8p9s Roundtable: Did the Pacers Offseason Moves Make the Team Better?

How would you grade the Indiana Pacers offseason as a whole and do you think the team is headed in the right direction?

Donahue: Incomplete. The transition from “Smashmouth” to “Faster & Smaller” has been pretty abrupt, and there are plenty of indications that it hasn’t been thought all the way through. Bird himself acknowledged that David West’s departure – very much a surprise to the team — caused them to accelerate their reinvention. Mistakes have been made, but mostly ones of form more than function. The cognitive dissonance evident between Bird, Frank Vogel, and Paul George is to be expected in such a situation, and can only be resolved over time. On the whole, leaning into the change the way Bird has may be the best approach, but it is not without its penalties. The quality of this summer’s moves will be best defined by what comes next.

Furr: I give the Pacers a B. I don’t think they saw David West’s opt out coming, but seized the opportunity to move in a direction they had been wanting to, and did it with gusto. I think a large number of teams would’ve played for the draft and wasted a year of PG’s prime in hopes of landing a high lottery pick next year; say what you will about Larry Bird, Donnie Walsh and company, but this team never gives up a season. I think that’s an admirable quality in today’s world, and one of the reasons I love this team so much. They’re always trying to win, and the moves they made this year were in hopes of making a better team moving forward.

Comstock: For the last few years, the right direction for the team in my mind has always been “away from Hibbert,” so I obviously like at least one of the offseason moves. Aesthetically, I’m excited about how the will play moving forward, but ultimately I think you can win consistently with any style as long as you have a well-constructed roster. Overall, I’d give the Pacers a ‘B’ for this offseason. They’ve added talented players on reasonable contracts in free agency, and Turner and Young look like keepers.

Medworth: Larry and Co. have done the best they could with the cards they were dealt. They got rid of Roy’s contract without having to take back Swaggy P in return. They got a lineup that will go small and score more, which is becoming the way of the NBA. And they were never going to get DeAndre Jordan or LaMarcus Aldridge, so I do think they did just about as well as they could have. The most important thing to me is Paul George’s health. If he’s back, the Pacers are back.

Hughes: B+. I think they did the best they could to head in the direction they want to go and I certainly think they are headed in the right direction.

Next: Indiana Pacers Changing Eras in Large Fashion

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