At this point in my life just short of 60 years young, all l really want when driving down the road in my car is to avoid getting hit by a bad driver and to somehow not spill my ginger ale as l periodically sip it when motoring. I had all that going and then some recently, weaving through the Castleton traffic, when some hopeless Pacers fan calls in to a sports talk radio program to register their concern about the Blue and Gold dropping a home tilt to a rather lackluster Cleveland Cavaliers team. How could that occur, they lamented, and what was wrong with them? He then proclaimed more concern in terms of their next game when they lost at Toronto, after leading the Raptors by 17 earlier in the contest. The disgruntled fan also articulated his disdain for the officiating, and added the Pacers were, in his humble opinion, in serious trouble. Shortly after reaching my destination l thought how insane his comments were and went about my shopping, wondering if the guy had watched every game this year.
Later that afternoon l made the mistake of tuning in to a local network affiliate sportscaster, who continued the crazy banter about the referees, and that it was possible that Victor Oladipo wasn’t physically ready to be back on the playing floor. Good time to walk the dogs, I thought, and avoid all of the nonsense being demonstrated. Winding through the normal route that my crazed canines explore each day, it dawned on me how outrageous some folks are when assessing the performance of this team, and just how unrealistic the expectations have become since last season.
Sure, there is optimism this season after a rather encouraging 2017-18 campaign, but did anyone really expect them to be tremendously better, and if so, to display such prowess just some 30 games into the season? Apparently yes, but it’s simply nonsense to be talking about playoff seedings with 50 games left in the regular season. Their respectable start aside, the fact remains this team has been inconsistent at times and also played 11 straight games recently without their best player, although comprising a solid record of seven up and four down in Oladipo’s absence.
However, it goes much further than that, and when you throw in life on the road in the NBA, the Pacers have improved in that area as well. There have certainly been some disappointing losses along the way, but overall, there is nothing so far warranting the panic button being activated by so many who really are off base on this one. With the core of their rotation back this year, this team is probably right where they should be.
With the emergence of the Milwaukee Bucks, the continuing development of the Philadelphia 76ers and the slow start of the Boston Celtics, how can anyone really determine what the Eastern Conference truly holds from top to bottom, and furthermore, question the overall strength of the Pacers with so few games under their belt?
Granted, 10 more games will be the halfway point of the season, but there’s just so much more that can, and probably will, happen, so please just settle down. Forget about a few they didn’t win, and ignore the couple of games they shouldn’t have won as well.
The sample size here just isn’t quite big enough yet, despite what the alleged experts would have you believe. Give it some more time and let’s meet back here at the All Star break and really have a serious discussion. Just don’t say silly things that aren’t relevant, as that might cause me to spill my beloved ginger ale as I chuckle at you.
Overtime:
The Pacers recently named Kelly Krauskopf to the position of assistant general manager, making her the first woman to hold such a position in the history of the NBA. You know her for the splendid job she did as the president and general manager of the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, where she was instrumental in their presence as a perennial playoff participant, including a championship in 2012.
While her credentials are indeed commensurate with the position she was appointed to, there was a article in a local paper calling her the architect for a championship culture, and she would be building the team. Those claims are irresponsible as well as unfair to Krauskopf, not to mention disrespectful to others in the Pacers’ front office. Again, this lady is a brilliant basketball executive, but the aforementioned is out of line. Give her time to distinguish herself in this challenging opportunity she’s earned.
Danny Bridges, who thinks the Pacers can surprise you even more if you’re patient, and feels the Krauskopf hire was a splendid move by the franchise, can be reached at (317) 370-8447, or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
