Simon: Bird AND O'Brien will return next season...

[DWCP2]

http://www.indystar.com/article/2010040 ... ges-at-top

No changes will be made at the top of the organization.

[Miller4ever]

While these guys may be idiots (I still think Bird is awesome) I like the continuity.

[Gremz]

That's sad news.

[Grang33r]

Huge disappointing news of the day.

[Grang33r]

Just re-read the article word by word, earlier today i only skimmed it. It just smells absolute total BS to me. Everything about that interview is BS.

What i get out of that is this-

-Their content with the roster they have now. Simon says how much winning means to the fans and the players and it's a step in the right direction. In my opinion, no way they make a trade such as Murphy or who ever to improve the long term project of this team. They may tweak the roster, like, if their down on Rush, maybe draft Henry or something but this is what it is. Unless they trade away Ford, i don't see any major deals. You can count on Murphy, Foster and Dunleavy to be here all of next season.

-Simon talks about "doing their homework". How can he be so sure Bird will do his homework when, he's failed miserably so far? Rush wasn't exactly a steal. And Hansbrough, even though many still like him, we could have had a much better player if we had done the HW. No, you don't mean "do your homework", you're game plan for success if hoping for LUCK. Not exactly a formula for success.

-They are gonna hype the summer of 2011 big time, but guess what, NOBODY is gonna come to Indianapolis, don't kid yourself. Any super star who can make mega money in different markets, will choose the more "sexy" location besides Indiana any day of the week.... and, no star will ever go to a team to help REBUILD a team. If Rush is a bust (and by this time next year we will know) and Hansbrough will give us good indication as well by this time next year, our team will be in WORSE shape then it is now. You're not going to sign anybody in hopes to come in and help rebuild this team. These stars are looking to sign somewhere for mega bucks and get closer to a RING (or more rings). This will be the problem NYK face this summer.

[MNPacersfan]

Honestly, I think that the change starts in the fall. The expiring money will be the way to bigger names, not the free agent market. Trading for longer contracts late in the summer or early in the fall will be the next step.
I think that O'Brien's here until the roster is complete shuffled - which may take until the trade deadline. But he is safe for now.
A smart pick in the draft would be a huge lift too of course. I'm still pissed at the Hansbrough trade...

[MNPacersfan]

Hansbrough pick, I meant pick.

[Grang33r]

This is from Marc Spears' latest column, just released like 3 hours ago.

League sources said the Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, in addition to the Blazers, could all undergo significant front-office changes during the offseason. Former Blazers assistant general manager Tom Penn is trying to land a similar position with the Los Angeles Clippers, one source said.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... zzer040910

I understand, theres no better source then Herb Simon, but maybe there is something to this? Maybe they will hire a great proven basketball mind to help Bird and Simon even said he's unsure if Bird will return after next season, kinda like "President in waiting"....

[DWCP2]

What do you expect when you trade away 1/3 of the team in each of the last two offseasons. Chemistry and continuity are ways to winning and winning brings back the fans faster then anything else, even name players.

Only four players remain from the 2007 roster compared to the 2010 roster. FOUR players. Granger, Dunleavy, Murphy, Foster. That's it! And three of those guys are likely gonna be gone within a year.

Year one rebuilding....

Gone
Jermaine O'Neal
Kareem Rush
Ronald Murray
David Harrison
Shawne Williams
Ike Diogu
Andre Owens
Courtney Sims

Enter
TJ Ford
Jarrett Jack
Brandon Rush*
Roy Hibbert*
Rasho Nesterovic
Josh McRoberts
Maceo Baston

Year Two rebuilding.....

Gone
Jarrett Jack
Rasho Nesterovic
Maceo Baston
Jamaal Tinsley
Travis Deiner**

Enter
Tyler Hansborough*
Luther Head
Dahntay Jones
AJ Price
Earl Watson

Where's the chemistry in all this. You know when Bird coached the Pacers, you know how many trades the Pacers made that were deemed major? Only one and that was Mullin for Dampier.

[drutripathi1]

BIRD RETURNING.... OK
O'BRIEN RETURNING? THAT'S GOING TO HURT ALOT.

MAN I LOVE THIS TEAM TILL THE DAY I DIE BUT THESE TWO AREN'T DOING ANYTHING !!!

obrien should've played all the scrubs this year!! instead we're looking at another 10th pick and another avg player!!

let's face it.. granger is a star, not a superstar adn he's going to need big help.

i'm soo close to giving up on this organization!!

if you can hear me God, if you exist, PLEASE DO SOMETHING !@!!!1

[Grang33r]

BIRD RETURNING.... OK
O'BRIEN RETURNING? THAT'S GOING TO HURT ALOT.

MAN I LOVE THIS TEAM TILL THE DAY I DIE BUT THESE TWO AREN'T DOING ANYTHING !!!

obrien should've played all the scrubs this year!! instead we're looking at another 10th pick and another avg player!!

let's face it.. granger is a star, not a superstar adn he's going to need big help.

i'm soo close to giving up on this organization!!

if you can hear me God, if you exist, PLEASE DO SOMETHING !@!!!1

Couldn't agree more, but i think people are tired of me ranting about it. It is what it is. I'm not happy with this ending, not happy keeping JOB as head coach and still not happy we picked Hansbrough.

But, welcome to the forum! Always nice to see new people around. The Pacers are horrible, and worse this year then last year but it seems like we are still getting some new posters. Keep on posting.... every opinion matters.

[Miller4ever]

What do you expect when you trade away 1/3 of the team in each of the last two offseasons. Chemistry and continuity are ways to winning and winning brings back the fans faster then anything else, even name players.

Only four players remain from the 2007 roster compared to the 2010 roster. FOUR players. Granger, Dunleavy, Murphy, Foster. That's it! And three of those guys are likely gonna be gone within a year.

Year one rebuilding....

Gone
Jermaine O'Neal
Kareem Rush
Ronald Murray
David Harrison
Shawne Williams
Ike Diogu
Andre Owens
Courtney Sims

Enter
TJ Ford
Jarrett Jack
Brandon Rush*
Roy Hibbert*
Rasho Nesterovic
Josh McRoberts
Maceo Baston

Year Two rebuilding.....

Gone
Jarrett Jack
Rasho Nesterovic
Maceo Baston
Jamaal Tinsley
Travis Deiner**

Enter
Tyler Hansborough*
Luther Head
Dahntay Jones
AJ Price
Earl Watson

Where's the chemistry in all this. You know when Bird coached the Pacers, you know how many trades the Pacers made that were deemed major? Only one and that was Mullin for Dampier.

Year one rebuilding....

Gone
Jermaine O'Neal-HUGE contract, had to go
Kareem Rush-Such a terrible loss...
Ronald Murray-see above
David Harrison-ditto
Shawne Williams-I see a pattern
Ike Diogu-etc.
Andre Owens-etc.
Courtney Sims-and etc.

Enter
TJ Ford-Bad long-term addition.
Jarrett Jack-Great, but his price tag rose while he was with us
Brandon Rush*-Jury's still out
Roy Hibbert*-Good
Rasho Nesterovic-One year BEAST, except not
Josh McRoberts-Good, especially for the price
Maceo Baston-See Rasho

We had a good year. JO had little left in the tank, and we added some good players while basically losing JO and scrubs.

Year Two rebuilding.....

Gone
Jarrett Jack-Price tag became too high, sadly a bad loss
Rasho Nesterovic-Say it ain't so!
Maceo Baston-Blastin' Baston was okay, for however few minutes he played. Not a big loss.
Jamaal Tinsley-Sad to see our franchise player get bought out
Travis Deiner**-4th string.

Enter
Tyler Hansborough*-Jury's still out.
Luther Head-Sucks, but not enough minutes or money to be anything more than a wasted minimum.
Dahntay Jones-I believe he is not being utilized fully, but he performed poorly in terms of impact. Still, he disproved the critics of the signing early in the season and was instrumental to our promising start, but injuries in the middle of the season placed the onus on him.
AJ Price-Good addition.
Earl Watson-Good addition, has been key in our success.

Second year of rebuilding still looks alright. We lost Jarrett but we have Price, and Hansbrough showed he could be a double-double guy.

Of course, I think glass half-full all the time, but it looks to me like Bird is doing well in a situation where free agents don't want to come here and he has to trade down in drafts and let Jack walk to spend the same money on more players just to get 12-15 guys on the team.

[Miller4ever]

Where's the chemistry in all this. You know when Bird coached the Pacers, you know how many trades the Pacers made that were deemed major? Only one and that was Mullin for Dampier.

Dude...

That was a CONTENDER.

We aren't even a playoff team!

That's the difference!

[Boneman2]

The Brandon Rush mistake was even greater than drafting Hansbrough. The only downfall with Tyler is his lack of a diagnosis, we don't even know the extent of his health issues. I have confidence Tyler will be a solid contributor if he plays. Brandon on the other hand plays scared and soft. Ultimately, trading away a first to ATL was a ballbuster of even greater magnitude.

Bringing back O'Brien is silly..... he should've been canned when our team had the fourth worst record, knowing our roster was capable of so much more. He managed to turn the 4th overall pick into a 10th this season, and last season he turned the 8th into a 13th. Excellent job Obie, he does his best motivating when it becomes clear he should be gone, selfish bastard!

[kdawg531]

Let's be real here... Bird has one more year and he just extended JOB for another... we all knew that neither would be gone next year. Why is everyone acting surprised/upset about this?

[Boneman2]

When Bird coached he said a coaches window-of-oppurtunity is three years.

[PacersDG]

Well...personally I like Bird. It's Larry Legend folks! He very easily could have inherited one of the worst situations in basketball. That being said it's definitely time to really turn things around in the next 2 years.

We know next year will be the same as this, except we've got 2 contracts that will be very sought after and if we don't think we can get the FA we want then a trade is very possible. If not, we'll have money to play with.

There is only so much you can do with the financial situation we've been in and personally I don't blame anyone for taking on dunleavy/murphy because we HAD to get rid of the dopes on the team.

JOB however has to go, and he will. Maybe not this offseason, but i would like to see that, then next. Maybe there is something in bringing in the new coach a year early, but face it we are the same team next year.

O yea, maybe larry is just keeping jim one more year before he steps into the coaching role . Would LOVE that.

[kdawg531]

When Bird coached he said a coaches window-of-oppurtunity is three years.

Bird also extended him a year, and given the financial situation it would make no sense to fire him and have to pay him to sit at home.

Not saying I agree with the extension but it is what it is.

[jowglenn]

I understand what's going on. As people above have pointed out, we have been severely rebuilding this team, and for better or worse, it was necessary.

I don't know whether O'Brien should be back, or even Bird.

I do know that looking at the last couple drafts, we made several real mistakes.

The Rush/Hibbert draft was ok. Pick two random other guys from that 11-25 range. We could have had Anthony Randolph and Nicolas Batum!!!! Then again, we could have had Ryan Anderson or Kosta Koufos.

Really though, it kind of hurts looking at that draft. Could have had any of the following guys instead of Rush: Jason Thompson, Anthony Randolph, Robin Lopez, Speights, Batum, George Hill. The hibbert pick was more solid. Rush was a bit of a reach, frankly.


And then this year - unless Hansbrough comes back next year and shows us some stuff (and frankly I did like what I saw this season) we will regret not getting our franchise PG in that draft. So many guys were still available there who will be serious PGs in this league - Collison, Holiday, Lawson, Beaubois. And we passed on all of them for Hansbrough. Again, I like Hansbrough better as a pick than some of the guys who were available there.

But every one of those guys I listed is going to be a starting PG, or super sixth man, for a good long portion of their career.


And then, to top it all off, when we were sitting there with the 4th-worst record in the league just a month and a half ago, all set to get a franchise-changing guy, with a great shot at getting Wall or Turner, we bizarrely decide to turn the season around, not tank, and win a bunch of games.

Fun. Another pick in the 10-13 range. I'm normally no advocate of tanking. I think a team that has the 8th worst record shouldn't tank to try and get worse. But damn, man, when you have the 4th worst record in a 5-strong-guy draft (wall, turner, cousins, favors, johnson) you're an idiot for not shutting it down, having granger and murphy get 'back bruises' or whatever made-up thing you can, playing the young guys a ton, and losing as much as you can.

[PR07]

A bit surprised that they are already saying O'Brien will return, but I guess we'll just have to see what happens.