Front-office minds like General Manager Kevin Pritchard and Vice President of Basketball Operations Peter Dinwiddie hold pre-draft meetings with Bird, stay attached to their phones to conduct reconnaissance on how the top-10 picks might land and — even more intriguing — talk potential trades with other teams.
It takes overseers like Ryan Carr, the team's director of scouting, who has led the cadre of basketball emissaries for the past six years, pointing the ship in the right direction so that the team starts with a ranking of the best players in the world and ends with a handful of possible future Pacers.
And of course, it takes Bird, who has the final say.
"I think one thing we've all learned from Larry (is) making sound decisions and patience. He is reflected in the draft room," Carr said. "Until Larry says who it is, that's when the NBA gets told who it is.
Some great info in the article about draft decisions, including Bird debating Hansbrough v Lawson on the clock, and his feelings now about that.
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2015/06/23/pacers-decide-pick-nba-draft/29173885/
