Tag: Indiana Pacers (Page 6 of 6)

I sweat my way through the KU-Vermont game, which was entirely too close, then switch over to watch the end of the Pacers-Pistons game. The Pacers had the game well in hand, so I was playing with M. who was in an excellent mood after watching her first ever Jayhawk basketball game. Then I hear all hell break loose on the TV. When Stephon Jackson and Ron Artest were taking swings at people in the crowd, and idiots were taking cheap shots at them, I knew I had seen the worst thing I’ve ever seen in a US sporting event. I’m usually halfway decent expressing myself through the written word, and I have no idea what to say. It just kept getting worse and worse. Unless we start having gunplay in the crowd, I don’t know that this one will ever be topped.

I gotta share some thoughts on Ron Artest. A quick recap for those who missed last week’s antics:

Ron sat out the Minnesota and Clipper games because of a “situation that challenged the integrity of the team” according to Coach Rick Carlisle.
Said situation was later identified as Ron asking for up to a month off due to fatigue from production and promotion activities for two CD releases he’s involved with.
In two interviews, Ron alternately denied and confirmed this was the reason he asked for time off. He reaffirmed his loyalty to his teammates and the Pacers’ organization, but also said he contemplated retiring before the season started, and stated he may do exactly that if the Pacers win the NBA title this year. In an ESPN interview, while holding up the two CDs he’s been working on, he said three times that he was not crazy.

First off, before I address the rest of the situation, can we all agree if you insist on three different occasions in an interview that you’re not crazy, that you in fact probably are a little nutty? That’s nothing to be ashamed of; there have been plenty of certifiably insane professional athletes. I just think if Ron would accept the fact he’s crazy, his life might become less volatile.
The most important aspect to all of this is that the Pacers can no longer trust Ron Artest. In sports, arguably the biggest knock against someone’s reputation is if they take too long to come back from an injury, don’t play through minor injuries, or fake an injury. While roughly half the Pacers’ roster is struggling with ailments from serious to minor, Ron attempted to abandon them so he could more or less catch up on his sleep. In a year that, for the first time since the early 90s, the NBA East has multiple teams that could challenge for the championship, Ron put off-the-court interests over the team’s interests. Taking three weeks off could cost the Pacers valuable standings spots to the Pistons and Heat. Keep in mind, we’re not talking about a serious physical illness to Ron or someone in his family. We’re talking about someone who overextended himself off the court and rather than curtain those activities, wants to give his team the shaft while he wraps up those activities and recovers from them. Think of all the flack Shaq and Kobe have taken in recent years for spending their summers shooting movies or recording albums instead of working on free throws or learning how to play nicely with others. That was undeserved, in my opinion, as they made sure they isolated those activities away from the Lakers’ schedule. Ron, on the other hand, had the temerity to violate the sanctity of the team for his individual pursuits. The Pacers should be used to distractions from Ron. This takes it to a whole new and destructive level, however.
I find Artest to be a fascinating guy. When he talks to the media, there’s no telling what he’ll say or whether you’ll be able to decipher it when he’s done. On the court, he’s one of the ten best players in the league because of his ability to score and lock people up defensively. However, he looks more like a linebacker rumbling up and down the court than a traditional small forward. When he dribbles, the ball appears to have an equal chance of hitting his hand or flying into the third row of seats. When he drives to the hoop, he gets the ball to the rim by sheer force rather than technique. His shot selection can be maddening. Honestly, there’s nothing aesthetically pleasing about his game. And most basketball fans know of his penchant for playing an excessively physical style of basketball. Alone, those flaws are worth tolerating for the benefits he brings to the team. However, every professional athlete has a limit of how much they can screw up off the court before they become a distraction to the team’s goals. Ron hasn’t had an drug or alcohol offenses, hasn’t had any domestic abuse charges, or any of the other traditional pitfalls that curtail athlete’s careers. But he has made himself a distraction of the highest order.
Many in Indy are calling for the Pacers to trade Ron now, no matter what they can get in return. The Pacers did circulate his name over the summer, but never received any serious offers. His relatively cheap contract makes things problematic (Roughly $6M/year). They couldn’t trade him for someone like Vince Carter without throwing in several other players to off-set the washed up Raptor’s contract. I’d love to see Artest and Jamaal Tinsley shipped to the Nets for Jason Kidd, but again contractual disparity will keep that from happening. There have been persistent rumors that the Kings would like to swap Peja Stojakovic for Artest, which would work contractually. I think both teams are afraid that trade will come back to haunt them, though.
So what will happen? I think it’s up to Jermaine O’Neal. It’s no secret he’s thoroughly disgusted with Artest’s antics. He was dragging his bum foot up and down the court while Ron was sitting on his ass because he understands how important every game is and how to honor the sacrifice and commitment of his teammates. JO took great pains to say as little possible about Artest last week. I don’t think a conversation has taken place, but I believe both he and Larry Bird accept that Artest has one more opportunity to screw up. If/when that happens, JO will walk into Bird’s office and say, “Make the trade.” Jermaine is the team leader and understands that he has the power and obligation to save the team before it’s too late. I think he’s finally mature enough to know when to have that talk with Larry. If it’s not for Peja, I can see the Pacers either including Jonathan Bender in the trade to get a name player, or just go for a crafty veteran and draft picks. And I believe they’ll make the trade with a Western Conference team. They can’t afford to have Ron fired up to play them 4-6 times a year or at any point in the playoffs before the NBA Finals. Then Ron can go destroy some other team until they tire of his antics.

Saturday night, I attended my first Pacers game at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indy. I’ve long heard the buzz that Conseco was the best place to watch a game in the NBA, combining both the amenities of modern sports arenas with the feel of a classic fieldhouse setting. Although my experience was not typical, I did greatly enjoy my first visit to our local basketball palace.
A bank my father-in-law deals with offered him four tickets to Saturday’s game with the Knicks. When he called Friday to ask if I wanted to join him, I assumed since they were corporate seats, they would be pretty close to the court. When he handed me my ticket as we departed for Conseco, I saw that we would actually be sitting in a suite. Sweet! Free food, free drinks, away from the common riff-raff! (Please note: I consider myself riff-raff, although of the uncommon variety, so that’s a good thing to be called.) Joining us were one of my wife’s uncles and his son who were driving up from the IU-Penn State game. We waited for them in the large entryway which resembles a classic train station. There’s a large marquee that lists upcoming games and events above the ticket windows. Every few minutes, the numbers and letters on the marquee flip randomly before arriving back at their normal resting place. Think of a European train station changing arrival times, departure gates, etc. and the small cards that make up the words flipping to reach the correct point. Hard to describe, and my picture of the marquee didn’t turn out, but hopefully you get the idea. Just above the lobby, at the main entrance to the arena proper, a traditional pep band was playing songs you would normally hear during a college game. To our left, and below ground level, windows look down into the Pacers’ practice gym, where a few players were completing individual workouts. From our vantage point, you could look into the arena and see an entire side of the scoreboard, so you were able keep track of how much longer until the game started.
Our friends arrived and we made our way to our suite. There are two levels of suites at Conseco: one ringing the lower level, and a second that rests above the second level of seats, underneath the main balcony. We were located in the second level, straight up from one basket. We entered, made pleasantries with our hosts, grabbed some food, and then my wife’s 16 year old cousin and I grabbed the last two seats in the front of the suite. There were 12-14 true stadium seats in the front of the suite, with two high tables and barstools behind them. The suite was not full, so turned out there were plenty of good vantage points to watch the game. I wolfed down my sandwich just in time for tip-off. Despite our view being slightly obstructed by the massive NBA shot clock, we had a fairly good view. I would have liked to have been closer to the action, but I can’t complain since I got a free $50 ticket, free parking, and free food.
Conseco is well laid out for basketball. Sight lines are excellent. The seats are comfortable and well arranged. The pitch of the upper deck does not appear to be too severe. I’ve heard lots of good things about Missouri’s new Paige Sports Arena. I would be very interested to see it, as the plans for Conseco were originally to be used by MU to replace the Hearnes Center in the mid-90s. I understand some small adjustments were made, but the design is basically what was to be built in Columbia. Conseco definitely feels like a modern college arena. Despite holding over 18,000, it still has a fairly intimate feel. While calling it a Fieldhouse is pushing it (I think of Allen or Cameron when I think of Fieldhouse: bleachers, close to the floor, people cramped into tiny spaces) it does have an old school feel as well. Part of that is the effort made to play up the history of Indiana basketball. There are grainy photos of Pacers’ draft picks, All-Stars, championship teams from the ABA days in each hallway. There are quotes concerning basketball by famous Hoosiers inscribed into the walls. Our suite featured two photos: one, an old black and white photo of the interior of Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler; the other of Reggie Miller shooting from the wing, with Spike Lee behind him, during one of his outbursts against the Knicks in New York. You definitely feel the weight of Hoosier basketball history when you stroll through Conseco.
Like most NBA teams, the Pacers work hard on in-game atmosphere. A cute blonde with an incredibly annoying voice “emceed” each timeout, directing shooting contests, stunt performances, and mascot hijinks. A DJ spun extended tunes during timeouts, and controlled the music during play. I knew I was in Indianapolis when the DJ introduced himself as “DJ Paul B” or something like that. No Funkmaster Flex here in the Midwest! We keep it simple. His choice of music was decent, though, and he kept the mostly young crowd into the game.
As for the game itself, the Pacers did what they’ve done in most of their games this season: they ran out to a big lead (21 points this time) and struggled to hold on down the stretch. Friday night they blew a 17 point lead in Philly and lost in overtime. The short bench they’ve been playing with (eight players suited up both Friday and Saturday) caught up to them in a week that had five games on the schedule. This was Ron Artest’s first home game after his two-game mini-suspension for all his madness last week. It was also his birthday, so the typically forgiving Midwestern crowd cheered when he was introduced for the starting lineup. Had I not been in a suite, I would have lustily booed him. Instead, I remained silent. I really like the way this team has been built, and they way they play before fatigue takes hold. Stephen Jackson looks to be as good as advertised. Fred Jones has expanded his game. James Jones can contribute off the bench. Jamaal Tinsley came back in better shape, both mentally and physically, than last year. He’s still far too careless with the ball and with shot selection, but he’s also learned how to tone it down some. Austin Croshere is a solid outside threat. Artest is one of the 10 best players in the league when he wants to play. And Jermaine O’Neal is showing that last year’s MVP vote tally was no joke. He’s turned into a true leader on and off the court. I won’t hold my breath for Jonathan Bender to ever be healthy or to contribute when he does, but getting Reggie Miller, Jeff Foster, Scot Pollard, and Anthony Johnson healthy will give Rick Carlisle an incredibly deep bench. And watch out, but the Pacers have routinely been scoring over 100 points a game. They’ve been giving up a lot, too, but their offense seems to flow much better than it did a year ago. There will be more detailed breakdowns of the Pacers in the months to come.
It was idiotic that it took me over a year to finally make it to Conseco. We just discovered last week my wife can get discounted Pacer tickets at work, so I trust I’ll make it back again this season. It definitely lived up to the hype, though. While I’d rather watch a game in a rustic, on-campus bandbox, if I have to live in an NBA city and follow that league closely, I might as well have an arena as nice as Conseco to call my own.

Pacers-Knicks Pics

Two quick notes about the pictures. First, the astute basketball fan will be able to find Larry Bird near the center of the pic named for him. He was sitting all the way across the arena, and that was as close as my camera could zoom. Also note the usher in the aisle behind him keeping people away. Secondly, Indy’s Spike Lee was a man in a Knicks sweatshirt (blue and orange in the pic) who stood for almost the entire game yelling at the refs and Pacers, cheering for the Knicks, and generally acting like a stereotypical, old school, East Coast hoops fan. He was great fun to watch!