Larry Bird Steps Down as the President of the Indiana Pacers

Larry Bird is stepping down as from his role as the president of the Indiana Pacers. Kevin Pritchard takes over basketball operations.

Larry Bird isn’t leaving the Indiana Pacers, but he is stepping down as the president of basketball operations.

Bird will remain with the Pacers as a consultant according the Vertical’s Adrian Wojnaroski who first reported the news.

Kevin Pritchard is now in charge of basketball operations.

It wasn’t Bird’s best season running the team by a long shot — and arguably his worse — but his overall record in the team’s front office shouldn’t be forgotten. You don’t make it to the conference finals two years in a row without a competent front office. Danny Granger, Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Myles Turner were all draft picks (and a re-signing) under Bird’s watch.

While was mostly in Bird’s shadow these past years, Pritchard’s track record with the Pacers is solid one after he joined the team in 2011. Before that, he had built up his own resume with the Portland Trail Blazers. Jared Wade gave us a Cliff Note’s version when Pritchard was hired.

"For a time, Kevin Pritchard was the darling GM of the league. He became known for his talent evaluation skills and orchestrating savvy draft-day deals. “You got Pritch-slapped” was common NBA dork parlance at one point in reference to any GM who was foolish enough go toe-to-toe in a trade with Pritch.His greatest moment undoubtedly came on June 28, 2005, the day of the 2005 NBA Draft in which Portland acquired the only two draftees that have so far made an All-NBA team. At the time, it seemed quite likely that he got the two best players available, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, despite only having one pick in the lottery. In hindsight, the concerns over Roy’s knee were real and Rajon Rondo, drafted at #21 by Boston, is probably better than Aldridge, but the team rebounded to relevancy largely based on what happened that night.Two years later, however, the beginning of the end likely started. Pritch and the Blazers took Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. And we know how that turned out."

Last night we were asking what’s next for the Indiana Pacers, but this alters any of those previous assumptions for the team’s future.

Pritchard was in the front office with the Trail Blazers when Nate McMillan was coaching them. Whether that relationship keeps McMillan’s job safe isn’t known. GM’s often want to make a big splash early, but loyalty isn’t a foreign concept in a situation like this either.

Next: Let's Make Jokes About the New Secondary Logo

Pritchard now must navigate the Paul George situation carefully while ensuring the future for the Indiana Pacers is bright with or without their current star player.