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Friday, March 29, 2024

Who Will Be The Next Pacers Superstar?

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When it comes to player movement, there is no question that the NBA has changed over the past few decades. What has evolved is a system in which players have started to have more influence as to where they play, and who they play with. What James Hardin did this year to end up with the Brooklyn Nets wouldā€™ve been unattainable in years past. Some franchises have caught on (or should we say, caught up) to the trend, and others are holding on to the ā€œway things have always been done.ā€ Many of the star players in this era are more about winning championships than staying loyal to one team. Players in the past were known to have been on the loyal side of the conversation, such as the great Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Reggie Miller, or even Michael Jordan, given that he was practically forced out of Chicago. But now it appears players want different things out of their careers. Instead of striving to have their jersey hung up in the arena rafters and leaving a legacy on a franchise, it is now all about the ā€œchampionship.ā€ And players arenā€™t willing to wait for their franchise to pull together a team capable of competing for a title. They are more about taking matters into their own hands. But the question remains, is this good for the game as a whole? Itā€™s a situation all teams, including our Indiana Pacers, are grappling with. 

Letā€™s first look at how things used to be. Possibly the greatest team of all time, the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls, was a team built mainly through the draft. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and young Tony Kukoc were all selected through the draft. Their other big name, Dennis Rodman, who was nothing but a role player his entire career, came to Chicago in exchange for Will Perdue. None of these players came through free agency, and none requested for a trade to come play in Chicago. And we all know how great that worked out for the Bulls.  

This brings me to today, where star players are requesting for trades because they are unhappy with their current situation with their franchise or simply donā€™t feel as though they have a chance to win a championship. A recent, and maybe the biggest in history, was Kevin Durant choosing to go to Golden State rather than stay with Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant, who led the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012, and was league MVP in 2014, seemed to have set his sights on winning championships after having fallen short in Oklahoma City. In Golden State, he saw a chance to align with one of the best teams in league history. And who can now argue with his decision, as the Warriors went on to win two rings, with Durant as a key player in that success. But apparently that wasnā€™t enough for Durant. So he teamed up with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn through free agency, after Golden State had seemingly lost itā€™s ā€œgoldenā€ touch due to injuries and to a small degree, free agency. Not to be left out of the title sweepstakes, and seeing a perfect chance to ā€œwin nowā€, James Harden requested to be traded from Houston, and ended up with Irving and Durant in Brooklyn. Overnight, the team that was expected to compete for the title became a clear frontrunner.

But letā€™s get back to our hometown Pacers. Indiana fans have been longing for that one franchise player to come to the he team and lead us to the top of the NBA. Our last NBA Finals appearance was in 2000, with Pacer legend Reggie Miller leading the way, alongside Jermaine O’Neal and Jalen Rose. The closest we have been since then was 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, where the Miami Heat stopped us in our tracks in the Eastern Conference Finals both times. During this period, Paul George looked to be our leader and the one player who could lead us to that coveted first NBA championship. But it was not to happen. George got injured and subsequently wanted out in an attempt to go to another team that would give him a ā€œbetterā€ chance to win. In 2017, the blockbuster trade sent him to OKC in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, who were nowhere near Georgeā€™s All Star caliber at the time. Which brings me to the point, why donā€™t top talent stars choose to come to Indiana, or even stay?

Being a small market team, it is difficult for Indiana to attract top free agent talent to the franchise. The most recent ā€œstarā€ to come to Indiana from free agency was Malcolm Brogdon, who is developing well, but definitely not enough to carry a team to the promiseland by himself. Fans want to see the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Anthony Davis come our way. Many feel as though the Pacers organization leaders should be more aggressive in their approach to secure players of this caliber; something that has not been the teamā€™s way of doing business. Many believe this position has led to consistent subpar performance. In the last 5 years, the Pacers have been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round; three out of the five times they have been swept by their opponent. Pacers fans want to see better success for the franchise, but how patiently will they wait for this to happen, when time after time the best players overlook Indiana as a destination. But, as mentioned before, it is hard to bring in top talent when you are a small market team such as the Pacers. James Harden…Kevin Durant…and players of that ilk will continue to side step the Pacers for what they believe to be bigger and better opportunities. And if major changes arenā€™t made to the franchise soon, the question is, ā€œwill they ever be able to attract a true superstar?ā€ If there was ever a time to make a blockbuster move, that time is now.

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