If the Indiana Pacers tonight draft North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough with the No. 13 selection, you’ll
know the people on the business side won out over the people who run basketball operations.
Ideally, the Pacers will choose the very best player available, thus improving the team and attracting more fans to home games and bolstering the team’s sagging bottom line.
That’d be ideal, and Larry Bird, the team's chief of basketball operations, said that’s the way he’ll draft. But the fact is, Bird doesn’t have an ownership stake in the team. And those that sell tickets and sponsorships, know a kid like Hansbrough with an NCAA title in hand and who looks a lot like he just ambled off the set of Hoosiers, will offer the quickest sales and marketing pop. He’s one of the few players in the draft with brand identity and he’ll play well with the team’s constituency during pre- and early-season sales efforts.
But is Hansbrough fool’s gold? Will he really help the Pacers improve? More than a few hoops prognosticators are skeptical of the big man’s ability to make much of a difference. There’s a prevailing thought that the Pacers’ fawning over him has been responsible for bringing Hansbrough into the lottery discussion. Before this month, most considered Hansbrough a late first-round pick at best.
“They’ve picked on Tyler for four years, and all he’s done is won,” Bird said at a press conference Monday.
He’s won in college, the baseball equivalent of AA. The Pacers play in the big-leagues. By most accounts Hansbrough is slow afoot with a nice touch, but limited shooting range. Let’s just say this—he’s no Dirk Nowitzki.
But the Pacers are in a tough spot. Last year the franchise drew 14,182 fans per game. That’s good for 28th in the 30-team league. But that’s a 17.5 percent increase over the previous season. Pacers President Jim Morris said the Pacers were bringing in about $400,000 less in ticket revenue per game than the $900,000 league average. Translation: The Pacers gave away a lot of tickets to get people to sample the product.
Now, it’s time for the Pacers to cash in on that investment, and get the samplers to come back as dues paying members of the Blue and Gold Club.
Let’s hope Bird does what he says he’s going to do: Pick the best basketball player available. But that will require Bird to make one of his most fancy off-court moves. Close his ears, turn his back, shut the door on Pacers officials on the sales and business side and do the right thing for the franchise in the long-run.
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It's long over due. The thug game runied the Pacers. They are going with quality players and hopefully will go with some Euro's in the future. Now they just need to get rid of Tinsley, Daniels, Ford and Murphy and Dunleavy.
I think he brings a great winning attitude to a younger team that needs direction. He is exactly the type of supporting cast we should be putting around Danny Granger and is a step in the right direction from the mess that Artest, Tinsley and Jackson left.
P.S. I heard Reggie Miller on the Dan Patrick show today going nuts over his love for Micheal Jackson. Apparently Reg is a huge fan and claims that MJ is the best entertainer of all time better than Elvis and the Beatles...thoughts???
I have a right to my opinion and it is my opinion that the Pacer's care more about having a team full of choir boys, who are preferably white than winning games. DeJuan Blair is going to have twice the career Hansbrough has. That's who Larry should have taken, but hey he got another white guy to add to his collection. Larry needs to go, NOW.
The best rebounder to ever play in the NBA, Dennis Rodman, was the 27 pick of the second round. Do the NBA guys know everything?? And there have been plenty of first round mistakes also. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
ALL-TIME NBA REBOUND LEADERS (RPG)
1. Wilt Chamberlain 22.9
2. Bill Russell 22.5
3. Bob Pettit 16.2
4. Jerry Lucas 15.6
5. Nate Thurmond 15.0
6. Wes Unseld 14.0
7. Walt Bellamy 13.7
8. Dave Cowens 13.6
9. Elgin Baylor 13.5
10. George Mikan 13.4
11. Dennis Rodman 13.1
12. Willis Reed 12.9
Big-Daddy... enough with the racist BS. Bird is building a team of complementary players... sort of like the primarily white Celtics team that dominated for years.
It's great to have good complementary players, when you have a superstar. The Pacer's don't have a superstar. That primarily white Celtics team you mention above had 2 hall of famers on that team. You don't win in the NBA without superstars. I go to the Pacer games now to see the superstars on the other teams.
He does fit the image of the Pacers historically. Jeff Foster, Rik Smits, even Brad Miller, Antonio and Dale Davis were all hard nosed effective bigs that were known for intense styles of play and as much for their rebounding and energy with decent offensive game.
Tyler did average nearly 20 ppg EVERY YEAR in college, let alone the highest level of collegiate play. He brings a well balanced game and decent size. At nearly 6' 10 with almost a 7' 0 wingspan, you can't say he's undersized.
Why the criticism? I think its a solid pick and I'd take Hansbrough who comes with at least some guarantee over almost any other player that was available at 13.
The highly regarded Bill Walton averaged 7.6... not a superstar, but effective complement. Hansbrough is just under that mark in college and didn't have any superstars supporting his performance.
Let's wait to see how the man who can't jump does before casting him into the Mississippi, heh?
Aren't Bird and McHale hall of famers??
What made Bird, and McHale so great was the fact that they were complemented by the right players. He knows that, which is why he is building the team the way he is... and incidentally you can't attract a free agent super star with make-shift players who all want to be stars on the roster.
Ron Artest? Good individual player... but without the big-market officiating advantage that Kobe enjoys... he'll never be anything more than a wannabe. AND, he is a thug. The Pacers are doing the right thing re-buildiing this team with players of class and dignity, no matter what the color. Last I checked, Danny Granger is black.
So Hansbrough has the talent of a Larry Bird or McHale? He will be a decent pro but again in my opinion, there were better players avaialbe when the Pacer's made their selection.
As far as AJ Price, most people will tell you it takes a full year to recover from a torn acl and he looked strong for uconn in the tournament. I believe he will turn out to be a good pick and at least a back up to ford this year unless we resign Jack.
Trust me, nobody has been more frustrated with the Pacer's performance since Reggie Miller's retirement... it has been a trying time to be a Pacer's fan, but I am confident that Bird has the right intentions.
Who knows, in the end he may prove to have been a better head coach than an exec, but under the circumstances... we have to allow him the time to re-build after the Detroit debacle.