Baston will make the Pacers World Champs! World Champs I tell you!My hometown professional basketball team, the Indiana Pacers have burned bridges with thuggish behavior in strip clubs and on the streets of downtown Indy...but the organization looked to mend some of these bridges in a flurry of activity Thursday afternoon/evening.
The Pacers got rid of Jermaine O'Neal, who much of the city's sports fans have grown wary of...sent Ike Diagu away (which I wish they wouldn't have) and in return, got T.J. Ford, Jarrett Jack, Rasho Nesterivic, the rights to Roy Hibbert and a whole lot of cap room in '09. They also traded for Maceo Baston and (Crazy) Josh McRoberts. Plus, they picked up Brandon Rush in the draft.
I'm not a math guy, but according to my numbers, the Pacers will have about 100 players on the roster next year if everything goes through. That seems like it's illegal or something. Regardless of the amount of players, the Pacers need to drum up some interest because Conseco Fieldhouse regularly had WNBA-type crowds (and I'm not talking about flannel-wearing ladies) for the Pacers' games last season.
On July 9, the league and the Pacers should be able to talk about all of the Pacers moves so far...and Bird says there may be more to come. Hopefully, Granger is still around when it's all said and done- he's the one guy on the Pacers that I like watching AND think is actually worth cheering for.
Last thing, the NBA stinks.
9 comments:
Josh McRoberts is worthless. He's been worthless since his little, I didn't win Mr. Basketball so I'm not going to play on the Indiana All-Stars" whine-fest a few years ago.
Portland only traded himso he woudn't continue to get abused by Oden in practice.
I agree...he, Duke and Coach K were made for eachother.
He's a little cry-baby biotch.
t-mill:
I live near a place hear in Indiana where Josh McRoberts and Greg Oden(as well as a few other very well known players) regularly play pickup games.
Needless to say Josh McRoberts is still getting torched by Greg Oden.
Shouldn't Oden be rehabbing his knee?
Schooling McRoberts must be part of his rehab.
I love how the hometown Colts have players shooting up guns at bars (see Harrison, Marvin and Doss, Mike), pissing themselves after getting DUI's (see Rhodes, Dominic), and beating spouses (see Harper, Nick) but everyone hates on the Pacers for "off the court issues."
/"allegedly"
I'm not defending the Pacers by any means, but it's funny what a few wins will do for fans' perception.
You named three players, one we're not sure at all about (Harrison). In a three season span...That's an average of 1 arrest in 53/yr.
Conversely, on the Pacers had:
-Williams arrested on marijuana/driving w/o license in '07.
-Daniels, Tinsley & Hunter all questioned during a fight that ended with former Pacer Steven Jackson firing a gun into a crowd outside a strip club in '07.
-Tinsley and his entourage involved in an altercation, then gunplay in '07
-And it all started, of course with Jackson and Artest going into the stands in Detroit which led to both being brought up on charges in '04.
I do think winning a World Championship will make people more tolerant of off-field problems...but come on. This doesn't have as much to do with winning or losing as does the reality behind the fact that the 12-man Pacers roster, in one calendar year had FOUR players (one twice) involved in incidents.
Would people have been more tolerant of this group had they won the East? We'll never know. But, people didn't like Artest and Jackson acting like crazy men and the Pacers were a contender with those thugs on the squad.
The point of my post wasn't to defend the Pacers, but rather to point out how people just hate the Pacers now because they lose. Here are some additional arrests.
-Joseph Jefferson (DUI)
-Montae Ragor (domestic disturbance/batter)
-Kenton "But I'm a colt" Keith (nightclub incident)
-Dexter Reid (marijuana possession)
-DeDe Dorsey (speeding and unregistered weapon)
I'm in agreement with you on the off-court issues of the Pacers. They've embarrassed the city and alienated a lot of fans. My biggest problem is that these same people who are giving up on the Pacers are now "lifelong Colts fans"
/even though the Colts never started selling out home games until Manning was here and most games were blacked out. In addition, rumors always swirled about a move to LA or Houston but I digress
I have no problem with railing on the Pacers for their problems. Yes, many of the colts listed above are gone and they have a larger pool than an NBA team. Just sick of the city's "Colts can do no wrong" attitude.
/Full disclosure, I'm a Steelers guy. Long story, but my dad grew up there.
I'm shocked that you're not a Colts fan with these posts!
A member of my family was in the Pacers organization before I was born until I was 7...and I don't give a damn about the Pacers. It's a completely different game, different league, different organization and different team.
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