Where do we go from here?

For the ailing Pacers, a season of “What ifs?” is slipping into the realm of “What now?”

With a close loss to Chicago on Saturday and another injury to add to the list in Troy Murphy’s sprained MCL, the Pacers’ slim playoff hopes are fading considerably. There are eight games left in the season and we continue to sit 4.5 games back from the Bulls and the final spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Although six of our eight remaining games are at home, we’ll have to beat Chicago, San Antonio, Atlanta, Detroit, and Cleveland to have any chance of making the playoffs. With any luck at least Cleveland will be on cruise control when we finally play them, but that won’t even matter if we don’t win Tuesday’s game against Chicago. The mathematics say a playoff run is possible, but to what end?

What if we DO beat all those teams and make it to the playoffs? What if Troy Murphy does come back from what has been described as an excruciatingly painful injury before the end of the season? What if a playoff berth does mean extra revenue for the cash-strapped club? Would it really matter? Would that cash-flow really extend past the first round? Would we really be able to make a showing against the Cavs?

What if?

Ugh.

At some point the towel will have to be thrown in. Although I’m not ready to give up YET, I promise that if we lose this next game on Tuesday it is done and finished. The Pacers will be lottery bound and liking it.

But no matter what happens in regards to the playoffs, the eternal question of any lost soul must be asked: What now?

The future of the franchise has obviously been placed on the shoulders of Danny Granger, and personally there are no shoulders in the NBA besides Lebron, DWade, Kobe, and CP3’s that I would rather have this franchise rest on. But does Granger belong in the company of such talent?

Heck no. Not yet anyway.

Last week, ESPN’s Chris Broussard wrote an article highlighting Granger’s underdog status because of the Pacers lackluster performance this season:

Is a guy who puts up huge stats for a bad team as good as his numbers?

Being able to reconcile the space between a player's stats and his team's record is a big part of what separates championship-level talent evaluators from the recycled masses. All sorts of x factors come into play: Who is the guy scoring against? How does he get his points? Is he effective in crunch time? And the consensus on Granger, not just in front offices, but on sidelines and in locker rooms as well, is that he's legit.

Danny Granger is efficient. Even as Granger acknowledges the lone-wolf theory—that on a poor team someone is bound to post impressive stats—he is quick to add a corollary: "Some say it's harder to score on a bad team because everybody's loading up on you."

…Granger's shooting percentage of 43.2 isn't blistering, but it's within percentage points of (Joe) Johnson's as well as Kobe's in both his last season with and first season without Shaq.

But still, the stigma is there. It’s pretty well known that Granger has improved by 5 ppg in each of the four seasons he’s played in the NBA, but can that trend continue? Exactly how high is Granger’s peak? The coolest thing about Broussard’s article is how honestly it portrays Granger as an underdog, and how Granger himself accepts that label. He knows that he is not yet at the level of Kobe and Co., and that’s what drives him.

"It's not an indictment of him that the Pacers aren't winning," says an Eastern Conference scout. "But if he's your best player—which he is in Indiana—you're in trouble. You're not going to win at a high level." One West exec, referencing the NBA's most heavenly duo, puts it more poetically but just as bluntly: "Granger can be a Scottie to somebody's Mike. He just can't be Mike."

… "I'm about 70% of the player I can be," (Granger) says…"I can definitely be the No. 1 guy on a really good team," he says without a hint of doubt. "People can say I'm not good enough, and I'll just keep proving them wrong—and smiling inside."

Read the rest of the article (what little I didn’t steal) at:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4018165

If Danny himself is to be believed, then the future is looking bright.

But not even Kobe, Lebron, or even MJ can do it all themselves.

If Danny’s surrounding cast can stay healthy, the Pacers will be a legitimate run and gun threat next year. Although they are in position for a lottery draft pick in an admittedly weak draft class, they are also in possession of young talent that has potential, a lot of which was on display this past weekend.

Brandon Rush had back to back 29 pt games, finally relishing the starting 2 spot and doing his best Danny Granger impression. Against both Chicago and Washington, his teammates were setting him picks at the top of the key and on the baseline, and over and over again he would pop up and knock down the J with a confidence that he’s never shown until now. It’s not just jumpers though – he shows flashes of athleticism on drives, and O’Brien himself admits that Rush is the Pacers’ best athlete. If teams pay too much attention to Danny, then Rush has shown this past weekend that he can make them pay.

Even The Roy Hibbert Project is showing SOME progress. After getting blocked by Tyrus Thomas 102930185 times on Saturday, Roy came back with 12 pts and 8 rbs in 16 minutes of play. The catch of course is that this was against the Washington Wizards, annnnnd Roy fouled out halfway into the third quarter. So you know, he’s still a project. But he’s OUR project.

These guys are the Pacers future. And when Dunleavy, Daniels, and Murph come back, we’ll have a team brimming with depth and range. The starting five of Jack, Rush, Granger, Murph, and Hibbert, backed up by TJ Ford, Marquis Daniels, Dunleavy, Jeff Foster and Rasho? Plus a draft pick? That’s a pretty legitamate rotation if you ask me. Just don’t start thinking about the What ifs.

(Can they stay healthy? Do we have too many redundant wing players? Are the Pacers moving?)

Stupid future. You know so much more than me.

A Reunion of Sorts

Last night brought together a bunch of guys who had not been together in a while, but had been together before. Doing things. Like playing basketball.

Two former Pacers walked into Conseco as the enemy – the aforementioned Jermaine O’neal and Reggie-disciple James Jones. Two NCAA Championship Jayhawks also met on the court for the third time this year, Brandon Rush and Super Mario Chalmers, this time with Rush actually playing considerable minutes. Even the current Kansas Jayhawk team (currently in the Sweet 16 awaiting their matchup with MSU) showed up to “cheer” on their former star players. The camera cuts to the team in the stands however, reflected the current Jayhawks’ vast indifference to anything to do with the Pacers, even if the guys who won their school a championship were playing in the game. In the NBA. Silly college kids.

There was even a mini Marquette reunion: Travis Diener and Dwyane Wade used to run the Golden Eagles backcourt, and their coach at the time Tom Crean, who now coaches at Indiana, was in attendance as well. The only Golden Eagle missing was The Steve Novak Experience, doomed to be the best-looking white man in Clipper land:

Steve Novak: See?! I AM the best looking white man in Clipper land!

So basically everybody in attendance knew everybody who was playing and that was that.

Obviously, the most publicized reunion (mostly by me, but hey, nobody else is paying attention) was the return of Jermaine O’neal, and JO made his return last night to the tune of 13pts, 2rbs, and 3 blks. When his name was called for the Heat lineup he was met with a surprising spatter of boos amongst mild appreciative applause from the usually respectful Conseco Fieldhouse crowd. C'mon guys show some love.

Not even Danny Granger showed any love – he took it to O’neal on his first touch and squeaked a layin around JO’s block attempt. Heck, Granger even blocked a Jermaine O'neal put-back attempt! Meanwhile, Roy Hibbert learned respect after getting stuffed twice trying to dunk on JO, which was as amusing as it was heartbreaking to watch.

But O’neal was hardly the story for the game.

The REAL story was that despite holding The Flash to 21 pts on 5-24 shooting as well as having a 6pt lead with 1:39 left, the Heat still had a shot to win at the buzzer with a WIDE OPEN DWade three that hit every part of the rim before popping out. Yup, like they always do the Pacers wanted to make it interesting by playing (and thankfully winning) their TWENTIETH game decided by 3pts or less, bringing their record in such games up to 8-12. God forbid we let the Spurs catch up to that mark, who have now played EIGHTEEN games decided by three or less, FIVE of which have come in the last 12 days (they are a more respectable 11-7 in these games). Haha. At least we can compete with the Spurs in something.

Overall it was a decent win as only the Pacers know how to win.

Danny Granger finished with 28pts, 3 steals and 2 blocks, and oh yeah - UdonisFreakingHaslem went 9-10 for a stretch, finishing 9-12 18pts, 14rbs. Jeff Foster also had a season-high 16rbs, but those were all stolen from Troy Murphy who sat with a strained MCL so they don’t really count (Just kidding! Jeff Foster is the ORB OG!)

Come back Trooooy! I need your rebounds in order to stay alive in my Fantasy Playoffs!

Hello Again...

Speaking of people I miss, someone else who I miss will be playing in Conseco Fieldhouse tonight, and he'll be wearing the black of the Miami Heat. Sure he's a shell of his former self, but Jermaine O'neal put 8 years into the Pacers organization, and most of those were his best years. He tailed off rather unattractively, with repeated injuries and lackluster performances during his final years as a Pacer before asking to be traded, but when he was The Man in Indiana, it always seemed like he carried the weight of the entire team on his shoulders. That weight was placed on him by Reggie Miller himself, and for a while, Jermaine carried it without faltering.

Here’s the only Jermaine O’neal story I have:

The first time I saw the Pacers play live, it was at Staples against the Lakers during Reggie's last season (04-05). Jermaine was injured at the time so unfortunately he wasn’t playing. I went with one of my best friends, a Lakers fan, who had given me a Reggie Miller rookie card as a birthday gift. Anxious to see Reggie play in person for the first and probably last time, I brought the rookie card and a sharpie to the game, hoping that I could camp the player’s exit and get an autograph from the best 3pt shooter in the game before he was lost to retirement.

I remember holding my breath every time Reggie launched a three. His shot looked so damn majestic, this high-arcing prayer that I was convinced would splash through every time. Unfortunately this time the splashes never happened. It was brick city for Reggie that night, and he ended the game with something like 15 points, most of them free throws. My Pacers lost to Kobe 103-94. They could’ve used another scoring option in Jermaine, and the Pacers certainly missed his interior defensive presence that night.

Needless to say, it was a disappointing game, and the only thing that could save my night was an autograph.

When it was over my friend and I rushed to the players exit ramp on the other side of Staples, which was curiously devoid of people. We waited there patiently, wondering who would come out, when we saw the Pacers bus pull up underneath Staples at the bottom of the exit ramp. We were at an angle so that we couldn’t see who was getting on, but we could see the outlines of people filing into the bus through the heavy tint. I could see my hopes of grabbing a Reggie Miller autograph fading. He had to have boarded the bus already, and there was no way the bus would stop on its way out of Staples.

That’s when I saw the injured Jermaine O’Neal.

Surrounded by an intimidating entourage of decidedly non-NBA players, he exited the locker room and made his way past the bus, straight towards the exit ramp. On his way he was stopped by then-Laker-former-Blazer teammate Brian Grant, and they exchanged friendly words. They talked briefly then parted ways, and suddenly Jermaine and his gaggle of friends were walking straight up the ramp on a direct line to where my friend and I were standing.

We looked at each other. What the heck should I do? What should I say? He shrugged his shoulders and nodded towards Jermaine, who was now within earshot.

Without really thinking I stepped forward.

“Mr. Oneal?”

They stopped talking and all of their eyes snapped towards me.

Holy shit he’s tall. 6’ 11” is not at all like the TV advertises.

Again without thinking: “Can you sign this please?”

Wait. Sign what?! I look down and I’m holding out the sharpie and my Reggie Miller rookie card.

Without saying anything Jermaine looks down at me (and I emphasize down - I'm 5' 9"), takes the card and the sharpie, scribbles a giant and illegible signature on the back of the card, hands it back to me, and follows his entourage into an SUV parked at the top of the exit ramp. The SUV pulls out and drives away. The Pacers bus follows shortly thereafter.

I’m left standing there with a Reggie Miller rookie card signed by someone who is now a Miami Heat Center.

Hey, at least I got an autograph. My night was saved. I think.

To this day I wonder if Jermaine realized it wasn’t his stats that he signed over. I wonder if he thought I was a moron for making him sign something that wasn’t his. I wonder if he didn’t even notice or care. I wonder how much a Jermaine O’Neal signature depreciates the value of a Reggie Miller rookie card. I wonder if anyone would believe me if I lie and say Reggie himself signed it.

Either way, I wish Jermaine luck tonight because he definitely needs it these days. He’s 0-3 when on the visiting team in Conseco, averaging just 2.7 pts in those 3 outings. The Heat are also under pressure from Philly for the 5th seed in the East so they probably need this game as much as the Pacers need it to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive.

Whatever happens, I’ll always remember that Jermaine O’Neal was there in the formative years of my Pacer fandom. Thanks for those years, Jermaine. And thanks for defacing one of the few pieces of sports memorabilia that I have, you tall, tall man.

I miss him.

Bad Time to Start Writing a Pacers Blog?

Nope. It's the PERFECT time.

The Indiana Pacers are a team that is perpetually on the brink: on the brink of collapse, on the brink of insanity, and once upon a time, on the brink of greatness. At times the Pacers have bristled with talent, stepping with the swagger of a team that knew it deserved more than it got. At other times they have been a team surrounded by controversy, with an image tarnished by arrests, suspensions, and awesome, awesome violence*.

Where once they cultivated the Hoosier ideal of sublime three-point shooting during the days of the Reggie Miller vanguard, now they flounder for an identity as a run-and-gun team without enough ammo. Where once they thrived as a lockdown-defensive team anchored by the prowess of basketball cancer Ron-Ron Artest, they now part like warm butter upon the knives of the nightly opposition, allowing a 25th ranked 105.8 points per game.

The 08-09 Pacers are sitting at 29-42 for the year, 4.5 games out of the playoffs, and the team is losing money to the point where Mel and Herb Simon need help paying the upkeep of a desolate and empty Conseco Fieldhouse.

I’ll be honest. I only started liking the Pacers because Reggie Miller was the best three-point shooter in NBA Jam and he could catch fire like no other. I am not from Indiana. I have never been to Indiana. I am from California, grew up in the Bay Area, and now reside in Lala Land surrounded by Black Mamba fanboys. I can count the Pacers fans that I know on one finger, and that’s including myself. But THAT IS THE POINT.

If people thought it was bad to be a Pacers fan after the Palace Brawl, now I feel worse. There’s only one thing worse than controversy and that’s vast indifference and apathy. The Pacers are fading within the consciousness of the NBA landscape and it’s starting to hurt (That being said, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be a Kings fan. Sorry Sacramento).

My Pacer fandom is a lonely existence - after all I live in Kobe-town. So I figure I have to let it out somewhere. The frustration. The moments of fleeting joy and terror. The fact that the Pacers have played all of 19 games this year decided by 3 or fewer points and have only won 7 of those. The fact that I’ve watched those games – watched CP3 and Dirk and BRoy and Kobe all stick game-winning daggers into Danny Granger’s heart. The fact that despite the heartbreak, the Pacers have inexplicably beat the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, and Magic and remain the only team in the Association to do so. The fact that nobody gives a shit because the team is lottery-bound anyways.

So now, in the twilight of a lost season, during an epic economic recession that is tearing down the country, I declare that this is indeed the perfect time to pop my blogging cherry with a blog about an inconsequential NBA team that nobody cares about. A team that, by all intents and purposes, nobody should care about, especially not a California kid such as myself.

I am living proof that Pacers fans can exist outside of Indiana, and I stand here with my Indiana Pacers on the brink of insignificance, with the vain hope that people will start paying attention to us. Because if we don’t start winning, Danny Granger will soon jump off that brink along with the hopes of the franchise.

If there even is a franchise after 2010.

If there even is an NBA as we know it after 2010.

So like I said: the perfect time to start a blog about the Pacers.

* Violence I don't condone, but cmon...Jermaine Oneal's sliding punch to the poor schmuck trying to stand up is gold on repeat viewings and is still an integral part of my basketball conscience (Imagine being that guy? Or any of the guy(s) that Artest clocked?! From now on, whenever they think of the Pacers, or maybe even anything related to the NBA, their jaws probably start aching).