The Pacers are shockingly consistent. Since the ’89-’90 season, the Pacers have made the playoffs an astonishing 25 times in 32 seasons (26 if you count the play-in game they won this year). But big challenges loom.
The Pacers’ front office has been surprisingly stable with appearances and re-appearances of Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird. The Pacer brand of basketball has consistently gotten the best results from a small market without gambling or, really, changing. They usually are in the top half of the league in defense. A trip to Indianapolis is well known in NBA circles to be a pain in the butt because the Pacers will bring it every night.
But perhaps more important is this: the Pacers are middle of the pack with less talent but with better results and consistent philosophy.
Courtesy NBA.com
Since Victor Oladipo injured his leg, an injury freakishly similar (in team impact, at least) to Paul George’s broken leg during Olympic trials, the front office has executed a series of out-of-character management. First, Oladipo was traded (albeit for an on-paper better player). Second, Nate Mcmillian was given a contract extension and fired a few months later (DURING the Covid mess). Third, vice President Peter Dinwiddle, a hometown, hand-picked and hand-groomed executive, was allowed to leave for the 76ers. Finally, the Pacer hired an uncharacteristically green coach in Nate Bjorkgren. And now they have fired Bjorkgren.
Suffice to say. Pacers fans are confused. Oladipo, a homegrown product of Indiana University, went from having the city wrapped around his finger to being a victim of press-baited pressure to admit he had goals bigger than Indianapolis (shocker). Some would say the fault lies in Oladipo, but the long view may seem to reveal the real source of the un-Pacer-like drama, namely, Kevin Prichard.
Prichard, the General Manager, came over after a successful climb up the executive ladder in Portland. So is the firing of Bjorkgren a not-so-veiled reaction by the GM to gain the services of recently-fired Portland coach Terry Stotts? Only time will tell.
It does seem like Prichard should be on the hot seat here. Under his watch, the Pacers have fired a winning coach (now enjoying a nice playoff run) for doing nothing but provide Pacer-like results. He allowed the spin-cycle to run too long on a potential cornerstone player in Oladipo.
The cited incident for Bjorkgren’s departure also smells fishy. After Goga Bitadze got into a very public shouting match with assistant coach Greg Foster, rumors began that Bjorkgren had lost the team. Past Pacers teams, including the Ron Artest-led brawl squad, have been swiftly and strictly punished (or sanctions endorsed) by the front office. The public outburst and subsequent fallout from a third-tier player and assistant coach seem best glossed over by management with 1 game suspension for Foster and a fine for Bitadze. Those slaps on the wrist seem inconsistent with the Pacers’ struggle, and certainly, the bright lights of criticism would blind a GM in a bigger market.
T.J. Warren (photo, Forbes)
Moving forward will be difficult for Prichard or anyone else for that matter. Top scorer T.J. Warren is coming off of a major injury and seems to have quite a bit of clout, as it is reported he asked to be traded when his former assistant (Bjorkgren) from Phoenix was hired. After a career season, Malcolm Brogdon seems anything but happy in interviews despite well-versed answers. If Stotts is Prichard’s man, he has one glaring weakness as a coach–defense. That is not something the Pacers have ever compromised on before.
A dream scenario for Pacers fans (and ticket brokers) might be staring the Pacers in the face. If, indeed, Prichard is on the hot seat, which would probably be widely speculated if the NBA press (exception: The Sports Column) gave a damn about Indiana, There is one really intriguing thought–Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson. Should Reggie be lured away from his TV contract, he and his goofy ego would probably be much more interested in the front office. Despite being very instrumental and successful as Golden State’s coach, Mark Jackson would have to be given a golden opportunity to go back to coaching.
Could the Pacers see Reggie take the Larry Bird route from great player to great team architect? Could Mark Jackson bring an experienced voice to the team full of an equal split of savvy veterans and green young legs? Could Reggie and Jackson bring the magic like they did when they teamed up in the mid-’90s?
Besides consistent winning, there is another thing the Pacers have proven to succeed in the small market, that is, bringing hometown guys home. That strategy builds trust in the team, trust from the fans, and trust from the media.
Yes, Brogdon, Sabonis, Turner, Warren, and LeVert are all there. But are they all in? Would they be with Mark Jackson as a coach and Reggie Miller as General Manager?
In the words of the late, great hometown idol Bobby “Slick” Leonard: BOOM BABY!
Love the article. I’ve always thought Jackson would go back into coaching but never thought about Reggie Miller leaving his role with TNT. The pacers have a lot of talent but have been in the worst situation in sports which is an average-to-above-average team. Knowing it’s hard to attract free agents I would trade players for draft picks. They can keep everyone and stay in the middle of the pack or trade players and bite the bullet to rebuild. As a gambler I love betting the Pacers (until this year) because they have always been an overachieving team. This year they forgot about defense. Sabonis is a stud but not good enough to build a championship team around. This is a star-driven league and it’s almost impossible to win without a top 5 player.