Pacers franchise at a crossroads?

[joew8302]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... LUMNISTS01

Interesting article. I agree with Kravitz here as I usually do.

[count55]

Isn't this like the 9th time he's published the same column in the last three years?

[joew8302]

I am not really sure, I am from Ohio and don't see the Indy Star very much. People have been saying rebuild for the past two years though.

[Boneman2]

Kravitz complains about everything , I quit reading his negative articles long ago. He is definitely not a guru or anything.

Like you said Joew8302, we've essentially been at the crossroads for two years and have yet to decide which direction we're going.

[cdash]

I am not a huge fan of Kravitz, but I do think he has some valid points in that article. Like you guys said, we are at a crossroads and have been for the past two years. I think Pacer fans are getting impatient with the organization's lack of commitment to winning now or rebuilding. Its painfully obvious that this team cant win now, whether JO and Tinsley are healthy or not. We need to rebuild, but so far Bird has just tried to put band-aids on bullet wounds with his lack of major moves last offseason. We needed a shooter, he went out and signed Rush. We needed a back-up point guard, he signs Diener. Im not saying they are bad moves and I actually like those two for the most part, but they were never going to solve the issues that this team faces. We have the NBA's worst attendance for a reason. Actually, there are more than one, but the main reason I think is because this team lacks hope. We have one good young player (Granger), two guys that may be good in a few years but have shown little so far (Shawne and Ike), and a bunch of knuckleheads and bad contracts. Its weird, when I go to games, its like I have the Angel on one shoulder and the Devil on the other. Do I cheer for us to win, knowing full and well that making the playoffs as an 8 seed and getting slaughtered by the Celtics or Pistons would do nothing for the franchise; or do I root against them so we stockpile the ping pong balls? We are in a purgatory right now, and as Kravitz said, fans just want to have some hope.

[LEIF]

JO and Tinsley must be moved soon....

[joew8302]

cdash

Outstanding post! You said what I, and I am sure a lot of others feel very well. It is a tough spot to be in.

I didn't know Kravitz had a rep for always being negative. Thanks for the info.

[Miller4ever]

Why do we still have the worst attendance without having a team name like "The Miami Heat" or the "New York Knicks"?

[cdash]

Why do we still have the worst attendance without having a team name like "The Miami Heat" or the "New York Knicks"?

Ahhh, yes, theres a pretty simple answer to this: Market size. No matter how dire things get in New York, the Knicks will never have poor attendance due to the fact that they play in a massive market. It doesnt hurt that the fans there seemingly do have a purpose when they go to games; they want to voice their displeasure with Isiah and James Dolan by booing them incessantly.

The Heat dont play in quite as large of a market as the Knicks, but its still bigger than Indianapolis, Charlotte, New Orleans, etc. They are only two years removed from a title, so they are still fresh in the minds of the Miami citizens. Also, who else are they going to cheer for in Miami? The Dolphins are terrible, the Marlins, well, I dont think they have ever fully embraced them, the Canes have struggled for a few years, and so on. This may not mean as much in Miami as it does here in Indy. The recent success of the Colts has put them as the #1 team in the city's mind. Factor in the resurgence of IU basketball and Purdue basketball, and its not hard to see why people are apathetic about the Pacers.

By the way, it just occured to me that your post was probably sarcastic, so I probably just babbled on about stuff you already know.