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Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Pacers bottom out against Minnesota

DANNY BRIDGES
DANNY BRIDGES
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.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed here are not necessarily those of the Indianapolis Recorder.

I generally enjoy covering Pacers games. Bankerslife Fieldhouse is a great building, and despite all the injuries this year, the fans have supported a team that with the exception of the second half against Denver way back on November 14 has played relatively hard each night before recently. However, these last three games are simply more than any fan should have to endure and plunk down their hard earned money to see, so with that in mind it is clearly time to make the following proclamation official: This team is hopeless and needs to be rebuilt.

Wait a minute you say, we lost a budding superstar in Paul George to a catastrophic injury in the off season. If we had him, we would be ok. Not a chance I say. Well, what about the number of games George Hill and David West have missed this season? Uh, what about it? A lot of teams experience injuries and do not tank it the way the Pacers have these last three contests, which just happen to have been against three of the NBA’s bottom feeders.

Just a bad steak you say? Think again. The Pacers showed no interest in playing as a team and seemed allergic to defense during this tumultuous run, displaying absolutely none of the resolve they showcased earlier in the season.

I guess what I am trying to say is, this isn’t your Father’s three game skid Pacer fans, but rather a clear display of pathetic basketball by a team beyond hope, one that is destined to be a non factor the second half of this sad season. When I say this team desperately needs an overhaul, I mean from top to bottom, front office included.

Other than Donnie Walsh, it is time to clean house and do it in a swift fashion, sending a message that this is unacceptable and can no longer be labeled Pacer basketball. Bold talk you say from a guy who never played or coached at a high level? Not really. Come on down to the next home game, and I will buy you a ticket. If you do not see what I am citing, I will then pay for a visit to the optometrist of your choice, as you certainly need one if you can not detect the lackadaisical effort (Kind word for it) that is being shoveled down the throat of all who still attend.

As with any organization the assignment of blame starts at the top. While the Simon family have been tremendous stewards of this once proud franchise, they are clearly enamored with Larry Bird, and that infatuation prohibits them from holding him accountable the way most NBA owners do with their executives. Please save all the rhetoric about how the team he assembled took the the Miami Heat to the brink, as that is so far in the rear view mirror you would have to borrow a high end telescope from NASA to even see the tail end of that run. To make matters even worse, this anemic excuse for basketball comes at a time when the Pacers marketing department is doing a splendid job in terms of making home games affordable and fun for families. Discounted tickets and merchandise aside, the product is putrid, and Indianapolis will soon tire of it. With the trading deadline starring Larry Legend and company squarely in the eye, it is time to make some difficult decisions and say goodbye to some players that have been solid both on and off the floor historically, but have no reason in their collective minds to play hard here anymore.

While I admire David West as an individual, it is time to move him to a contender in exchange for the best possible package of draft picks you can receive in return. He still has something in the tank, and will be an asset to a team looking for a power forward who can give them twenty solid minutes every night. While his contributions to our community are numerous and well documented, it is time to let him go and plug in Lavoy Allen who wants to rebound the basketball every minute he plays.

Ditto for Luis Scola. Nice guy, but he simply does not have it anymore. I will not mention the fact the Pacers gave up way too much to get him, and simply point out he cannot run the floor any longer and is a huge liability defensively. It is also time to admit that Chris Copeland cannot play in the NBA, and lets find out what (if anything) Shayne Whittington and Damjan Rudez can do with some playing time or send them packing as well. While the revamping is in session, lets look at the core of George, Roy Hibbert, and Hill while we are at it.

George was deemed nearly untouchable before his injury and while the jury is still out regarding his full recovery, any legit revising of the roster has to include the possibility of trading him for a wealth of draft picks.

George Hill’s athleticism makes him a desirable commodity so he too must be in play for possible trades. Then there is the enigmatic one, number Fifty Five. Roy could not be more of a disappointment and the Pacers will have more luck getting Boomer on Dancing WithThe Stars than receiving anything other than a token draft pick or two in return for the hapless big man. I say take that and run, but Bird is stubborn, and will probably keep a guy who can’t harness any self confidence for longer than fifteen minutes until next season, and then watch him walk away as a free agent with nothing in return.

Not exactly a pretty picture or even remotely close to what “Pacer Pride” is supposed to embody, but the gloves have to come off at this point and heads need to roll. I say give Frank Vogel a Purple Heart and a nice severance to free him from the agony he is enduring. To his credit he has been professional, classy, and honest in his assessment of the team. He has refrained from taking them to task in the media and for that deserves credit. He is a solid coach, a gentleman of the highest degree, and will not be unemployed long. If you think I am being too harsh, well you are incorrect. This team is broken, with an amputated spirit that can never be recovered. I have seen some poor basketball in my fifty five years, but nothing as horrific as what I have witnessed the past three games. Yes, I watched every minute of the Philadelphia fiasco on television and that alone makes me a candidate for psychiatric evaluation, but for some strange reason no one is calling this collection of underachievers out for their lack of hustle, and more importantly, a clear lack of respect for the fans.

Want to tank it? fine, change your zip code and do it, but don’t expect any of us to feel badly over a rash of injuries when you good fellows are earning (Uh, I meant paid) tons of money that working stiffs cannot even begin to fathom. Do the good people of Indianapolis a favor and bust your backside once in awhile, and perhaps crash the boards. While you are at it, dive for a loose ball too. Maybe that will temporarily distract them from the stench that is emitting from the floor every night of late.Then again, I doubt it.

Danny Bridges, who thinks the Pacers are light years beyond embarrassment of late, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.

Danny Bridges
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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.

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