| Time To Say Goodbye Authored by Andrew Perna - July 19, 2006 - 1:36 am
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Austin will be sorely missed. After his nine seasons as a Pacer, he’ll be putting on a Dallas Mavericks uniform this fall. He’ll have a much better shot at getting back to the NBA Finals with guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry on his side, but it won’t be the same at Conseco Fieldhouse without him.
Drafted by the Pacers out of Providence with the twelfth pick in the 1997 Draft, Austin made a name for himself during the 2000 NBA Finals. He broke out against the Lakers and earned himself a pretty hefty contract the following summer. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game during the 2000-2001 season, but things soured from then on.
He struggled during each of the next four seasons, due to injury and inconsistent playing time. Regardless of when he was needed, Austin was ready. Following the infamous brawl of the 2004 season, he filled in and averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Over his nine seasons as a Pacer one thing was certain, if Croshere was playing – you could count on him to give you all he had.
He finishes his career in Indiana as one of only five players to spend more than nine years as a Pacers, joining Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Dale Davis, and Vern Fleming.
His play has always included an incredible amount of heart. Sure, we may have gotten the better end of the deal with Dallas. We got a younger, more athletic, and dare I say more talented, player in Daniels, but Mavericks fans will soon appreciate Austin for what he is- a true professional.
Croshere’s mark will be left on Indiana for far more than his valiant play throughout his nine-year stay. He never complained when he feel out of the rotation under Isiah Thomas or even under Rick Carlisle. He didn’t open his mouth last season when he become the team’s unofficial leader, and was left to deal with several clashing personalities night-in and night-out.
Austin had countless reasons to be unhappy last season. There was the strange after effects of multiple concussions, the Artest drama that ruined the early half of the season, the poor chemistry that left the Pacers on the wrong side of the scoreboard more often than not, but did he ever complain? Did he argue with referees, punt the ball, or call out his teammates behind their backs?
No.
Instead, he hosted Thanksgiving dinner at Conseco Fieldhouse for Indianapolis’ less fortune year after year. Instead, he came to the gym, worked-out, participated in practice, and went home. Instead, he took a piece of his heart out and left it on center court.
“The first 48 hours were real emotional,” he told the media towards the end of last week.
Sure, he wasn’t the player we all thought he was turning into after seeing him light up the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Only Reggie Miller outplayed Austin during that series. Of course, I agree that Donnie Walsh overpaid him to keep him in Indiana, and that, that money could have been much better spent. But the truth is that in back-to-back seasons, the Pacers have lost a pair of classy, professional players. Something they need more of to help them return to contention in the Eastern Conference
Although, I’d like things to change in the near future, I’ll always be a fan first and writer second nowadays. On paper, this deal was a steal for the Pacers, but when I heard the news that Croshere would be shipped out of Indiana, a cold feeling moved over my body. I felt as though I’d been slugged in the stomach.
Croshere was one of the first Pacers I was able to follow from college to the NBA. How do you suppose I’ll get my girlfriend to watch the Pacers with me next season? Austin was the main reason she watched. If Indiana trades Jeff Foster this summer as well, I might as well forget watching any kind of Pacers basketball with her this fall.
I had accepted the loss of Austin late last week, and then I read on-line that he had taken out a half-page ad in the Indianapolis Star thanking fans for cheering him on during his time as a Pacer. The man is full of class and professionalism. I know it’s not likely, but I’m still holding out hope that Donnie will give him a call and offer him a contract when he becomes a free agent next summer.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Croshere moments:
I made the trip out to Indiana this March to watch the Pacers retire Reggie Miller’s jersey. With the Pacers having lost the game in the early stages of the second quarter to the Phoenix Suns, fans filled out right after the retirement ceremony and boos rained down on Pacers such as Jamaal Tinsley and Stephen Jackson.
With just a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Pacers down a dozen or so points, Rick Carlisle put Croshere in to test his playing abilities following the concussion symptoms he was suffered from in the weeks before the game. In two minutes of playing time, Austin hit two jumpers and grabbed three rebounds.
After spending half of the night applauding Reggie Miller and the other half booing their disappointing Pacers like crazy, Pacer fans ended the night by cheering happily for Austin. It felt as though we were cheering our brother, or our son. After all the negativity we encountered this season, Austin always provided something positive.
So thank you Austin for nine years of professionalism and hard-nosed play. Best of luck in Dallas, and hope to see you more than twice next season.
Andrew can be reached at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
