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Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time

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Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#1 » by TJFordisGod » Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:39 pm

It appears as though the Pacers will miss the playoffs for the third straight year, but coach Jim O'Brien isn't going to hand out minutes to the team's younger players.

"I'm playing guys that deserve to be on the court. That's the way I'm going about doing it," O'Brien said. "My job is to win basketball games, and I think the best message you can send anybody, young guys, is earn your minutes. Earn your minutes in practice and with what you do in the game and then you get on the court."

Indiana has lost four straight games, but young guys like Josh McRoberts and Stephen Graham will still have to earn playing time.

"Nothing is given in the NBA," O'Brien said. "I could never send a message to the other guys on the team that I'm preparing them without giving us our best chance of winning."
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#2 » by Sparhawk » Fri Mar 20, 2009 3:44 pm

In theory that sounds like a fine and dandy plan. Here's the reality that JOB needs to come to understand. Most of the players currently playing a lot of minutes won't even be on the team next year. Marquis Daniels and Jarett Jack, as much as I like both players, probably won't be back. Nesterovic, not gonna return.

Guess what, Hibbert and Brandon Rush are the bright young future. These two need to play more minutes. Hibbert just needs to foul less and stay on the court.

Granger needs to play less minutes and not re-injure himself.

I don't know about the rest of you, but all JOB is doing is setting the rookies back a year for no reason! the Pacers chances of making the playoffs are slim. Even if they do get in, it'll probably be a first round lost. We need to start playing the guys that will be on the team next year, and build more chemistry with each other. Or we'll see the same growing pains next year cause the team isn't used to playing with each other.
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#3 » by Scoot McGroot » Fri Mar 20, 2009 3:57 pm

Why should this surprise anyone?


Bird hired O'Brien to do what Bird would do; go out and try and win every game, because every single loss pisses off Bird and O'Brien equally. Unfortunately, we're just not that good, and we're really not good when the playoff's are on the line. Obie's simply doing what he was hired to do. Admirable.


I'm relatively ok with this, as it at least puts out the view that "I'm gonna have to work to get those minutes" as opposed to the viewpoint that killed the Hawks and Clippers for almost a decade of "I'm a 1st round pick, they're gonna give me my minutes no matter what I do or what the team does." The Hawks just now recovered from that apathy from almost a decade ago.
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#4 » by Sparhawk » Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:48 pm

Scoot McGroot wrote:
I'm relatively ok with this, as it at least puts out the view that "I'm gonna have to work to get those minutes" as opposed to the viewpoint that killed the Hawks and Clippers for almost a decade of "I'm a 1st round pick, they're gonna give me my minutes no matter what I do or what the team does." The Hawks just now recovered from that apathy from almost a decade ago.


I want the players to earn their minutes too and not by lazy and say I'm a first round pick so I'm playing. At the same time though I just hope this doesn't set us back even more because they aren't receiving quality playing time and being able to make adjustments on the court to get better.

I still like where the team is headed and the Pacers have a really good core group of players. The Pacers just need another star to go along with Granger and they'll be a playoff team.
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#5 » by PR07 » Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:14 pm

Even if we're a losing team, this is still the type of winning culture that will help this team in the long-run.
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#6 » by xxSnEaKyPxx » Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:20 pm

I am on the don't tank team. I think we should always instill a winning attitude in our players. That being said, I agree with Sparhawk, most of the guys eating up minutes will probably not be back next season. Now, I think we will resign Jack, and it wouldn't be fair to take Daniels out of the lineup completely. However, Rush, Hibbert, and McRoberts need some time, and I feel they have all earned more. Rush has become our best defensive player, has anyone watched him closely in games lately? He is always glued to his guy and in his face on shots, the guy is going to be a lock down defender. Hibbert has struggled lately, he is still getting in foul trouble because of brain farts, I don't think he could play more even if he wanted. McRoberts on the other hand has earned minutes in my eyes. This guy comes off the bench and plays great defense, while providing a spark on offense everytime he steps into the game. Hes our most athletic big man, and is our best post defender, this guy has really earned more time in my eyes. I'd love to see him get at least 10 minutes a game to show he can work his way forward. I think he could be a starting PF in this league...I'm not saying he will, but I see the potetnial - and coming from a Carolina fan, thats tough for me to admit.
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#7 » by Miller4ever » Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:15 pm

I'm also on the never tank team. Now on who deserves minutes and who doesn't, I'd say that Rush is being hurt by the O'Brien offense that tells him to take jumpers, when his strength is slashing. His jumpers will fal once he gets a little confidence in himself. People say sending guys to the D-League is a confidence booster, but I think the very act of sending someone to the D-League is demoralizing. So let him play more in the NBA and let him slash. Hibbert couldn't get more minutes even if Obie let him. As for McBob, he is at the stage I think where he may not need to play to develop, and he's seen action, and he could be good once our half-assed power forward rotation gets cleared up.
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#8 » by Scoot McGroot » Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:35 pm

Sparhawk wrote:
Scoot McGroot wrote:
I'm relatively ok with this, as it at least puts out the view that "I'm gonna have to work to get those minutes" as opposed to the viewpoint that killed the Hawks and Clippers for almost a decade of "I'm a 1st round pick, they're gonna give me my minutes no matter what I do or what the team does." The Hawks just now recovered from that apathy from almost a decade ago.


I want the players to earn their minutes too and not by lazy and say I'm a first round pick so I'm playing. At the same time though I just hope this doesn't set us back even more because they aren't receiving quality playing time and being able to make adjustments on the court to get better.

I still like where the team is headed and the Pacers have a really good core group of players. The Pacers just need another star to go along with Granger and they'll be a playoff team.



This is pretty much what the Pacers have always done, including with Reggie Miller and Danny Granger. I'm not too worried. Rush and Hibbert will earn their stripes soon enough.


Plus, while instilling this winning attitude should help long-term, it would also go a long way with any veterans that might look at signing with this team down the road. No matter how the team ends up, everybody, everybody, is going to get a fair shake at the minutes and to prove themselves. That'll earn more respect with the vets. I mean, Flip Murray and Arn Tellem are probably loving us right now, as we gave him a fair shake last year, which got him a shot with Atlanta this year, and he's almost completely rebuilt his value and may get another 5 years in the league because of us.
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#9 » by Dunthreevy » Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:56 am

If OB's going to make players earn their minutes, shouldn't Stephen Graham and T.J. Ford's completely selfish play tonight, earn them both some extra time on the bench?
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Re: Obrien: Young Pacers must earn time 

Post#10 » by MillerTime101 » Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:59 am

I agree Dunthreevy, it works both ways, if your playing like crap you should have minutes taken away.

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