that Bird, and newly minted General Manager David Morway, would pull the trigger on a deal to vastly change the face of the franchise.
However, this deal with Toronto means that major changes are on the horizon in Indianapolis.
Reggie Miller retired just three seasons ago, with only Jamaal Tinsley, David Harrison and Jeff Foster now currently remaining from the team he finished his eighteen-year career with. Some might consider such turnover as significant change, but rarely in the last thirty-six months have the Pacers swung a move to provide hope for the future.
Until this week.
Ron Artest needed to be dealt, and at the time having Peja Stojakovic on the roster seemed like a nice proposition. But his free agent status ended that honeymoon early when he bolted to New Orleans for more money than Indiana (rightfully) wanted to give him.
Re-acquiring Al Harrington from the Hawks back in the summer of 2006 was an overwhelming failure that eventually ended up costing the Pacers a top-ten protected pick that they never envisioned losing.
Trading Austin Croshere for Marquis Daniels was a minor move – one they hoped would make the team younger and more explosive. Daniels has been a disappointment in Indiana though, with a bulky knee that has kept him from being the player he was with the Mavericks.
Less than six months after putting Harrington back in blue-and-yellow, Indiana shipped him and Stephen Jackson to Golden State in another trade that had to be made to save the franchise from further embarrassment.
Not only had the Harrington experiment alongside O’Neal been a horrible failure, but Jackson was making more news in the police blotter than the sports section. Ironically, ridding themselves of Jackson and the dark cloud that hung over him hasn’t done a blessed thing to resurrect the team’s poor attendance.
In fact it’s only gotten worse as the Pacers dropped to last in the league in that category this season. Yes, we are talking about the heartland. The part of the country that “loves” basketball like no other and gave us Hoosiers.
Mike Dunleavy is the only player from the Warriors that has made a positive impact on the Pacers. He enjoyed a career-year in 2007-08 sharing the limelight with Danny Granger as the team’s main offensive threat. Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu have both been disappointments – the latter much more than the former.
Diogu spent some time in O’Brien doghouse this season, but didn’t make much of a mark during his half-season with Rick Carlisle at the helm either. Initially thought of as the steal of the trade, fans are know spending countless hours on RealGM’s Trade Checker figuring out a way to unload him on another team.
O’Neal seemed to miss more games than he played in this year, leading many to speculate that his time in Indiana was coming to an end. The Pacers missed the postseason by a single game, with an injured roster and Granger and Dunleavy carrying the entire team on their backs.
It was thought that if the Pacers could somehow deal both O’Neal and Tinsley this summer, for something other than similarly injury-prone and expensive players, they would certainly get back in the playoffs sooner rather than later.
With this Toronto swap becoming a reality, Indiana can fans rest assure that there will be no more standing pat. They have a suitable point guard, a contract that expires a year prior to O’Neal’s (Nesterovic) and yet another pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
Bird and Morway are showing that they have more than just a desire to change, they are actively seeking it out and acting on it.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. Feel free to contact him with comments or questions on this piece via e-mail (Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com). |
