Well, I had this sense of optimism. I was ready for some good news, and then the NBA and NBPA took a big metaphorical s#!% on the whole thing. Cool. I understand they are labor negotiations and sometimes you need to take hard stances in certain circumstances. Fine. Here's something I don't understand.

These players and owners wine about money money money. I want this, and I might let you have that. That money did belong to somebody at one point. The league and the players got that money somehow. Gee, I wonder where it came from?... Oh yeah, that's right. THAT MONEY CAME FROM YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS!!! THAT MONEY CAME FROM YOUR FANS!!! We are the ones that are going to suffer on this one because of greed. Ratings were up. Fan interest was up. And now both sides are going to piss it away.

These owners meet for hours on end with the players. Obviously both sides are looking out for their own interest. It's also blatantly obvious that both sides seem to have forgotten about their loyal customers, the fans. Where's our say in the matter? We are the very thing that makes your product successful, and now we are outsiders looking in. WTF!!!?

Someone needs to be there to remind them. I guarantee if you put some educated, die-hard fans in that room, the deal would get done much faster. We would play mediator that would ultimately fix this whole thing. Take four educated fans from each team and put them in the room with the NBPA and the league. Of course this will never happen, but in theory, I think it would work. Until then, F--- you David Stern. F--- you Adam Silver. F--- you Billy Hunter. F--- you Derek Fisher. And F--- anyone who's holding up the process by being selfish and greedy. Act like men, make it happen, and get back to f---ing work. Your loyal customers demand it. Assholes.

Peyton Manning’s done for the year. Yeah, it’s a pisser. You don’t realize how vital Peyton is to the entire team until you see that opener against the Texans. I could go on all day about it. But the problem with his absence is something will happen to the Colts that doesn't happen often: losing. It’s to be expected, but the problem with Indianapolis is they don’t like people who don’t win. The Colts of the early 00’s dealt with this and the Pacers have been dealing with it the last half decade.
The Colts loss could potentially be the Pacers gain. Obviously you can’t gain shit when you’re not playing, so that CBA needs to get ratified for the Pacers to be the team of the city. It hasn’t been easy winning fans back because our fans are very unique, and that’s not necessarily a compliment.

1. The disparity between our smart fans and uneducated fans is pretty wide. For every educated fan about the game, you've got 3 or 4 assholes that know very little to nothing about the actual game itself... but they think they know. They just like to go with the flow of beer on sundays with football or whatever sport it is. Hell, some just make it to games as a status booster (y'all make me want to vomit). But you can't deny that there are fans that don't do their homework.

2. The uneducated fans are tough to shake out of apathy. They are extremely stubborn. Combine their lack of knowledge with their stubbornness and you get a nasty combination. It's tough to get them on the bandwagon unless the team is winning. During the last year I was talking about how the Pacers were going to surprise some people (if Jim O'Brien got fired of course). They still acted like they wanted nothing to do with the thugs on the Pacers. They had no clue. Remember the early 00's for the Colts? Remember all those blackouts? We had a decent team at the time too, yet people still didn't want to come. Perhaps Reggie spoiled us? Lol. Our city loves them when they are winning, and they are shitbags when they are losing. We can be a supportive city to a point, but not when our sports teams are struggling. You want proof? Go to stubhub and look at Colts ticket prices.
3. The problem with their stubbornness is the city's unwillingness to forget the brawl. I think we're finally coming out of that jungle. I didn't want to stand by the fight. It was wrong. Defending your teammates to the death, Stephen Jackson, is admirable. But it alienates your fan base that likes to think of themselves as the pure form of basketball. Beating up Detroit fans is cool, but it doesn't represent pure Indiana basketball, and it certainly doesn't represent most of Indiana's core values. We are in the process of bringing the uneducated, stubborn fans out of that Brawl mindset and back to the winning mindset.
4. There is still hope for the die hard fan. Remember this city has been building it’s own identity of successful pro sports teams too. It wasn't really successful prior to 1993. Remember that the 80’s were just awful for Indy teams. The 90’s Pacers started a rebirth, while the Let-er-rip years with the Colts gave us a jolt of football that never really took off until Peyton established himself. Now that both teams have a solid generation of fans, the loyalty could increase exponentially as the stories of great Colts and Pacers teams are passed on to generations. We didn't have any great stories prior to '93.
If this CBA gets ratified, the Pacers will benefit immensely. That's if they stay competitive. This town has been Colts Blue the past 10 years. Now that the Colts will be doing a little losing, the band wagoners will gladly jump off. They'll need somewhere else to go. They’ll gladly whore themselves out to the team that’s most successful.
But remember one thing. In 49 states is just basketball, but this is Indiana. We are a basketball state. We are a basketball town. Football’s great, but this is Indi-freakin-ana. If the Pacers start to win, Mr. Simon won’t have to worry about ticket revenue being so low. Our basketball fans, like America prior to December 7, 1941, are a sleeping giant. The noise the Pacers made against the Bulls definitely woke the giant. I just hope the giant doesn't hit the snooze button.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-110823/indiana-pacers-offseason-questions

There it is! I know they needed something to talk about since there really IS nothing to talk about, but let us bask in this moment. Heavily biased ESPN actually gave recognition to the Blue and Gold. Honestly, there were nights we were barely making Sportscenter. And when we did, it was all about the other team (Heat, cough, cough). 

Yeah, the NBA news line is a little bit slow. But I didn't think they'd tackle Indiana this quickly. All in all, I'm just glad we finally got slapped on the NBA Front Page. It doesn't happen that often.

I think they were harsh on Collison. It was the dudes second year for Pete's sake. I'm sure he either had very little quality guidance or a decent system that played to his strenghts... or just flat out both. I bet the ShawFrank Redemption has something special in store for him. They use the George Hill trade to warrant their comments as DC being a bust. I say false. Yes his size is in an issue, and there will be times when we have to play a bigger point guard that might require George's services. Or maybe it's to put Paul on Derrick Rose, and have George Hill guard who ever's playing the two. It's just that nice option that could be a factor in closing out games. Or, maybe they want to trade Danny and move Hill to the starting two and Paul to the starting 3? I highly doubt it, but a possibility.

I'm glad Mr. George is getting his national recognition. I can't wait to see what this guy is about to do. I guess he and Roy are good pals and have great work ethic. If Paul works as hard as Roy does, then we are in for some exciting times.

Couldn't agree more on Hansbrough, especially the part where Tom Donahue says "Tyler has spent his life defying expectations." He's got something going on underneath that cranium that has neutralized the "Stop" feature in his motor. Can't teach that.

Pretty straight forward on Roy for these guys. I think they need to take into account Roy built himself in the previous offseason to fit Obie's system. Well, thank god that system got jettisoned. He's hitting the weights to help in the half court game, which is what we'll be playing more. Once again, thank you lord. The Pacers have also added Jim Boylen to the coaching staff, who has worked with Hakeem Olajuwon during the Rockets two-peat in the 90's, and was a big part of Yao's first years. I'm thinking he's got a lot of ideas with Roy. 

And in closing(in regards to the last question): Dudes, the key words are "on their way". First: They're probably not going to win it all next year. Although, as wise philosopher Wooderson once said, it'd be a lot cooler if you did. Second: John Hollinger of ESPN.com, you ask who will be the GM? Larry Bird will be the GM. He's coming back this year. After that? Probably not, but Larry's driving this year. I would think a guy who writes for ESPN.com would know that. Or am I missing something here? Third: Danny Savitsky, whaddya Friggin' nuts over there? Very good Coaching? Uh yeah, Vogel was awesome. Jim O'Brien, Walter McCarty, and Vitaly Potopenko? I don't know if they were or not, but they were first year assistants who played for Jim O'Brien during their lackluster playing careers. I think it would be safe to assume they were not that great.  We got Brian Shaw and Jim Boylen now! I have the utmost confidence in Frank Vogel, and now he's flanked by some of the most respected coaches in the game. No one expects the Pacers to knock off the best next season, but damn it they are well on their way. Recognize Bee-itches!

You know, some people have a lot of optimism about this team. Some people are still on the fence. 

I want to feel good about this team. I do feel good about this team, but there are a lot of questions that still linger. See, I'm in my 5th Association year in 2k11. DC turns into a monster, Paul turns into a 3 point beast, Roy turns into a pretty consistent contributor at the 5. But, is this what's in store for us? 

I don't think you can truly make a call on this team just yet. You have to understand this group has been stuck under Jim O'Brien for a few years. I don't know how good the staff was early in Obi's tenure, but it sucked last year. Walter McCarty? First year as an assistant. Vitaly Potapenko? First year as an assistant. I think it's safe to say our players didn't have the best tools, or the best system to succeed. A coach, who was rumored to be kind of a dick, running an offense that you know is bogus, while being tutored by a couple of rookie coaches? Yeah, that'll succeed when politicians stop acting like children. The players knew it. They got frustrated and probably checked out come February time frame. Now I don't know what the chain of events were that led to Jim O'Briens dismissal, but I'd love to know. Did someone high up the food chain talk to the players? Did Herb bust into Larry's door and say, "I've seen enough. He has to go"? Was someone listening for our calls for his dismissal? I see Mr. Simon and Mr. Bird in their seats all the time from Area 55. Trust me, it was quiet enough to a point where the entire Fieldhouse could hear individuals from our section. Jim O'Brien was not left alone, and I know Mr. Simon and Mr. Bird aren't deaf. It's not like they've got hearing loss from too much noise at the games. 

Whoever was responsible for JOB's dismissal, if you ever get ahold of this, thank you. That was a defibrillator charge to the heart of the franchise. Had JOB's employment gone any longer, the hope for the playoffs would have died. 

Now the mid-season resurgence wasn't all Frank Vogel's doing, but the changes he implemented combined with better talent, better rotations, and change of attitude would not have happened because of him. But that's the thing, we made that playoff run with sub-par coaching and young players. 

Now we don't have some crappy rookie coaches working with our young talent. We just went and hired big-name coaches. Brian Shaw was Phil Jackson's right hand man for Pete's sake. That's like saying "Hey, this guy was taught by Red Aurbach". You've got Jim Boylen, who coached Yao Ming and the player with the all-time greatest post moves, Hakeem Olajuwon. As coaches, they collectively have four rings, and that's not counting Shaw's 3 as a player. 

Now what about the talent? Lets act like the Pacers are a computer. Sure you can have all this badass hardware, but if it doesn't have a good operating system, then it doesn't function to it's full potential. Owners of Windows Vista know what I'm talking about. I think the same can be said about a basketball team. Well, the new operating system looks very promising to say the least. The processor, RAM, memory, graphics card, and Hard drive? It looks promising to say the most. I'm not quite sure what these guys are truly capable of in a healthy working environment. 

I really think Roy will bounce back with this new environment. Dudes got great work ethic with a big stature, long arms, and a huge heart. You can't teach that stuff. I think Tyler should change his name to the T-800, and he did nothing but impress his "second" rookie year. He might not be the fastest or jump the highest, but he makes up for it in hustle and effort (sounds like Mr. Birds game). I think Danny will be a solid contributor as he always has been. I think Paul only had half a season to really find his niche. He can D up, jump out of the gym, and could drain the 3 in college, but still has some rough edges. I hope he can learn to drain the 3 in the pros. Darren Collison might have been rookie of the year had he been starting in New Orleans. That's your current starting five. 

So my 2k11 starters consist of Darren Collison (91), Paul George (91), Danny Granger (86), Tyler Hansbrough (77) and Roy Hibbert (85) in year 4. I know it's a video game, but I don't think it's too bigga stretch. If Mark Cuban can play Robert Kraft of the NBA, that would be terrific, because I want to see these Pacers in action next year. I want to see what the new coaching staff does with this promising young talent. Furthermore, I just want to see pro basketball in Conseco during the month of May. I think it could happen. 

Listen, I know a lot of people are putting down the fact that the Pacers level of play against the Bulls was just the Bulls playing poorly. I do not believe this is the sole reason for the outcome. I believe the Pacers started to find rhythm towards the end of the season and started to find their niche.

Think of this scenario. Most championship teams have an entire year to really play together, they usually have a good coaching staff, their rotations are consistent, and their best players are consistently playing in those rotations. A good fan base really helps too. The Pacers had none of that during the first half of the season.

We had a crappy head coach with two-brand spanking new assistants and some dude who used to run film for this knucklehead O'Brien a long time ago. I'd call that a cluster-rhymes-with-luck. Who would want to play in a system like that? Well, when we finally came to our senses and gave ol' Jimmy the axe, and gave the video guy the interim job, you could've kissed our butts goodbye. Our confidence was shot. The team was a mess. The good guys like George (a rookie at that), Jones, and Hansbrough (Half-rookie) weren't getting significant time at all. Paul was in street clothes most of the time for crimenelly's sake. We are now seeing how much of a catastrophe those choices were. Posey? Come on man! Watch the first episode of Band of Brothers and you can get an idea of what bad leadership and good leadership can do to a team. It destroys your psyche. I witnessed it first hand on my deployment. You become a dysfunctional group and end up getting nothing accomplished.

So we axe the guy and put a relatively inexperienced guy at the helm. Order was not well kept. Guys were goofing off. It seems they had pretty much had thrown in the towel at this point. Enter Larry Bird. Reports are he chewed someone out and the teams attitude changed. That was during the 0-6 stretch. They went through rough patches, and it made them stronger. They had half a season. We turned a cluster-rhymes-with-luck into a team with very little time and full of very young players. 

I think we only got a glimpse of what we are capable of in that series against the Bulls. We did a complete about-face, mid-season with new players and rotations. Paul and Tyler weren't even inserted into the starting lineup until just before the playoffs. As I said before, championship teams have the tools to succeed. One of those is cohesion.

HERE'S THE HARD MATH: A cohesive team would not go through an 0-6 stretch like that. Say we went 3-3, or 4-2. That record, under Frank the tanks watch, would go from 20-18 to 23-15, or 24-14. Double that and lets say it equals out to 46-30. Add an extra 2-4 record to fill out 82 games and you get a 48-34 record. I'd be happy with, say, 44... 48 WINS!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!. That would put us in that area between 4 and 5 while at the same time knocking on the door at 3. I mean, I know my logic isn't air tight by any means, but I don't think this is a stretch. I actually think I'm underselling this bitch.

My argument will hold more water depending on what we do if they get a new CBA before the lockout (please guys, this is not the time for dick measuring). If Larry goes and gets another scorer for the bench and other necessary players, we will have an entire year to really play together, with a good coaching staff, and consistent rotations with the best players on the team. All they need is the fan base, and the sleeping giant that it is has begun to awaken (Ring the bell IC. Spread the word).

My only fear is we are sneaking under people's radar. What will happen when the team actually shows the league what they can do? Will it makes us better? I can't wait! Start the season now!

Hey guys. Just thought I'd point this out. My buddies and I were talking to a reliable unnamed source within the organization, and I guess Larry never mentioned ANYTHING about trading Roy. It didn't even cross his mind. Apparently, the guy from Minnesota (Kahn) and Larry aren't exactly drinking buddies per se. As a matter of fact, I believe they loathe each other and it dates back to when Kahn was part of this organization. 

What happened was Kahn threw that trade out there and got it to the guy from Yahoo! sports (Wojechowski or however the hell you spell his name). His intention was to make Larry look incompetent or something along those lines. Larry never had any idea whatsoever of sending the big Roy to Minny. 

And on another added note: Judging by how Minnesota's front office has been run and the player personnel they have... Kahn, I'd worry about your own self first. You suck. Larry's doing just fine over here. GO BLUE AND GOLD!

There are certain factors I think people don't take into account when it comes to Frank Vogel. And I'd thought I'd share with all of you. Okay, picture this. Beginning of season, new year, players playing a very good defense. They look okay, but begin to crack under Jim O'Brien's nasty attitude. Jim O'Brien's scheme is the one they've worked under since training camp. It's the scheme they've had for the past few years. You jettison that system they've been practicing, going over and over again, repetition, repetition... and all of a sudden, mid-season... tick, tick, tick, BOOM BABY! That system is jettisoned. Jim O'Brien is pulled and Vogel is brought into relieve. Well, Vogel's pitching rotation is a bit different than Jim O'Briens, so to speak. We went from a finesse, shoot-the-three-as-much-as-possible type of game, to Frank Vogel's attack-the-rim approach. New players get big pro minutes for the first time in their careers like Paul George, AJ Price, and Tyler Hansbrough (Remember Paul should have just finished his sophomore season). Dahnty Jones finally was inserted while being heavily bench ridden under O'Brien. This young team transformed it's identity, mid-season, with brand new rotations with VERY different personnel... MID-FLIPPING' SEASON!!! 

Yes there were bumps in the road. There were growing pains. What did you think was going to happen with a young coach and a young team? This is just a shit storm of stuff for a team to go through mid-season, and they came out plus .500. It happened, we learned from it, and it's made us stronger. Take that 0-6 stretch where we had our low-point. We are 20-12 without that stretch. Say we go 5-1. That turns into 25-13. Think about that. Some of the best teams I've been on are the ones where they collectively have to go though a metaphorical river of shit together. This team has gone through some shit. Their resolve is quite evident with the play they've had.

But the whole young-as-shit moniker still hinders us. We are fixing this right now with the best play I've seen from the Blue and Gold in years. It's fun as hell to watch with Josh and Paul jumping out of the gym, Tyler and Jeff being the two-men wrecking crew. This team went through it's tough times during that 0-6 drought. It's coming together with one common goal, and I think Vogel's rhetoric alone has elevated the Pacers to heights they never have seen. He's sort of taken a Rex Ryan sort of big talk approach, which I think rubbed off on Jets players ("THEY CAN'T STOP A NOSE BLEED!" and "CAN'T WAIT!"). And I think after watching all that film, studying for so long, and paying his dues, Frank Vogel might just be ready for the big time. The guy passed out to Hoosiers every night in school! Think about that: A kid from Jersey makes a leap of faith to Kentucky because of his passion of the game. He had to have had ideas of coaching somewhere in Indiana one day. I mean, the Pacers were the closest Pro team at the time and were doing quite well. How story book would that be if this was where he was meant to be? I don't know quite what it is, but I have a funny feeling that we could be seeing the third golden age of the Indiana Pacers happening right before our very eyes. The 70's, the 90's, and now. Buckle up. 

I, like many of you, was making a fool of myself when I heard of the Jim O'Brien firin'. I liked Frank Vogel's enthusiasm and how it got some of our players back on board. It was great. Just like a new car. 

Well, I feel that the new coach smell is starting to wear off. 

Have you seen these guys? I don't know about you, but our on-ball defense has been terrible, forcing our players to leave their off-ball man to help out while players like Grant Hill get wide open for threes (GRANT HILL?! WTF!?). We aren't boxing out while the other team just snags the offensive rebounds. For some reason, our shooting efficiency could be compared to the efficiency of Shaquille O'Neal's free throws. Turnovers, poor shots, poor basketball. Frank Vogel's been giving more rope for players to hang themselves with. We aren't at the gallows pole yet. But, damn, that noose is getting tight. 

It's really hard to tell if this is just a bad stretch that we hit or if it's a sign of things to come down the line. Frank's initial schedule was a proverbial walk on the beach. The East's superstar power may be on the upside, but the West still has better teams. As the schedule gets tougher (and much more frequent), it will show the true Pacer metal. I'm expecting the worst to avoid disappointment. But just because I'm expecting the worst, doesn't mean I want to see it. Does Frank need to put his foot down? Would it even be effective as he has already given the players their new found freedoms? Someone needs to 'up' the accountability for blown assignments, blown judgements (24 second clock?), and play that just plain blows. Coaches can do it, but as John Kuester said, players don't like coaches and coaches don't like players. Someone in a uniform needs to lead by example and fast. Otherwise, we might be headed to the lottery again. THAT... would blow. 

Quick thoughts before I go:

1. Josh doesn't like to box out. His high school coach barked at him constantly for that, according to a former high school teammate of his that I was throwing back beers with this weekend. 

2. Danny's pissin' me off. He was very lucky to be in Jim O'Brien's three-happy system as he would be on the wing, in prime position to fire the long ball. Now that we go inside, Danny is forced to be tougher. He's shown his true colors when having to deal with physical adversity (he looks like a wuss out there). His shot is flat as a board, causing the ball to fire dead on, smack violently off the front of the rim, or smack violently off the back of the rim. He looks like he's coasting out there. Danny doesn't have the physical talent to slack. Sometimes I feel he is Chuck Person 2.0, and sometimes I wish there fates would be similar... except that we get a really good 2 or 4 in exchange. 

3. Roy's looking soft out there. I know he's still in his third year. But he needs his ass into the gym. I know he worked his ass off this year trying to take weight off. Good job Roy. You did really well. Now you need to do one of two things. Either you work on your quickness, footwork, and jump shot, or you get your butt back into the gym. But don't focus on weight loss. Focus on muscle gain. He's too soft down there and not fast enough to make up for it. Work on your footwork big guy. Maybe take some pointers from Hakeem Olajuwon with your post moves. 

4. This thought ran through my head today during halftime. Do we need to consider trading Darren Collison? Think about it. He's a scoring point guard in a system that should be designed for a true point guard. Perhaps we need a better distributer rather than a scorer? Perhaps DC2 just needs to hone that part of his game? Now, it may be a radical idea, but rebelling against the King of England because we didn't want to pay taxes was a little on the "radical" idea back then too. Just sayin'. 

5. I see what Larry Bird meant when talking about Lance Stephenson's talent. The kid's got chops and could be a real force down the line. No BS. When he gets on TV, just watch for him. You should be impressed. I was. 

When it comes to the Pacers, one can understand how nostalgia and hope can keep a fan alive.  I have the 4 greatest Pacer games on DVD and Winning Time DVR'd. They were like a drug for me to deal with the pain of the last few years, even though I still metaphorically free base on that stuff every once in a while. lol. But has anyone else noticed the small similarities between the 90s and our current team?

Roy Hibbert is like our Rik Smits. Roy is a little more enthusiastic than Rik obviously, and has a little more personality (we love you Roy. Thanks for the free tix). But they both were known as offensive centers. Both long enough to block a few shots. Their defense not quite their strong suit, but decent nonetheless. If Roy gets down that 20 foot floater and that baseline jumper like Rik? Oh Heavens. I get all giddy like a school girl when I think about what that could do for us. 

Josh McRoberts and Tyler Hansborough? Oh yeah, I'm going there. The boys from Carolina are our new Davis boys. Think about it? Not as big necessarily, but they both have a very similar, very freaking awesome attribute that a true fan of Indiana Basketball would love. They can beat the shit out of you. They can rebound. They're relentless. They can score some points if need be. They aren't you're best players, but they do the necessary dirty work to win you ball games.

Darren Collison is our Mark Jackson by default, despite the fact their respective games are very different. Still though, Darren "2fast2furious" Collison has the potential to have the talent level of Mark Jackson. So for now, it sticks.  

Here's the dilemma that I want to debate. Who is our Reggie? Is it the proven veteran Danny Granger that can nail the shot from downtown if need be? I think not, and here's why. Reggie did a lot of work to create his shot. He ran all over the gym, around and sometimes into his teammates and defenders to get that open look. Danny doesn't do that. He was a big beneficiary of the recently departed Jim O'Brien (cue Handel music)...HALLELUJAH! He would jack those triples up like an alcoholic would throw back triple distilled Jack. He's honed in his game to what he likes to do: drive. He loves driving to the basket. That's not Reggie. But Reggie was the face of our franchise, and Danny is to...

Or is it Paul George? Too early to tell you say? Well, I'll make the argument. If you have seen what I have seen thanks to B-Huse, Paul George is a powder keg of talent about to explode. This is his rookie year and he's been able to throw up some impressive streaks. His defensive game is good and only going to get even better. He can create his shots...WITH THE BALL!!! Reggie was the alpha catch and shoot player, but he never could quite get separation with the dribble unless it was around a pick. Paul has the dribbling skills to shake a couple dudes. His inside game is superior to Reggie's. His defense potentially could be light years beyond Reggie. He can jump out of the gym (He jumped over a head-leaning-forward Roy Hibbert... I shit you not. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPzpQJGfSMA). If he can get improve his three point shot to... say ... Mike Dunleavy's current level? I just got a tingle down my spine and goosebumps on my teeth thinking about it. I know it's too early to say, but it's still fun to imagine Paul George as being the alpha version of Reggie Miller. But do not get me wrong, Paul George will never throw the choke sign and stick the Knicks like Reggie (but it'd be a lot cooler if he did). I doubt Paul will leave the stamp on this franchise like Reggie did. But I believe Paul George has the potential to surpass the overall talent level of Reggie Miller. 

So where does that leave us? I almost see the collective efforts of Danny and Paul as a sort of pseudo hybrid of Derrick McKey and Reggie Miller. Maybe perhaps one could turn into Jalen Rose? Maybe they could be their own identity. 

But another thing that goes through my head is that maybe... just maybe... this team can be a sleeper. I know they are young, but damnit, you've seen what our capabilities are. We've knocked off big teams before. I've seen us do it. The recent Miami game gives me hope that we can hang with the big boys until we get the experience and chemistry we need to become a good team. If we can beat the Heat Tuesday and beat/contend with other tough teams, that would be a huge confidence booster for a young team. This is going to sound crazy, but if we get the confidence, play a team we match up well against, and get hot at the end of the season, we could win a playoff series. Say what you will, but as we Area 55ers say: I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! P - A - C - E - R - S, Pacers!!! 

Seriously. What do you think? Mike Brown was Rick Carlisle's top assistant before everything got shipped to hell air via air freight. Before that though we racked up a franchise record 62 wins. Cleveland went looking for someone to coach a spoiled little selfish phenom, and they thought Brown was the right choice. For some reason, I just visualize Mike Brown as a good candidate to replace Jim O'Brien... but shit, it seems anyone at this point will do. 

Now, I don't know exactly what happened in Cleveland and why Mike Brown got fired. I honestly think he had his hands tied behind his back dealing with a pre-madonna superstar. The franchise bent over backward to take it in the ass from the King, and the owner was happy to oblige to any of Lebron's requests. That included black-balling a coach named Mike Brown. In reality, Mike Brown was setup for failure by Dan Gilbert and Lebron James. I have a feeling he could do the job well, but I'm not sure. I would love to hear what other people think. 

Okay, I currently work at a liquor store in Fishers until school starts. I, like many of you, have been supporting the blue and gold through the ugly times. I am a member of Area 55 (the rockstar). Well, I wear my #33 jersey at work whenever the Pacers are in action, and I get dogged by patrons for following the "thug team". Fairweatherville, IN (aka the city of Indianapolis and it's "sports fans") hasn't gotten the message bout Indiana. We need to start spreading the word, and getting the hype back in this city. If ever you have the opportunity to don Pacer attire when the pacers are/aren't playing, do it!!! And when they ask you why you're following the "thug team", very politely/condescendingly tell them whats up. I've been nice so far, but one ignorant asshole just deserved to be made to look like an ignorant asshole. 

So far, I've talked to many of our customers. Some have told me I inspired them to watch the blue and gold on TV. Others have actually attended a Pacer game, came back, and thanked me for talking them into going. Every little bit helps, but if enough people get into this sort of deal, then I think we might give a little push that Pacer nation needs.

If you have a story where you put someone back on the bandwagon, please post below.

GO PACERS! FIRE JOB! 

Bare with me on this one. I'm an Army SSG out in Iraq right now and I get my two weeks leave back home in a month. I would like to see if anyone else would want to go along with this.

You know, I'm starting to get the feeling that Larry doesn't like to listen to criticism. I think he's got an ego. But I only know through word of mouth. However, word of mouth has been matching up to what has been going on inside the walls of Miller Fieldhouse. Argue what you will. Make your points. Speak your piece.

I am tired of this franchise doing everything that the Indiana Pacers of the past stood for. I don't even get to see them play (I'm 7,000 miles away), but I read that the play is absolutely horrendous. I guess you could say it's a good thing I don't see these guys play. I've experienced first hand how the franchise thumbs it's nose at the true fans of the franchise (well, most of them at least). I feel this franchise is the biggest charlie foxtrot (military lingo for clusterfuck) in the league right now. They make Donald Strickland (the Clipps owner) look like Jerry West (the general manager) for Pete's sake. I'm tired of it. It hurts to see the team I grew up on get tarnished by this incessant idiocricy. In a nutshell: I'm mad as hell, and I ain't gonna take it anymore.

When I get back on leave, I want to attend a Pacer game in protest. But I think it would be great if I had more people involved in this. I want to attend either the April 4th game against Houston, or the April 7th game against the Knicks with a brown paper bag over my head that says "fire JOB". Two people doing it isn't enough. A large group doing it? That might get their attention. I want to see how many people would be down for a Brown paper bag night at Conseco fieldhouse.

Or then I could be just overreacting. I could be going off anger. In times like these, it's difficult NOT to give into the dark side. But one thing is for certain, I'm not happy the way this is going. I want to show the franchise that we are fed up with this. I want them to know our disappointment. The paper bag is usually a little harsh when it comes to franchise protest and I could be just frustrated. But I want to know what everybody here thinks of this idea.

I had to re-post this because last time I did we went on a five game winning streak. Hopefully it works again. And if you got ideas for the lyrics, please help our pacers and write them below. And once again, please don't suit me Duke. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. 

We look to the rafters

We remember the memories

But then we look at the court

And all we say is Please

Lord Help our Pacers

Lord Help our Pacers

It was a horrible act

When O’Brien got that contract

Lord Help our Pacers

2004 was a mess.

Our players charged the stands

I guess the only good thing

Was they beat up Piston Fans

There was trouble on the court

There was trouble off it too.

The team ain’t been the same.

And that’s why I’m singin the blues.

Lord Help our Pacers

Lord Help our Pacers.

It was easy to play like junk

With a team filled with punks

Lord Help our Pacers

Now the thugs are cast away.

But we’ve still got personnel issues

I’m talking bout the front office

And all it’s power abuse

It’s chaotic among the brass

That’s the word around the town

Whoever’s screwin this up

Please… step…down.

And Help our Pacers

Lord help our Pacers

Larry was a great Playa

But Hey! So was Isaiah.

Lord help our Pacers

We demand action!

Can we hire Mark Jackson?

To help our Pacers.

Maybe… someday…

We’ll be singin Boom Bay-bay.

Lord Help our Pacers…

I got done reading this article on Sports Illustrated about Ty Hansbrough. If you need a pick-me up about the Pacers, this one can make you feel okay, if you let it.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/mark_montieth/12/18/hansbrough.ap/index.html

You can argue and debate stuff concerning this article. But one thing that is not debatable is that Ty knocking out Stephen Jackson with his boisterous bows is freakin' awesome.

I agree with Larry's thinking when he drafted this guy, especially when he was talking about how a lot of the NBA players are a bunch of softy wussies. The issue with Ty is he's still young, still has a lot of fine-tuning to accomplish, and is still working the system. A system I hope we scuttle in favor of a new one. However, if we can develop this guy Ty, I think he could be a pivitol piece of the post-palace-Pacers puzzle as a potent power player.

Add a guy to the roster who shows that same amount of intensity, that does NOT(!) go into the opposing teams stands, and they could be identity formers and swagger developers. Swagger is more for a football thing, but it still can go eons when developing a team with less than top-o-the-line talent. Get a good coach who can find someway to build camaraderie amongst the group, light a fire under them, and ultimately get the most out of the talent then we could have a bright future.

I’ve been reading a lot of posts about the Pacers recently. There are bright spots (Roy), and there are dark spots (TJ, JOB, BRush). Of all the bad stuff that is there, I believe things are getting better. I believe we are one to two years away and a few personnel moves from becoming a force to be reckoned with in the East.  The issue is the moves. There’s an unsilent majority calling to move “Turnover Juice” Ford. I think it’s safe to say that we would have a sizable party if we could move our Detlef Schrempf imitators in Troy and Mike along with their extremely high salaries. I’m convinced that Coach O’Brien will never get us a Larry O’Brien.

As far as solutions go, I’m on the fence. I don’t get the insider information that some of you might. But I am almost certain of the types of personnel changes we need. And a big word comes to mind: Personality.

I’m in the US Army, and I’ve seen what great mentors and leaders can do to bring out the best in their subordinates. I’ve seen how people respond to different styles of leadership and how effective each style can be. The Drill Sergeants were the best examples. The basics are force, example, and trust. Lead by example, earn your subordinates trust, and show force with a command presence (let em’ know who’s boss). A good leader can balance all of these qualities. If you have a major imbalance in any of them, you lose your guys. I believe that has happened in the halls of Conseco Fieldhouse.

Everybody knows we have talent. We displayed it last year taking down some very potent teams like the Celtics, the Cavs, East champs Magic and the NBA champion Lakers. The talent is there, but the direction is something left to be desired. Word on the the street is Obie doesn’t get the job done. My gut tells me he does not get the most out of the talent. I believe the Pacers need to go a new direction with their coaching. They need to get someone who can lead by example with great basketball knowledge, but also be that teacher and mentor that some of the young players need.

I also believe it shouldn’t stop at just a great coach. You need a great floor leader that leads by example and keeps the players sharp. Danny has that capability on the floor. However, his potential for floor leadership is still raw and a coach can only mentor from the sideslines. I feel the final piece to Danny’s development comes from somebody who is on the ‘front lines’ with him. A prime example would be Byron Scott in the ‘93-‘94 season. He was a great mentor to Reggie Miller and the entire Pacer team. He had rings. He knew how to win. He showed the Pacers how to win. I’d say it worked out pretty well.

The question: who would be good candidates for these positions? The only name that comes to mind would be Mark Jackson for the coach. A veteran is up in the air. I would love to hear input on this matter from everyone.  

The song that defined the Pacers during the 90’s was definitely Duke Tomatoe’s “Boom Baby” (forgive the spelling Duke). I am surprised he did not create a version of “Lord, Help our Pacers” for this decade. So, I wrote lyrics for it (please don't suit me Duke. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery).  

We look to the rafters

We remember the memories

But then we look at the court

And all we say is Please

Lord Help our Pacers

Lord Help our Pacers

It was a horrible act

When O’Brien got that contract

Lord Help our Pacers

2004 was a mess.

Our players charged the stands

I guess the only good thing

Was they beat up Piston Fans

There was trouble on the court

There was trouble off it too.

The team ain’t been the same.

And that’s why I’m singin the blues.

Lord Help our Pacers

Lord Help our Pacers.

It was easy to play like junk

With a team filled with punks

Lord Help our Pacers

Now the thugs are cast away.

But we’ve still got personnel issues

I’m talking bout the front office

And all it’s power abuse

It’s chaotic among the brass

That’s the word around the town

Whoever’s screwin this up

Please… step…down.

And Help our Pacers

Lord help our Pacers

Larry was a great Playa

But Hey! So was Isaiah.

Lord help our Pacers

We demand action!

Can we hire Mark Jackson?

To help our Pacers.

Maybe… someday…

We’ll be singin Boom Bay-bay.

Lord Help our Pacers…