Fixing the Pacers Begins With Honesty

By Chad Smith

A team will never say that they are tanking a season, but the Pacers really should.

Honesty goes a long way with the fans, and quite frankly, the Pacers are fortunate that the Indiana faithful are still supporting the franchise.

The team has been a disappointment every year for the last decade, and the fans are still looking for signs of positive change. There has been quite a bit of change overall, but whether it is positive or negative is in the eye of the beholder.

The roster has been revamped multiple times, and the front office has gone through changes as well. The end result is always the same; missing the playoffs by a few games, and having the last pick in the lottery.

The Pacers haven’t done well in the draft at all with the exception of Danny Granger. Besides the standout forward from New Mexico, here are the players the Pacers have drafted this past decade: Jaquay Walls, Primoz Brezec, Jamison Brewer, Frederick Jones, James Jones, Rashad Wright, David Harrison, Erazem Lorbek, Alexander Johnson, Shawne Williams, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush, A.J. Price, and Tyler Hansbrough.

How many of these guys are still in the league today? Better yet, how many of these players have you ever heard of? The fact is, the Pacers have no idea what to do with their draft pick, unless it’s a Top-Five pick, which brings me to this year.

As of today, the Pacers have the fourth worst record in the NBA . This doesn’t necessarily mean they will get a Top-Five pick, but they will have the fourth most ping pong balls when it comes to the draft lottery. The obvious thing for the Pacers to do is to make sure they position themselves for a good draft pick in next year’s draft.

If this were a college team, it would be wrong to say, but since this is a business, it must be said. Losing games to finish this season is the only way to fix the massive amount of problems that the Pacers are facing.

It is very simple; in order to get better talent on the floor, you need better players. The way to getting these players is to have a top pick in the draft.

If the Pacers were to try and win the rest of their games this season, what would that get them? There is no point to the remainder of this season for the team. We already know who can play and who can’t. We know that Watson won’t be here next year. We know Ford or Head are not the answer at point guard. We know the answers to all of these questions already, so why keep trying to win?

By winning games from here on out, the Pacers are just making their problems even bigger.

The Pacers obviously need a miracle to get the first overall pick because of the Nets ‘ record, but they are only a few games better than Minnesota and Golden State. If the Pacers can somehow sneak their way into the No. 2 overall pick, they are guaranteed a future star; John Wall or Evan Turner.

Another thing that might help them is the teams that they are fighting for position with teams that are already set at the guard positions. The Nets have Devin Harris and a couple of decent guards, the Timberwolves have Flynn and the rights to Rubio. The Warriors have a dynamic back-court already with Curry and Ellis.

If the Pacers would stop the “we are trying so hard” routine with the fans, and just tell it like it is, the fan base would probably get off of their back. The reason why the fans are so angry right now is because they know the team is lying to them about what they are doing, and they don’t really believe the franchise has a plan, or is following one.

For Larry Bird to come out and just tell the fans that they are going to tank the rest of their games this season, would be better than the alternative, which is what they are doing now. Let the fans know what the plans are, even if it means not trying to win games this season, which is lost one already.

The only thing that can turn this franchise around, is a Pacers jersey that has the name “Wall” or “Turner” on the back of it. The sooner the Pacers are honest about their intentions, the sooner the Pacers will “ignite the passion and restore the pride.”

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