Dcbaseballer52 wrote:Larry Bird needs to take over this team that he assembled and so when we continue to lose it will be clear that he does not have what it takes to be an NBA exec. All he is wanting to do is validate his own career by building a team around white jump shooters that remind him of himself. This style does not work in this league. Steve Nash has been the sparkplug for the leagues best up-tempo attack ever since he has been in Phoenix... and how many titles have they won? Look at the list of champions ever since the Bulls era.
1999- San Antonio Spurs (Avery Johnson, Sean Elliott, Mario Ellie, Tim Duncan, David Robinson)
2000- Los Angeles Lakers (Ron Harper, Kobe Bryant, Glen Rice, Robert Horry, Shaquille O'neal)
2001- Los Angeles Lakers (Ron Harper, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Horace Grant, Shaquille O'neal)
2002- Los Angeles Lakers ( Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Horace Grant, Shaquille O'neal)
2003- San Antonio Spurs (Tony Parker, Stephen Jackson, Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, David Robinson)
2004- Det. Pistons (Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace)
2005- San Antonio Spurs (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, Rasho Nesterovic)
2006- Miami Heat (Jason Williams, Dwyane Wade, Antoine Walker, Udonis Haslem, Shaquille O'neal)
2007- San Antonio Spurs (Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, Tim Duncan, Fabricio Oberto)
2008- Boston Celtics (Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins)
2009- Los Angeles Lakers (Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum)
Almost every single one of these teams has an elite guard and a dominate big man. The one obvious exception to a team-wide effort is the 04 Pistons... but even they were a team built on DEFENSE.
Simply put... right now it seems that our ultimate goal is to make it back to the playoffs. If that is our ultimate goal we are wasting our time. The goal should be to win a championship. We do not have the players or even a core of players needed to tin a championship. Danny Granger is a #2 option on a championship caliber team. We need a top-tier superstar to take us to the next level. Someone that is no doubt one of the top 15-20 players in the league. We should know by now that the Pacers will never get a player such as this through free agency.
1. Our cap situation is always a mess.
2. Players prefer warmer cities
3. Players prefer larger markets
4. Players prefer historical championship teams.
This leaves us with 2 routes. Either
A. We get lucky and a disgruntled superstar demands a trade and ultimately ends up in Indiana or
B. The most likely option.... we build through the draft.
now sometimes teams get lucky and get stars late in the draft.... but is is a much higher percentage to get a franchise players if you get a top 10 or top 5 pick. The Pacers have not had such a pick in a very long time because we lose a lot but we refuse to lose enough. The current tradition of getting a pick between 11 and 17 will NOT help us build a championship team. It would be much better to start losing the rest of our games NOW.
This is a fantastic post. I have been saying for years that the Pacers need a Star player. Granger is a great player but he isn't a star the caliber of Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Melo, Durant, Bosh, KG, Nash, etc. Paired with a player like that the Pacers would be a force. A player like that will require all the attention of the defense making the game so easy for Danny. The Al Harrington deal was ignorant, especially when we traded him away, which I still don't see why.
Personally I feel the whole "image" bs is dumb, IMO. I really don't think it was THAT big of a deal. I honestly don't care what my teams "image" is, unless it's something completely outrageous, which it wasn't. Look at Stephen Jackson now, don't really hear much trouble from him, and he's gotten way better since leaving Indiana. Ron Artest is just a lost plain and simple. JO had a bad contract, but was a great player, and other than throwing one punch which was justified IMO, he's a model citizen.
I just feel we absolutely WASTE our 1st round picks. We NEVER trade up to get a better pick when players that would GREATLY benefit us are available. Granted hindsight is 20/20 but honestly, WTF were they thinking drafting David Harrison? Here are our 1st round picks since 2000, and the notable guys that were taken AFTER we took these guys.....
2000Primoz Brezec
Guys after him: Eddie House, Michael Redd
2001No first round pick, our 2nd round pick was Jamison Brewer
Guys after: No one really worth mentioning, Bobby Simmons?
2002Fred Jones
Guys after: Tayshawn Prince, Carols Boozer, John Salmons.
2003Again, no first rounder 2nd round pick was James Jones
Guys after: No one worth mentioning, but this was one of the best classes EVER, should have traded up and got a star. James, Wade, Bosh, Kaman, West, Diaw, Josh Howard....etc.
2004David Harrison
Guys After: Anderson Varejao, Chris Duhon, Trevor Ariza
2005Danny Granger, probably the best pick in Pacers draft history other than Reggie.
Guys after: Irrelavant because Granger has turned out to be one of the best in that draft, and in the league. But they could have traded up for their 2nd pick and got: Monta Ellis, Hakim Warrick, David Lee. But other than Chris Paul, Granger turned out to be the best player in that draft.
2006Shawne Williams
Guys after: Jordan Farmar, RAJON RONDO
2007NO PICKS DUE TO THE WONDERFUL AL HARRINGTON DEAL
2008Jerrid Bayless, who we trade for Brandon Rush, mulligan anyone?
Guys after: Courtney Lee, George Hill, Chris Douglas-Roberts, JJ Hickson, Anthony Randolph.....Brook Lopez was picked one before us, Eric Gordon three before us.
2009Tyler Hansbrough (Still too early to tell, but does anyone really expect him to be more than just som hustle off the bench, and do you want to be spending your 13th pick on a role player at best?
Guys after: Ty Lawson, Darrin Collison, Dejaun Blair, Chase Buddinger.....Brandon Jennings was only two picks ahead of us.
Again, tough to know these things at the time, but I just feel that they are just wasting draft picks that never amount to anything. Out of all those picks, Granger is the ONLY one that has worked out, jury is still out on Hibbert and Hansbrough.