It’s hard to believe that just four seasons ago, the Indiana Pacers were battling with the Detroit Pistons for what would’ve been its second trip to the NBA Finals in five seasons.
If a few bounces — particularly a Tayshaun Prince block of Reggie Miller that prevented the Pacers from taking a 2-0 Eastern Conference finals lead — went a different way, the Pacers might have had a shot at the Lakers who were, to quote the great Mike Vanderjagt, “ripe for the picking.”
Fast-forward to 2008 and things have never been bleaker for the Pacers. A series of blunders have paralyzed the franchise: The brawl; Ron Artest going AWOL; the horrific trades shipping Artest, Jackson, and Al Harrington out of town; and the inability of Jermaine O’Neal and Jamaal Tinsley to stay healthy.
The once savvy Donnie Walsh has some of the NBA’s most overpaid players on the books. O’Neal is the third highest-paid player in the league and the Pacers were too picky to send him packing before the season started — now it’s probably too late.
Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy — who has been a big disappointment — both make more than $8 million per year, making them untradable, teams won’t touch Tinsley with a 10-foot pole, and the Pacers’ only trade bait are players that they can’t afford to send packing if they have any hopes of rebuilding — Danny Granger and Shawne Williams.
Meanwhile, Jackson is having the best season of his career and is a team captain for the Warriors and Harrington and Artest are both playing well.
Walsh recently talked to ESPN The Magazine about the Jackson trade, saying “I didn’t want to trade him; I had to.” Basically, the fans hated him.
So now the Pacers are rid of Artest and Jackson and the team’s attendance is the worst in the NBA. They may have loathed the “brawl brothers” but at least they came out to see them play.
It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the Pacers. They aren’t bad enough to have a good shot at a lottery pick, and don’t appear good enough to make the playoffs in the lowly Eastern Conference.
What now?
Good question.
Murphy, Dunleavy, and Tinsley are on the books for the foreseeable future, O’Neal’s injury problems are never-ending, David Harrison and Shawne Williams have both had issues with drugs, Ike Diogu can’t find his place, and Marquis Daniels still has no outside shot.
For fans, the only question is what to root for — losing and a higher draft pick or winning and a shot at getting swept by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Things would be easier for the Pacer faithful if the team had cashed in on a championship during their impressive run of 15 playoff appearances in 16 seasons, which came to a screeching halt last season.
Inevitably, the Pacers will be spending the rest of the decade “rebuilding.”
Luckily for Hoosiers, college basketball within the state is at an all-time high with four Indiana schools currently in the Top 25 and the NFL Draft is just 65 days away. Oh wait, the Colts don’t have a first round draft pick … dooh!
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Pacers continue fall from grace
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Bethesda makes history with sectional win
BROWNSBURG — Senior Olivia Harrison literally helped build Bethesda Christian’s field four years ago and Thursday night she was instrumental in breaking ground in another area for the Patriots — a sectional championship.
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Cadets fall to Eagles in sectional final
CLAYTON — Despite all of Cascade’s best efforts, the Cadets came up short in their sectional softball final for the second consecutive year. Three Cadet errors late in the game set up the South Putnam Eagles’ win.
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Heartbreaking loss ends Orioles’ season prematurely
INDIANAPOLIS — It was not supposed to end like this.
Graduating only two seniors from last year’s Class 4A state runner-up softball team and returning the core of its squad, this was going to be to the season the Avon softball team took the crown.
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Bulldogs bite Orioles
AVON — The contest between the Avon and Brownsburg baseball teams would have ended as a 1-0 advantage for the Bulldogs had the second and third innings not gotten away from the Orioles. Brownsburg caught fire in those two innings of Thursday’s sectional game and won convincingly, 7-1.
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Patriots eliminate Quakers
PLAINFIELD — Baseball legend Willie Keeler once said the secret of hitting was to “hit ‘em where they ain’t.” Unfortunately for the Plainfield Quakers baseball team, too many of their key at bats went to Terre Haute North fielders as the Patriots won a 5-1 decision over the host Quakers in the opening game of Class 4A Sectional 12 on Wednesday.
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Bulldogs wake up in sixth inning, pull off comeback win
INDIANAPOLIS— For five innings, it looked like Brownsburg’s postseason run would end the same night it begun.
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Cadets blow by Bulldogs, 9-0
CLAYTON — Following a 9-1 win over Cloverdale on Monday night, the Cascade softball team returned to the field for second round play against Monrovia on Tuesday in the 2012 2A Sectional No. 44 semifinal.
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Avon's doubles team advances
INDIANAPOLIS — Avon’s top doubles girls’ tennis team could have lost concentration after an early advantage.
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Bruins win late to advance in sectional, 3-2
BEECH GROVE - With three hits through five innings, the Tri-West softball team needed some offense and the bottom of its lineup came through.
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Bulldogs fall in sectional final
BROWNSBURG — Heading into the sectional final last Saturday, the Brownsburg girls’ tennis team sought its 10th sectional championship. After four matches had finished, it was knotted up at 2-2 with the No. 2 singles match heading into the third and deciding set.
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