At the Indiana Pacers' media day in 2015, franchise player Paul George said he would "come into this year as if I played last year and had another amazing season." He had missed all but six games in 2014-15 because of a gruesome leg injury, but wanted to build on the Pacers' 2013 and 2014 trips to the conference finals. The only starter who remained from those playoff runs, though, was George Hill, and even he looked different: Hill had dyed his hair blond.
"They say blonds have more fun," Hill said that day. "I'm a sex symbol now."
George was supposed to move to power forward, and the Pacers were supposed to play a more modern, high-scoring, uptempo style. Neither experiment would last, and the George era ended after a pair of first-round exits and a trade demand. In hindsight, the excited quotes about Monta Ellis' arrival read as dark and foreboding.
About a month from now, Indiana franchise player Victor Oladipo will offer optimism at media day. He missed the second half of the 2018-19 season with a quad injury, and when he returns, the team will be drastically different. Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young didn't reach the heights that David West and Roy Hibbert did with the Pacers, but their departures -- and the additions of Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb and T.J. Warren -- represent a quiet shakeup.
If the new-look Pacers do not jell, Kevin Pritchard's front office will take criticism for undervaluing experience (last year's roster had five players with more than six years of experience; next year's will have one: Lamb) and how Bogdanovic and Young glued lineups together. If they do jell, Indiana will look smart for sacrificing those steadying influences and empowering its core players to lead. The Pacers have more firepower, which they will need in the postseason, and they are betting that they will retain their identity as a tough, hard-playing, intelligent and unselfish team.
Oladipo's star turn in 2017-18 and Indiana's perseverance without him in 2018-19 elicited similar praise in the media: Hey, we should really be talking about the Pacers more! These guys aren't flashy, but they compete like crazy on defense! Well-intentioned as this may be, the subtext is less sunny: They're not real contenders, but boy do they try. Getting younger, then, is a possible path out of the cute-story phase. Starting Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner together could make the team vulnerable against smaller, quicker teams, but it could also nudge both of them to get more nimble, giving Indiana the benefits of bully-ball without its typical drawbacks. Brogdon's four-year, $85 million deal could be a harmful overpay or it could be the best thing to ever happen to Oladipo, who needed a backcourt partner of Brogdon's caliber.
Risk hangs over everything Indiana did this summer. That risk appears to be calculated, though, especially compared to the last time it tried something similar.
Glowing quote
This time, here are four short quotes from Pritchard about acquiring Brogdon:
"This is an epic day for the franchise."
"This is one of the best days in this franchise's history."
"This is the day we pinch ourselves."
"That was the most excited I've seen [coach Nate McMillan] in 10 years. I think he said "really?' 10 times in a row."
What could have been
Before the Brogdon sign-and-trade materialized, the word was that Indiana would re-sign Bogdanovic and sign guard Ricky Rubio. This would not have been a bad outcome, but the upside of the Brogdon-Oladipo tandem was more appealing. I'm more interested in how they came to their decision to let Young walk and go all-in on the Sabonis-Turner experiment. At least theoretically they could have kept Young and traded one of the bigs, and I wonder what offers might have been out there.
Taking the temperature
Optimistic fan: I just love that everybody is saying the East is a two-team race. The Pacers thrive as underdogs, and, as long as Oladipo is healthy once the playoffs start, I'd pick them to get to the conference finals. He's going to be motivated and energized and, I bet, much more efficient. Remember when Tyreke Evans was supposed to make his life easier on offense? Brogdon will actually do that, and he'll do the same on the other end. He's is coming off a 50-40-90 season and he's one of the most versatile guards around -- he even did a decent job guarding Kawhi in the playoffs.
Skeptical fan: Yes, yes, Brogdon's awesome, but aren't you at least a little worried about his price tag and injury history? That was an enormous investment, and his presence doesn't mean they're contenders. I'm not convinced Turner and Sabonis should play big minutes together, and I'm worried about how much they're counting on Lamb and Warren. I don't trust those guys like I trusted Bogdanovic and Thad, especially on defense.
Optimistic fan: Bogdanovic got a huge contract for a 30-year-old, and I'm more comfortable with that sort of money going to Brogdon. And as much as I appreciated Thad, they had to see what they have with Turner and Sabonis. I think they'll figure it out, but even if they don't, that's not necessarily a problem. The Pacers can just trade one of them if it isn't working out.
Skeptical fan: There's more downside here than you think. If this thing goes sideways, everybody's trade value will drop. There's a real possibility that this summer was the best time to split 'em up. I'm also concerned, given all the changes, about chemistry -- did you read that Indianapolis Star story a few days ago? Apparently there was friction because McMillan wasn't playing the young guys, and there was some weird stuff with Tyreke.
Optimistic fan: I mean, every team has some drama, and it speaks well of the Pacers that none of it was reported at the time. Obviously the Evans signing was a problem, but that's over. Stop bringing up old stuff. I'm going to go watch Aaron Holiday and Goga Bitadze highlights.
Skeptical fan: All I'm saying is that McMillan is going to have his hands full. And why the hell did they draft another center, anyway?
Eye on:
Going into his second season, Aaron Holiday is Indiana's most intriguing young player, and he should be pleased with this offseason. Not only did the Pacers sign his brother, Justin, they did not bring back Darren Collison, who bizarrely retired, or Cory Joseph. His main competition is T.J. McConnell, but there might be room for both of them in the rotation before Oladipo comes back. Part of the value Brogdon brings is his ability to play with different types of guards -- if Holiday has an awesome training camp and earns McMillan's trust, it's not totally crazy to imagine him starting at point guard with Brogdon at the 2 spot.
