Indiana on Pace for Future Championships

By Jon Atwood

    Just one year ago, the Indiana Pacers were considered the old folks home of the NBA. Their starting lineup consisted of Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Dale Davis, and Rik Smits. All of these players were over thirty and have played for at least ten years in the league. In fact, it had been that way for a number of years. The Pacers motto was, "We'd better do it this year, because opportunity is fading." Well, you can change that to, "We won't win this year, but the future is very bright indeed," because the Pacers have changed their team from a group of old and reliable to a group of young and developing. In one year, they've crumpled their old folks home to the ground and are building a high school. Isiah Thomas, the newly hired architect, will have some work to do in turning this school into a success. 

    The Pacers made the finals and played a very competitive six game series with the Lakers. Things might could have been different. During the 99 draft they dealt seven year veteran and athletic rebounder Antonio Davis to the Toronto Raptors for Jonathan Bender, the 6'11" rookie selected by Toronto. Had they hung onto Davis and his physical play down low to help out on Shaq, they might have been able to pull off an upset. Bender, however, proved nothing short of useless this year, playing in only 24 games, posting 2.7 points per contest (though he was slowed by a broken left wrist, so I guess we can turn a blind eye to his horrendous rookie season). The guy has to spend some time bulking up in order to play effectively, but he can shoot and dribble quite nicely for a 6'11 player. Some day, he will become one of the better players in the league.

    Mark Jackson has been the initiator of the Pacer's offense for the past six years. He has been a valuable part to the team, leading them in assists each year and serving as a coach on the court with his understanding of the team and its player's abilities. He is getting on in years though (he turned 35 last April), and that is damaging to the Pacer's cause, so they let him walk for nothing. They are left with two young stars who will share time at the point; In one year, Jalen Rose has gone from a little used backup to the leading scorer on the team in the regular season and the playoffs. He won the Most Improved Player award last year, and he'll continue to develop into one of the league's top players. Travis Best provides a scoring spark off the bench, and is also very young and full of potential. Do not expect these guys to deliver Indiana a championship this year, or the next couple of years, however. They still have a lot to learn about being the initiator of the offense. They lack the experience and know-how it takes to be successful at that position, something that Jackson possessed. In time they will acquire it, but for now, they're just stars in the making.

    Now here's an odd little twist for you. Recently, out of the blue, Dale Davis, a nine year veteran who made the all-star team for the first time last season during his best year as a pro, was dealt to the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal,  a four-year twenty year-old who has proven very little in his career except that he can be a very effective bench warmer (and to compensate for this loss, Portland traded for a certain forward from Cleveland with large enough girth to more than adequately fill his shoes). However, the league's second most prominent O'Neal has shown some signs of good defensive play in the future.  Playing in very limited minutes in the conference finals, mainly as another six fouls on Shaq, O'Neal blocked one of his shots and caused him to miss another. Perhaps that's a good enough reason as to why so many deals have been proposed for a guy who has averaged only 3.9 points in his career, and has shown very little offensive talent to date. One thing's for sure; if the Indiana Pacers were in their right mind making this deal, then they MUST be looking to the future, because he certainly isn't going to turn into a replica of his LA namesake overnight.

    There are two other players who I haven't mentioned who are young and talented; Al Harrington and Austin Croshere. Harrington was selected by the Pacers two years ago. In limited playing time, he has displayed raw offensive talent. He can shoot, and has some nice post moves. If he works hard, he should be an effective player in four years. Croshere had a great season last year, especially in the finals, where he averaged 15.2 points per game. Croshere can do it all; shoot jumpers, score in the post, put it on the floor, shoot the three, rebound, pass, and play defense. This guy has tremendous upside, and I predict he will be an all-star in two years.

    In essence, the Pacers have given up on winning the title with the team of old geezers, and have decided to get younger, more athletic players with unrealized potential, with the hopes of becoming a contender in the future. Might the Pacers have won the title this year had they had kept Antonio Davis? Perhaps. Would they have a chance to win the championship with the team they had last year? No. That team had its chance. Change was needed. I applaud the ambitions of the Pacers and am in full agreement with their mindset. They will not be nearly as successful this year as they were last year, but Pacer fans - just wait - in a few years, you guys will compete for a championship. You heard it here first. 

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jatwood@erols.com
9/4/2000

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