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| | Tuesday, August 8 No reason why Pacers can't return to Finals | |||||||||||||
| ESPN.com Larry or Isiah? Jackson or Best? Smits or nothing. Indiana Pacers fans have spoken on the state of their team and what we had to say about it in our Pacers Team Offseason Spotlight. Pacers fans don't appear to be just happy with reaching the NBA Finals last season, they want to win it all. And now that team management has brought back the players, the Pacers certainly seem to have a shot. But enough from us.
Kudos to Donnie Walsh for bringing back the future of the Pacers, Rose and Croshere, specifically. Reggie deserves to finish his career in Indy in style, if that is what he wants. It appears he does after signing a contract extension. The only mistake I see is hiring Isiah Thomas. He is not proven as a coach. Donnie should have looked to L.A. and the Magic coaching years. Perhaps chemistry was a factor in his decision. I would think the players would've had a decent rapport and respect for the real mastermind behind the last couple of years' success: Rick Carlisle. Isiah, like Larry Bird, brought fame and prestige to our (I am from Indy) state at the collegiate level. However, Larry in the Finals made some key bad substitution decisions. A great player does not make a great coach. I just hope the fire is still in the players that got us to the Finals this year. Perhaps once again they can overcome bad coaching. Greg Pitman Chicago, Ill. Jeff Foster needs to get into the rotation at center. He is already better than Sam Perkins, certainly Rik Smits. I think that Isiah will see that once training camp starts. Foster rebounds like a maniac and can score when needed. We will be hearing from this guy for a long time to come. Christian Wians San Antonio, Texas Larry Bird is a smart man and a great coach. Isiah Thomas is not a smart man, and there's no reason to think he'll be even a good coach. Smits and Perkins are done; Miller and Jackson are aging; Bender and Harrington aren't yet ready: this year will be a lull in between good runs. Dan McCuaig Washington, D.C. A lot of changes may occur in Indiana in the sense of whom will guide the team into the playoffs next season. I feel for the Pacers to succeed, they need their young guns to perform. Al Harrington or Jonathan Bender must step up as did Austin Croshere last season. Jeff Foster may even have to come in quick as Rik Smits is clearly showing that he's slowing down. With this mix of veterans and young players, I feel that they can get back to the Finals but not win a championship. The center position was a clear weakness in the Finals. Smits can no longer get the minutes that he had, but I haven't seen them bringing anyone in for the spot. Unless they do so, Shaq is going to run them down again. And, I can't see them getting over Portland, either. The Pacers are a great team in the East, especially with Jalen Rose now leading the way, followed closely by the veterans Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson, but they have not improved themselves to compete with the West. I see another disappointing Finals. Chiew Kin Yung Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia I agree with the majority of what you say. The Pacers are going to be a good team again next season. However, I would like to see Smits retire. He has done a great job here in Indy, but he is our Achilles heel, or I should say Achilles foot. Austin is a great guy and deserves to start and that Bender has got game!!! You are right in that the Florida teams are the ones to beat. What about Rodman?? Hey, he may be a flake, but laid-back Indy might be the place for him. Thomas should give him a call. I still would have liked for Walsh to have tried for a free agent. Cory Wilson Indianapolis, Ind. The worst decision ever was to hire Isiah Thomas as head coach and pass over assistant Rick Carlisle. Isiah will not be able to inspire this team. Team chemistry will explode, and Isiah's own ego will be as much a problem as Jalen's. He will blame players, rather than accept his own faults. His only hope is that his assistants are incredible. I hope Pacers fans enjoyed the run to the Finals last year, because they will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. Mike Neppl Omaha, Neb. I agree with most of your comments about the upcoming year for the Pacers. However, the comment about Travis Best being a better point guard then Mark Jackson is a laugh. Anyone who holds the ball until four seconds are left on the shot clock and then dribbles it off his foot for a turnover will never belong in a starting five anywhere in the NBA. Here's an idea: Rose at the point, Miller at shooting guard, Croshere at small forward, Antonio Davis at power forward and Dale Davis at center. Get rid of Smits and Best. That is a lineup not to be taken lightly. Dan Chesterfield Los Angeles, Calif. The East is looking very good in Florida. Outside of Florida, it is not looking too good except in Indiana. Nonetheless, you can expect the Pacers to be in the Finals again unless Brian Grant decides to suit up in a Heat uniform. Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose could be the most dangerous guard combo in the NBA. Also, expect the influence of coach Thomas to turn Bender into one of the league's most exciting players. Bender is an instrumental part of this team if they are going to make a championship run. If Bender can average 10 to 15 points off the bench per game and Croshere's game improves over last year, the Pacers will win the East again. If they could sneak in another big body, they may even win a championship. James McClain Atlanta, Ga. I agree with bringing back some of the free agents (Miller, Croshere Rose), but I think the Pacers need to get a lot more athletic. Last year their experience got them by, but it won't last. In this day and age you have to improve your team and prepare for the future. All the Pacers did in the offseason was get a year older while others are gearing up to beat them. Age got them by Milwaukee last year (barely). The Pacers need a low post threat badly. They got by shooting jumpers last year, but with Rik Smits older he can not be counted on as in years past. I agree with you, Isiah has a tough job ahead of him. This team must rebound, play defense and score from the inside much better it they want another chance at the Lakers. I love the Pacers, but unless the young ones (Bender, Harrington, Foster) play like ghost busters, I just don't think they will have enough fire power. David Holt Hampton, Va.
This is still the team of the East. If the key players in Rose, Croshere, Miller, Jackson, Best, Smits and Dale Davis can match and or exceed their personal expectations -- look out, Florida. The thing about Indy and Isiah Thomas is the excitement factor. I believe Isiah should and will give his young guns (Bender, Harrington, Best, Foster) the time they need to develop and shine. Why not Rose, Miller, Bender or Croshere, Davis and Smits as the starting lineup. Or move Davis to center and run-and-gun the rest of the defense-oriented teams out of the standings. Errol Sampson. Jr. Milwaukee, Wisc. I'm not quite sure what to expect from the Pacers this year, and I'm somewhat skeptical towards Isiah Thomas as coach. Certainly Rick Carlisle would have been a safer bet. Also, I think it's about time Rik Smits retired. I noticed in your report you said Smits showed up 79 times, but I would hardly call some of those performances 'showing up.' And no matter how much they pay Jalen Rose (who is no doubt the best player on the team), Reggie is still going to be the man in Indiana. Come playoff time, it's always going to be Reggie's team. Anyone just has to see their run towards the Finals to realize that. If the Pacers maintain their hunger, a trip back to the Finals isn't out of the question. Howard Shih Sydney, Australia Eric Karabell has brought up some very good points. One thing that I have noticed about the past few Indiana teams that have made it to the Eastern conference finals is the ability to get along and work together as a team. This might be credited to Bird and if so, then Isiah has to learn how to build that same chemistry. I also think that Reggie is extremely determined to get this never say die team to a championship. Jalen's play helped out a lot but the core group on this team could have been to the Finals before if one or two last-second plays would have ended a little differently. I am a biased person, but I truly believe you will see this team make it to the Finals again next year. Smits will come back and his play will decrease to make room for the guys you talked about in the article. I would also much rather see Mark Jackson running the point than Best. All Best wants to do is shoot the ball!! Ben Miller Indianapolis, Ind. Growing up in Indy and being a Pacer's fan for so long, I notice two glaring problems that the Pacers will need to overcome in order to make it back to the Finals. 1. Lack of a dominant center. Rik Smits can be competitive, but he is much too inconsistent. Plus, his all too likely problem of getting in foul trouble not only hurts his production, but the team's as well, and with no legitimate backup center to speak of, it could be a season long headache for the Pacers. 2. Lack of motivation. During Bird's reign, the Pacers demonstrated a definite lack of killer intensity during stretches of the season. That was one factor that contributed to their Finals demise against the Lakers. As good as a coach as Larry was, hopefully Isiah will score better with his motivational ability. Todd Washington, D.C. I think Isiah Thomas will do a good job taking over for Larry Bird. Hopefully, he can get Indiana's youth movement started so they have greater experience in the future. Also, I hope somehow they could still do the Antoine Walker deal, so he can replace Dale Davis or take the small forward spot so Jalen Rose can get his wish of playing point guard. But the main thing that matters to me is that we beat the Magic and Heat. Mike Garrison Ridgecrest, Calif. C'mon, let's be realistic. Don't compare Jalen to Scottie. Pippen is one of the top 50 players to ever play the game. I understand what you're aiming at with the comment. But Scottie is probably one of the most versatile players of all-time. Jalen is the key to this team, but he has a long road to travel. Not to mention a handful of championships. Jackson is Indiana's starting PG, and has been for years. Best is the better player but he benefits the team by coming off the bench. He's an excellent change of pace. He is a spark to the conservative play of Jackson. Best coming off the bench can catch a defense on its heels. Joe Fabrizio Philadelphia, Pa.
I think the Pacers should move Jalen Rose to point guard, and have Mark Jackson as the backup. Move Travis Best to the backup shooting guard. I think Best is better when he doesn't have to dribble the ball to get his shot. Besides, he looks to shoot all the time, so move him to the shooting guard slot. Have Austin Croshere start at small forward and have Bender and Harrington back him up. Dale Davis can be the power forward, and Smits the center. Have McKey play both small and power forward. Zan Tabak can probably play a little power forward if he needs to. I think this is what the Pacers should do. The younger guys are starting to move up while the older guys are starting to fall back a little bit. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have a veteran point guard lead the second unit. I think this could take the Pacers farther now and in the future. Kyle Hassler Greencastle, Ind. I hope we get to see more of Bender and Harrington this year. I heard that coach Bird had told Harrington to slow down or risk burning himself out during the season. I hope coach Thomas is a firm believer in allowing a player to use his strengths on the basketball court. The fans in Indiana have a pretty good sense when it comes to spotting talent. Looking through the local news stories and mixing in my own opinions, I believe that Bender and Harrington are both destined to be exciting professional ball players ... if they are allowed to play. Dave Sutton Noblesville, Ind. At the beginning of the playoffs last season the Pacers were barely able to get by Milwaukee. In fact, the Bucks had a chance to win the series on the final play of Game 5. But the Pacers survived and moved on to the NBA Finals. What is this team's biggest problem? Consistency. They have the talent to take the East again and overtake the Lakers as the best team in the land, but does the team want it enough? The Pacers tend to play down to opponents and don't have that killer instinct to win an NBA title. As hard as Bird tried to instill that in them, it never happened. The Pacers could have beaten the Lakers last year, Game 5 is the best example of that in blowing out the Lakers 120-87. But then in Game 6 they blow a lead and can't catch up. With Rose, Miller, Croshere, Davis, Smits, Perkins, Best and possibly Jackson back this team has major talent and depth to take anyone. With young guys like Bender, Harrington and Foster this team will be great for years to come. They just need to learn that killer instinct and then the rings will come. Matt Faust Fremont, Calif. I think the Indiana Pacers will be even better this year, as Jalen Rose and Austin Croshere begin to assert themselves more and Bender moves into the rotation. Oh yeah, in case anyone forgot, Reggie Miller is still perfectly capable of shooting lights out as he proved in the playoffs last year. I look for the Pacers to return to the NBA Finals without too much trouble from the other more ballyhooed Eastern conference competition. Tom March Phoenix, Ariz. The Pacers did a good job in bringing Croshere and Rose back. Austin's going to be a force at small forward. He can shoot, rebound and is a hustler. Jalen has the ability to find his own shot. Reggie's a good shooter, but he needs someone else to help him get a shot. But his long-range shooting is needed. The Pacers should let Mark Jackson and Rik Smits go. Jalen can handle point guard with Travis Best backing up. Put Austin at small forward with Bender backing him up. Smits can't do much of anything. If he's not scoring, he's no help. For a guy 7-4, he can't rebound or block shots. The Pacers need to find another center. Either have Dale Davis play there or find one from another team. There are rumors that Isiah wants Dennis Rodman? I don't know. He's almost too much of a distraction. But if he plays like the Rodman of old, great. The Pacers should release or trade Derrick McKey and Chris Mullin. They need to get younger, but still be a good team. Isiah as coach? Larry Bird had no experience when he took over three years ago. Look what he did. There's no reason why Isiah can't do it either. Eric Barkley Frankfort, Ind. | ALSO SEE ESPN.com's Offseason Spotlight Index Offseason spotlight: Indiana Pacers | |||||||||||||
