Four wins in a row...Any lingering concerns?

[HurricaneDij25]

Anyone else concerned that McMillan continues to use a rotation of only eight guys??? I sure am.

We might as well change our name to "The Eight Ironmen"...

[Regulio]

Not the smartest idea to use only 8, agreed.
Sure getting into playoffs is nice, but let's be honest, there is very slim chance the team will get into Finals (everyone has a chance! ), so it makes no sense not to develop other players.

[winter_mute_13]

Don't get too high after a win, don't get too low after a loss. Still the best advice ever for basketball fans.

[Wizop]

Anyone else concerned that McMillan continues to use a rotation of only eight guys??? I sure am.

We might as well change out name to "The Eight Ironmen"...

no concern at all. Leaf is player number 9 and he's a rookie. GRob is player number 10 and he's still in a walking boot. we played 8 last night in a close game with 3 rest days coming up. everyone will be rested for the next game.

p.s. beyond Leaf and GRob the bench is Jefferson, Joe Young, Wilkins, and Ike. Ike is in Fort Wayne and the one box score I've read from there had him getting a negative +/- in a game where the regular starters all had large pluses. the odds of any of the other three being on the team next year are slim to none with the only real chance being Big Al on a renegotiated deal near his guarantee.

[Pacers_Freak]

I think minutes played is more important than how many guys we are playing. And because our 8 guys can play multiple positions we aren't running guys into the ground. Our highest guy in MPG (Thad) is tied for 34th in the league. I don't see a cause for concern. When GR3 comes back it will go to 9 guys. I'm not sure who else you'd like to see in the rotation? Leaf isn't ready and just takes away minutes from Myles and Sabonis (who needs more not less).

[Tom White]

Anyone else concerned that McMillan continues to use a rotation of only eight guys??? I sure am.

We might as well change out name to "The Eight Ironmen"...

If you are worried because of how "gassed" some of the guys were last night, then I wouldn't worry so much. That had a lot more to do with the high level of effort being displayed by the guys (in particular Oladipo) rather than the number of minutes. The level of effort by some of the guys was simply outstanding last night.

I agree with another poster in that some minutes will be redistributed once Robinson is ready to play, and also as Leaf continues to improve his play AND conditioning.

Hopefully the reduction in back-to-back games will help as the season wears on, as well.

Just a side note: I absolutely love this team. Yes, they do some dumb things time-to-time, but overall I am enjoying watching this team play much more than I have enjoyed watching a team in a long time. Looks to me they (the players) are really enjoying the way they play too.

[boomershadow]

I prefer a ten man rotation, but one is out and the other is a rookie. With a game on the line, I don't want to trust Leaf's defense just yet.

I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of Wilkins.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

I have no problem with the 8 man rotation.

The main reason is, they are all producing while on the court. I can't remember the last time I watched the Pacers play and was not frustrated with at least one player. Lance was killing me early in the season, but with Sabonis back on the bench he has been great.

We've got 3 bench players who all deserve good minutes. Thaddeus Young and Victor Oladipo lead our team in minutes with 33 per game - certainly not in the "holy crap this is ridiculous!" area. Plus, having two starters on the floor at all times is a huge advantage.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

In fact, I just looked it up, and Thaddeus Young is tied for 34th as far as MPG go in the NBA.

Despite the 8 man rotation, no one is playing too much, and everyone deserves the minutes they are getting.

[cruwinas]

My concern - next four games. At home against TOR and BOS, the fourth - on the round against HOU.

Getting two wins would be huge.

[Wizop]

My concern - next four games. At home against TOR and BOS, the fourth - on the round against HOU.

Getting two wins would be huge.

Toronto again in game 5. even Magic in game 3 won't be walk over. we've got a lot of Eastern Conference games coming up in the rest of 2017 and the results will go a long way in showing whether we belong in the top 8 or the lottery.

[pizza guy]

My concern - next four games. At home against TOR and BOS, the fourth - on the round against HOU.

Getting two wins would be huge.

#EndtheStreak

This stretch could be rough, so it's good we're heading into it with 4 straight wins and 3 days of rest.

[Miller4ever]

We are definitely spreading those minutes out, so no one's getting rode that hard. I'm okay with a lot of people playing 25-30 minutes, even if it's only an 8-man rotation.

[verysalt]

Yeah, the more Pacers wins the the more expectations comes. This team is too young for unrealistic expectations. Regardless how much i want this team to succeed, i am also afraid sudden success can influence negatively.
It's just the beginning of the season, what happens when dudes will get tired and they will have a losing streak to -0.500 ?

[boomershadow]

Yeah, the more Pacers wins the the more expectations comes. This team is too young for unrealistic expectations. Regardless how much i want this team to succeed, i am also afraid sudden success can influence negatively.
It's just the beginning of the season, what happens when dudes will get tired and they will have a losing streak to -0.500 ?

This is why even if Oladipo is having some monster games there still needs to be a focus on "move the ball" and 'extra pass" and "by committee". In addition to hoping that not every guy has a slow night all on the same night, it's also important to be dedicated to the process and not just the result. If these guys play the right way, I think they're gonna win a decent chunk of games. If they start worrying about winning or trying to be the man, I think it could get in the way some.

I think that's part of what happened during the drought where they couldn't hold onto leads.

[pacers33granger]

I've been pleasantly surprised with how Nate has managed the players minutes. And I think he's been pretty good at finding the spots where Leaf, Joe Young, and Al can get some minutes when necessary that don't hurt us too much.

[verysalt]

Yeah, the more Pacers wins the the more expectations comes. This team is too young for unrealistic expectations. Regardless how much i want this team to succeed, i am also afraid sudden success can influence negatively.
It's just the beginning of the season, what happens when dudes will get tired and they will have a losing streak to -0.500 ?

This is why even if Oladipo is having some monster games there still needs to be a focus on "move the ball" and 'extra pass" and "by committee". In addition to hoping that not every guy has a slow night all on the same night, it's also important to be dedicated to the process and not just the result. If these guys play the right way, I think they're gonna win a decent chunk of games. If they start worrying about winning or trying to be the man, I think it could get in the way some.

I think that's part of what happened during the drought where they couldn't hold onto leads.

Exactly.
I understand that winning culture is needed for motivation and effective leaders should be followed (we still need Myles to get gut) but at the same time there should be games where everybody understands that it's being played for the sake of rebuilding and development. It's more valuable to learn from own mistakes than admiration of good play.
For practical reasons I would prefer that we would end the season below 0.500 but with a bigger rotation than we have now.
Beside, what picks we can expect if we would end -0.500 ?

[cruwinas]

My concern - next four games. At home against TOR and BOS, the fourth - on the round against HOU.

Getting two wins would be huge.

Toronto again in game 5. even Magic in game 3 won't be walk over. we've got a lot of Eastern Conference games coming up in the rest of 2017 and the results will go a long way in showing whether we belong in the top 8 or the lottery.

I just was addressing 4 games left this month. It's psychologically important to finish the month on the positive side. TOR and BOS at home - currently two best teams in the East - getting a split would be alright. Let's just salivate a little bit and imagine two Ws (actually, quite possible).
Next month Pacers will play 15 games, starting with TOR on the road. Another tough game - in the middle of the month at home BOS again. Other games - very winnable.
15 games in December, team is improving, the record of 11-4 is very reachable. Let's hope. Maybe I will become a Pacers fan - the way team plays - complete pleases me.
Let's keep it up, and finish this year with a record of 13-6. That would make overall record of 23-14 and we can discuss playoff match ups.
I see Raptors as a strongest team in the East. But they have interesting head coach, and their glorious back court duo has a tendency to skip playing in the postseason. Of course, so called king and guys who played for him - that's an automatic exit. Difficult to play 5 on 8, with no defense allowed and being murdered on the offense. But, Pacers play with fire, after 82 regular season games - anything is possible.
First things first. I don't want my positive state of mind taken away from me

[Camping Fan]

Not the smartest idea to use only 8, agreed.
Sure getting into playoffs is nice, but let's be honest, there is very slim chance the team will get into Finals (everyone has a chance! ), so it makes no sense not to develop other players.

Didn't the Phoenix Suns with Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash play with a 8 man rotation?

It has been done successfully, but does depend heavily on really good and healthy players. I would want a few players to back us up, but that might just be me. Either way as of right now the Pacers are in playoff contention. Good for them

[Moooose]

I don't see any problem with an 8-man rotation as long as it is working and it looks like these are the combination of players that would work. The other players are just there if we need to rest the others time and again.