Pacers - tank or fight

[chrbal]

Amount of injuries that the Pacers are dealing with, it’s more just survival at this point. It’s got to be like half their roster is on the injured list. Maybe shop a few players around the deadline, but honestly just focus on developing the younger players you have and potentially add some

[Mk0]

Tank and pray for karma to hook you up with a top 3 pick? Haliburton isn't coming back this year, you may as well embrace the gap year considering how things have gone so far this season.

[xBulletproof]

Tank and pray for karma to hook you up with a top 3 pick? Haliburton isn't coming back this year, you may as well embrace the gap year considering how things have gone so far this season.

As a fan, that's what I'm hoping for.

But as a realist, this team never quits. I feel like Mathurin and Nembhard are only a few games away from playing again. I have a feeling we will win more games than I want and need to rely on lottery luck to get to the top 3. Unfortunately.

[8305]

On the current pace team could be buried in a matter of weeks/days.
Ben Mathurin:
At full strength fit with team is iffy.
He probably never passes either of Nwsmith or Nembhard which means he’s coming off the bench.
Hard to see how team structure and player expectations match up.
I’m on trade watch for Benn.
In the meantime need to get him on the floor so he can impress someone.
Slow start, move Benn, tank should take care of itself.

[xBulletproof]

On the current pace team could be buried in a matter of weeks/days.
Ben Mathurin:
At full strength fit with team is iffy.
He probably never passes either of Nwsmith or Nembhard which means he’s coming off the bench.
Hard to see how team structure and player expectations match up.
I’m on trade watch for Benn.
In the meantime need to get him on the floor so he can impress someone.
Slow start, move Benn, tank should take care of itself.

The way he played the couple games he did this year, I think were his best games as a Pacer, period.

He scored and did it within the offense. He moved the ball quickly and decisively, when it wasn't there. Was aggressive scoring when it was there. I have been very clear in that I'm not as big on Mathurin as many Pacers fans, but those 2 games gave me more hope than the first 3 seasons. Sometimes he would score before, but it impeded the offense. The first 2 games this year he scored in the offense.

[DC_Melo]

I say fight. Pacers have built a strong culture by competing hard with their entire roster. Tanking for a chance at an unknown prospect isn’t the slam dunk everyone thinks it is. Yea there’s some upside, but you can also risk damaging your winning culture just for a dud draw in the lotto or a bust of a prospect even with a high pick. That’s a bigger risk than I think many realize.

On the other hand, competing and winning games can develop their current role players into better support players next season, without the downside of potentially damaging a well-built winning culture.

So I say fight! Also, I have them making the playoffs in a parlay I made this preseason.

[K N U C K L E S]

It could be the Spurs all over again when Robinson got hurt and they drafted Tim Duncan.

[FarBeyondDriven]

The couple of times this has happened in sports history, with a playoff/Finals caliber team losing their best player, when the team has embraced the tank the following season, it has worked out. Spurs lost David Robinson and got Tim Duncan because the Celtics tanked even harder and got punished. The Colts lost Peyton Manning, tanked and got Andrew Luck. Now the Pacers lost Hali and the Celtics lost Tatum. The Pacers are tanking and could end up landing their best talent ever. Meanwhile, the Celtics may be winning meaningless games which might cost them a Tatum level talent unless the NBA rigs the lottery for them. We'll see who played their cards right.

[WestbrookGOATed]

Thats tricky. Tank and get a top 5 pick or make the play-in in the weak eastern conference?

[RoyceDa59]

It’s a stacked draft.

[peZt]

Its the greatest draft class since 03. Any team who does not have a chance at the title would be stupid to chose this year to "fight". Especially Pacers iwth their star out.
Tank this year, get a franchise player (which is almost guaranteed with a top 4 pick this year) and fight the next years.

Pacers with Dybantsa next to Haliburton, Mathurin and Siakam would be filthyyyy

I say fight. Pacers have built a strong culture by competing hard with their entire roster. Tanking for a chance at an unknown prospect isn’t the slam dunk everyone thinks it is. Yea there’s some upside, but you can also risk damaging your winning culture just for a dud draw in the lotto or a bust of a prospect even with a high pick. That’s a bigger risk than I think many realize.

On the other hand, competing and winning games can develop their current role players into better support players next season, without the downside of potentially damaging a well-built winning culture.

So I say fight! Also, I have them making the playoffs in a parlay I made this preseason.

People say its the greatest top 3-4 since maybe the 03 draft. Even if you dont want to keep that pick, you'd easily be able to trade it for a star. If Giannis wants out for example and the Bucks had to trade him, they'd easily prefer to trade him for a top 3 pikc this year over pretty much anything that other teams could offer. You'd be able to get a GIannis without offering your star player. That's a luxury that no other team in place to be able to get Giannis has. Giannis is just one example

[xBulletproof]

1-9 here we come.

This is an awful starting lineup

Nembhard
Jarace Walker
Ben Sheppard
Jay Huff
Isiah Jackson

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[tmorgan]

Every team, including the Pacers, knows how stacked this draft is. There could be a lot of tanking, which, of course, means some failed tanking. February and March basketball could be some kind of ugly this year.