Press Conference today

[notque]

It has a certain amount of logic to it. Especially with Granger saying JO is gone.

If he's going to sit out the rest of the year, let him opt out. That's fine. Save the money, and work towards picks and youth.

I don't see what we could get for him that would help us. His contract is just too large. We'd have to take back an expiring guy that makes almost as much as he does, and a rookie, and picks.

I don't want to take on money, I want to get cheap and young, run with Obie for 3 years, then as he gets the team to a place where it's on the way up, can him for someone else.

[CableKC]

Does anybody here think that statement's not true?

This has two quotes from a 20-minute conference. If he was asked what the team needed, and this was his answer, then what's the problem?

Do we think that if he tucks these guys in at night and whispers sweet nothings in their ears, all of sudden JO's going to healthy, JT's going to be healthy and not stupid, and poof! we're a contender?

I don't think that anyone has any disagreement about what he is saying. I think that most of us are more concerned that they publically said this.

Is it to hard to "elegantly" say that "we saw that there were changes that we wanted to make and tried to make some trades over the last 2 months but didn't find any trade that made sense cuz they undervalued our players while potentially hurting the long term viability of this team"?

Even if he was asked the question of team leadership ( assuming that this was the question that precipated Bird's comment ), I would hope that Bird would be smart enough to give the "safe but standard" answer that "JONeal has done very well as the team leader but has been limited due to injuries so he can't really do much when he is off the court...blah blah blah blah" instead of an answer that essentially threw JONeal under the bus.

I'm not saying that as Die-Hard Pacer fans that pay attention to the team all the time that this isn't true or that this isn't something that probably hasn't been discussed with Management and the Coaching staff.......I'm just saying that it just doesn't makes sense for the Pacers FO to pretty much say that JONeal hasn't cut it as our team leader and we need to find a new one. There's a difference between TPTB knowing this and publically saying that we have no team leader when the public fully knows that the "supposed" team leader is JONeal.

I can easily see JONeal taking this and pulling out his annual "I think that it's time for me to part with the Pacers" and lowering his trade value even more. You think that we were likely low-balled with JONeal offers now? Wait until the summer when we start getting calls from Zeke saying that QRich and Zach Randolph can be great team leaders.

[mizzoupacers]

JO opting out this summer would be bad news. We have either got to get him healthy, or trade him for someone good. Anything else dooms the Pacers to suckitude for the next several seasons at least.

[notque]

We're not already doomed to suckitude? Wouldn't getting picks right now be an improvement with Granger and Dunleavy getting better, and still young?

[Sleepy51]

Bird understand team locker room dynamics and leadership as well as anyone I could imagine.

Is this really a swipe at JO (who is kinda one foot out the door isn't he?) Or maybe it's more Bird calling to all the young guys for a changing of the guard? Maybe he's giving Granger & Dun permission to become vocal and to start preparing for summer moves when the vets are moved out and it becomes "their" team?

As someone who got really frustrated and dissapointed with Dun in GS, the progress he's made for you guys is undeniable. As an outsider with some emotional distance to your current w/l circumstances, to me this sounds like nothing but a positive for the futre. Bird is calling the ball and telling the young guys that they are going to get the keys very soon . . . so start getting ready.

[count55]

The germane (or should I say "Jermaine") section:

Q. Does this team have necessary leadership?
A. You know, these guys get along very well. I think they like one another, but that's not leadership. I don't think we have what I call a great leader in that locker room. Players will say, 'Come on, I'm a leader.' No. It's not there. When a guy's late, if you have a leader he goes to that guy and says, 'Look, we don't do that here.' If a guy misses a bus, 'We don't have that.' If the team gets beat on a last-second shot and a guy misses a defensive assignment, the leader goes to that guy and says, 'Hey, come on, what are you thinking?' We don't have that. And until we have that we will struggle, at times, there's no question about it. But as far as 'the leader,' no, we don't have that.

Q. Can it develop from someone on the team or must it be brought from the outside?
A. It's tough to bring a player in the first year to be a leader from outside. I can see Danny Granger, over time, being that. Danny's one of them kids that comes in here right now, looks around, keeps his mouth shut, practices hard, plays hard, takes everything in and goes home. I know what he's thinking. His time will come and he'll probably be that guy.

Q. Are the team's ongoing fourth-quarter problems a sign of that lack of leadership?
A. They get very down on themselves because the same thing's happening over and over. If you notice, in the last however many games we've been in and lost, it's always been the key player from the other team making the plays to win the games. We haven't got that out there. Ours is hurt. Until we get him back we probably will struggle in that area. But at the same time, a lot of our young guys are going through some situations knowing what they have to do to get us over the hump. As we go forward, I think these guys will be good enough and learn enough from these stars that are doing this to us that they will overcome that and continue to get better at that.

Seems like very straight forward and reasonable responses to me. It was also 15 or so questions into the press conference.

For what it's worth, there was a lot I was pleased with in this interview. I think Bird has a good understanding of the problems facing the team. I also think his view of the keepers on this team (Danny, Mike, Shawne) are in line with my thinking.

Will he actually be able to turn it around? It's hard to say, but I have absolutely no problems with this press conference or really any of his answers.

BTW...thanks for the perspective, Sleepy51...I'm not sure if it's right or not, but it is nice to get a well-thought out comment from someone who's not as embroiled in the situation.

[notque]

Reading the whole interview, I liked it. I'm fully on Bird's side here.

[cdash]

Again, what is the point of holding a press conference to say we dont have a leader? Just making sure people know the Pacers are still playing? Seriously, what did that accomplish?

[count55]

Again, what is the point of holding a press conference to say we dont have a leader? Just making sure people know the Pacers are still playing? Seriously, what did that accomplish?

The purpose of the press conference was to discuss what happened at the trade deadline, and why the Pacers were inactive.

In the course of the press conference, he was asked about the team's leadership (or lack thereof).

It was not the purpose of the press conference.

[joew8302]

Please, there was no point here. What is the point of saying this team lacks a leader? Isn't that like saying the team colors are blue and gold? Tell me something we don't know Larry, I mean if you are just figuring this out then I am less optimistic about the teams future than before.

[Orlock78]

Bird is no idiot, he knows that he is accountable to the fans, and even if he didn't want to (and I'm willing to bet he didn't) he decided to level with people and explain why no moves were made at the deadline. Basically hes just telling all of us.. "relax, we ARE trying to make improvements, but your gonna have to wait until we have something to work with".

At least thats the way I see it. If nothing else Bird is a stand up guy who tells it like it is. If we don't like it theres nothing he can do but tell the truth, and do the best he can to get some good players in a small market.

[Miller4ever]

Please, there was no point here. What is the point of saying this team lacks a leader? Isn't that like saying the team colors are blue and gold? Tell me something we don't know Larry, I mean if you are just figuring this out then I am less optimistic about the teams future than before.

Bird is not individually attacking anyone, nor is he reiterating the obvious, even if his words are just that taken at face value.

He is admitting to the public that it IS a problem that they are aware of and they are trying to solve it as a team.

Plus, he's hinted at this before, and he knows what he's talking about (I believe he has some jewelery and an MVP trophy to boot).

He also sees the situation well. Any move that could've made is made more clear during the offseason, when the lottery is decided and we know our draft order, and some of our personnel situations becomes more clear.

[Eindar]

JO opting out this summer would be bad news. We have either got to get him healthy, or trade him for someone good. Anything else dooms the Pacers to suckitude for the next several seasons at least.

I'd say doing nothing will achieve the same objective.

If JO opts out, that would be the biggest gift he could give to the franchise. Yes, he's a good player and yes, he has value. And no, we're not going to lure a big name free agent here, so there's no point in getting way under the cap. But JO leaving gives us cap room to sign other young guys as they come due, and also actually puts us on a path towards something.

As it sits now, JO looks like he's going to be collecting $20 million per year for the next 3, while putting up 15 & 6 on 40% shooting for 50 games per season. That'll kill your franchise quicker than any rebuilding effort.[/b]

[PR07]

It's much better for us to trade JO for expirings, picks, and young players then to have him simply opt. We'd lose a lot of value if JO just left, and we wouldn't be able to make it all up in free agency because we're not that attractive of a destination as it stands.

[count55]

Obviously, it's better to get something than to get nothing. I still think, however, that JO will opt out when pigs fly.