Category Archives: larry bird

Stephenson is Back Doing ‘Lance’ Things for Pacers

The Pacers made a favorable move last week when they dropped the injured Rodney Stuckey and re-signed Lance Stephenson to a three-year deal.

Stephenson had a fairly acrimonious end to his career in Indiana a few years. He went on to sign a deal with Charlotte as a free agent. He struggled away from Indiana and even found himself bouncing around the league this year.

We still don’t really know what happened to the Pacers during the 2013-14 season. Some people pointed the finger at Stephenson, some at the Hibbert for being ‘soft’ and Paul George even got some blame. Team president Larry Bird wouldn’t have brought Stephenson back if he was to blame or maybe the ‘troublemaker’ is no longer on the team.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Indiana Pacers

The Pacers had a hell of a year last season. I’m not talking about their record or their effort in the Eastern Conference Finals…I’m talking about the off-the-court issues.

Paul George went from a ‘clean-cut NBA future star’ to a guy impregnating strippers and dressing like Eddie Murphy circa 1983.

Roy Hibbert went from Defensive Player of the Year shoo-in to a guy who put up the same NBA numbers I do.

Lance Stephenson went from someone who was trying his hardest to earn respect to doing anything possible to remove the respect he earned.

How will the Pacers do without George and Stephenson?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Indiana Pacers.

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Indiana Pacers: Was Larry Bird a Bad Team President?

After the surprise 2011-12 season, Larry Bird left his position as team president of the Indiana Pacers. He cited health concerns, but did leave the door open for a return at some point.

Now that the dust has settled and Donnie Walsh is back doing his old job, we can analyze if Larry Bird was actually a good team president.

We can go back and look at his coaching hires, draft record and his ability to get the best in a trade. Enough time has passed to adequately assess his job as team president from 2003-2012.

Yes, we do bring up T.J. Ford. Continue reading →

Must Watch: NBA TV’s ‘Dream Team’ Documentary

There wasn’t a definitive documentary about the most important basketball team ever created. HBO was rumored to be working on a documentary about ‘The Dream Team’, but nothing materialized.

ESPN’s ’30 for 30′ documentary series raised the bar for sports documentaries. Bill Simmons once said in a podcast that he wanted to make a ‘Dream Team’ documentary, but the rights to the video from the 1992 Olympics were too expensive.

NBA TV stepped up to the plate and is debuting their documentary The Dream Team tonight at 9pm EST. I have viewed parts of the movie which is certain to be an instant classic. It contains never-before-seen video of a scrimmage that you will never believe the outcome. I list a few of the intriguing moments you will see tonight and post a video of the movie trailer. Continue reading →

Possible White Boys The Pacers Can Sign

It’s a running joke here that the Indiana Pacers love their white guys. Larry Bird seems to have a crush on un-athletic white boys who “hustle” and are “scappy.” If David Eckstein played basketball, Bird would sign him today. There are plenty of eligible candidates out there that are of the pale variety, here are some options that could end up rocking the yellow and navy next season and beyond.

Brian Scalabrine – unrestricted – Scalabrine was close to becoming a member of the Pacers before last season. Indiana and Boston tried to workout a sign & trade with Marquis Daniels, but Indiana refused to take Tony Allen. He had some past run-ins with authorities and the Pacers have been shy to take on players with a record since the Palace Brawl. I think Scalabrine would be a nice option once they trade Jeff Foster or Troy Murphy before the trading deadline this season.

Adam Morrison – unrestricted – I really wouldn’t know what to do if Bird signed Morrison. I think more Adam Morrison jokes have been posted on this site than about any other player. I guess it would be karma showing its ugly head that I would have to see him shoot 29% from the field as a member of the Pacers. Please God…don’t ever let him on the Pacers!

Joe Alexander – unrestricted – As much as I want a guy with the nickname “Vanilla Thunder” on the Pacers, I couldn’t stomach it. We already have a guy that can only hit a shot within 3 feet of the basket (Josh McRoberts) and he barely sniffs the hardwood. They might as well give him an ergonomic chair on the bench, wouldn’t want him to have circulation issues.

Steve Novak – unrestricted – The Pacers already have an older version of Novak and his name is Troy Murphy. Murphy has improved his rebounding over the last few years, but Novak will always be known as the “tall kid that could hit 3-pointers when Dwyane Wade was at Marquette.”

Shavlik Randolph – unrestricted – NO MORE DUKE PLAYERS! The Pacers love Duke players and I can’t stand it. I dislike Duke and somehow I am tricked into liking them because they are on the Pacers. It’s a cruel, cruel trick the world plays on me.

Brian Cardinal – unrestricted – Is it sad that Cardinal is 6’8 and it wouldn’t surprise me if he couldn’t get touch the net? He looks like he should be playing on your father’s recreation league team. I don’t know how he ever managed to make it in the NBA, but he has been paid very well over his career.

Chris Quinn – unrestricted – I actually wouldn’t mind if the Pacers signed Quinn. He reminds me of Travis Diener and he did a decent job with the team. They need depth at point guard and I don’t know if transforming Lance Stephenson into a point guard is the correct move.

Jason Williams – unrestricted – Speaking of decent point guard options, Williams would probably be the leading candidate in this bunch. I doubt he would want to play in Indiana, but I think he still has some tread on his tires. Plus, imagine if Indiana signed Joe Alexander and Williams, you would have a “Vanilla Thunder” and “White Chocolate” combo, sounds like a Blizzard at Dairy Queen.

Louis Amundson – unrestricted – Out of all these candidates, I believe Admundson could receive a Brian Cardinal-like contract from a team that fell in love with his play the last few weeks of the season. He had a productive portion of the season when Robin Lopez was banged up. The Pacers probably won’t be able to afford him and I think Phoenix should probably lock him up.

Travis Diener – unrestricted – He already had his shot with the Pacers. He filled in as a nice option at the time, but clearly he wasn’t in their long-term plans. Maybe he can be a minimum contract option for the Heat. He did play with Wade and Novak at Marquette with success.

Well, I know the Pacers don’t have much room under the salary cap and signing a player this off-season could be a long-shot. Once they trade their expiring contracts before the deadline, they could be in need to sign cheap replacements, so these guys could end up on the team if they don’t land with another team this off-season.

I can’t say this enough, please, please don’t sign Adam Morrison. I mean look at the guy!

I’m Officially Announcing My Candidacy To Be An NBA GM

Charles Barkley has came out recently that he wants a job being a general manager in the NBA. He hasn’t been the only person to lobby for this position. Deadspin recently wrote a review for Bill Simmons’ book, “The Book of Basketball,” and said it was a 700-page resumé to be an NBA GM. I guess since everyone else is doing it, why not me?

Dear NBA Owners,

My name is Bobby Roberts, but I am known around the internet as “Sweetbob.” I am writing you to officially announce my candidacy for a general manager position with one of your teams. I know that there are more qualified than me and probably know more about the game than me, but c’mon, it would be a fun gig!

Here is the scenario, remember the movie “Eddie” starring the great Whoopi Goldberg? It would be a real-life version, but hopefully a lot more entertaining. Once I am announced as your new general manager, just imagine all of the press that your team would get. I would be on big news programs like “ESPN’s First Take” or “Last Call with Carson Daly.”

I’m from Indiana, so I have that going for me. Larry Bird didn’t have any executive experience before he got the gig in Indiana and look what he’s done! He’s been the #9 seed in the East the last few years, what an amazing job he has done. I also went to an Indiana University affiliate, the same college that pumped out great NBA executives like Isiah Thomas and Mark Cuban.

I am throwing my hat in the ring for the same reason why Charles Barkley and Bill Simmons did…why not? It seems like a pretty easy job. I’m currently an accountant, so I can figure out salary cap numbers or if not, I can just try out trade on ESPN’s Trade Machine. I think everyone deserves a shot, maybe we should start a lottery system where everyone has a year to turn an NBA team around. Think about it, maybe you can use those ping pong balls that you use for the NBA Draft. Everyone deserves a chance to mess it up, right?

Sincerely,
Bobby Roberts

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Gone To Indiana

I’m going to be gone for the next two days visiting family and friends in the land of Peyton Manning and Larry Bird. As I am gone, go to the “Friends Of The White Boy” section and visit some of my friend’s blogs. They do very good work and they will appreciate the business. I want to leave you with a question, who was a better receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, Clarence Verdin or Troy Walters? Please discuss and let me know your answer when I get back.

Stingers On Ice
Pacers Place

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

O’Neal Traded To Toronto – A Pacer Fan Critique

Jermaine O’Neal was traded to the Toronto Raptors for T.J. Ford and the #17 pick in the NBA Draft tomorrow night. O’Neal has been asking for a trade since Isiah Thomas was fired as the Pacers head coach. Last off-season a rumor swirled that he was going to the Lakers for either Lamar Odom or Andrew Bynum, but the Pacers wanted both of them and the Lakers didn’t move forward with the trade. The trade with Toronto could be a good thing for the Pacers, only if Ford stays healthy and the player selected at #17 can step in right away and help the troubled franchise.

Jermaine O’Neal hasn’t been the same since he was involved in the “Palace Brawl” a few seasons ago. After he served his suspension, he wasn’t the same on the court for the rest of that season and last couple years he has been out with various injuries. He is due to make 20+ million each of the next two seasons and the Pacers were smart to make a move for a point guard. Indiana needed to either make a move and trade for a point guard or draft a point guard (who would have either been D.J. Augustin or Russel Westbrook). Augustin is in the same mold as their current point guard Jamaal Tinsley, he can make plays, but either have a consistent jumpshot, same could be said for Ford. The different between Tinsley and Ford/Augustin is that they haven’t been a team disruption off the court. Tinsley will still end up on the team ’cause he has a large salary, but with Ford starting and Tinsley coming off the bench, their backcourt could be pretty nice.

On the Toronto side of this, you have a GM in Colangelo that is used to winning. He plays a faster style of basketball and Jose Calderon seems like a better fit at point guard. The front court of Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal will give the Eastern Conference a migraine. Toronto takes on a huge contract for the next two seasons, but with the addition of O’Neal, if he stays healthy, can cement a playoff spot next season.

I’m not defending Larry Bird as team president, but I have faith that the moves he is making is going to eventually make sense. I admit that the Harrington/Jackson to Golden State for Murphy/Dunleavy still makes no sense, but Jackson was a distraction and they had to package Harrington with him to send him packing.

The color barrier may be broken this year if the Pacers pick another white guy with the #11 or #17 picks tomorrow. I think that Joe Alexander or Kosta Koufos are on their radar, but it isn’t certain that Alexander will be there at #11 or Koufos will be there at #17. If they pick either one, they could actually put a five white guys on the floor at once. Jeff Foster, Travis Diener, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, and either one of the draft picks. As “America’s White Boy,” it would be a proud moment in white boy history. I am not sure what is up with Bird, but before he came in, the only white boy on the team was either Rik Smits or Detlef Schrempf (Austin Croshere was around, but I choose not to remember his tenure). Larry Bird is down with the white boy and I my friend, am down with Bird.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

The Pacers Need To Miss Playoffs

The Indiana Pacers is not only the America’s White Boy’s favorite team, but they can nearly put in a starting five of all white boys. I don’t mean European white boys, these boys are corn-fed, All-American, drive a pick-up truck, white boys. Jeff Foster, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Travis Diener held down the fort while Jermaine O’Neal was on the shelf for most of the season.

The purpose of this post is that sometimes losing is winning. The Pacers are last in the league in attendance and seem to not know what is happening with the future of the team. Donnie Walsh, their former president, left for the Knicks position and they seemed to have traded away their best players last year (Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson). I’m still pretty fumed about that trade. Indiana traded their number 1 pick to the Hawks for Al Harrington and then they trade him to the Warriors with Jackson, mid-season, for Dunleavy and Murphy. I know it makes the team a little more “Indiana,” meaning this state is pretty darn white, but we need a few guys who can straight hoop.Currently, the Pacers are two games back with four games remaining. I believe they need to tank the last few games and earn a lottery pick. I don’t see any progress being made by making the playoffs and getting torched by the Celtics in the first round. This draft class is looking to be pretty deep with very talented underclassmen and they need to reap the benefits. The Eastern Conference is horrible and it wouldn’t take much to get this team back in the 5th-6th seed contention for next year. O’Neal has looked good since coming back from an injury, but they need to look to trade him. I think he is bored there and wants to play for a contender (aka a Western Conference team). They should have pulled the trigger last season by trading him to the Lakers for Lamar Odom or Andrew Bynum, but they wanted both of them. That trade will never happen now, so I suggest trading him for a first round pick or a mid-level player with an expiring contract.If the Pacers are serious about building a winning team, they need to ship off some of their pieces and earn some young talent. They drafted Danny Granger and Shawne Williams over the past few seasons and they need some athletes around them.

I suggest trading a 2nd round pick to the Orlando Magic for J.J. Redick. The Magic already have enough 3-point shooters and Larry Bird has never met a white boy that he didn’t like.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.