8p9s Roundtable: The Indiana Pacers’ Long December
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers are coming off a successful 11-2 November and have turned themselves into one of the best teams in the NBA. Keeping that going in December will be a harder task.
After being considered a fringe playoff team when the season began, the Indiana Pacers have worked their way into 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Their success has been fueled by the resurgence of Paul George as well as the rest of the team finally starting to figure out their roles after an 0-3 start.
The 8 Points, 9 Seconds staff gathers to look at what was, what can be, and the month ahead to try to determine if the Pacers will prove they belong in the conversation or will get revealed of pretenders as a tough schedule lies ahead.
The Pacers faced Roy Hibbert for the first time since the trade. Any feelings about seeing Roy in a Lakers uniform?
Ryan Barth: I’m sure we’ll see Roy in another uniform next year coming off the bench, so it is hard to get too sentimental here. Roy’s exit was ugly and Larry Bird must feel vindicated after seeing Jordan Hill and Ian Mahinmi easily replace his minutes in the rotation. I’ll always remember the good times, but you just can’t shake the bad ones either knowing how much promise Roy had a few years ago. It’s just a shame he apparently can’t catch any Pacer games on TV, because he’d see firsthand how a winning team functions every night as opposed to his current situation in LA.
Dylan Hughes: *smiley face emoji*
Will Furr: Nah. Roy’s time had run its course in Indiana. I harbor no ill will towards him either, despite a lackluster (at times) last season or two. He was never gonna be the guy we see in the playoffs against Miami, and I think a lot of fans held that against him. I did get a little salty about his huge two handed dunk though, in a “where the hell was that the past 5 years” sense. I actually laughed when he fell on the ball and called timeout. Classic Roy Hibbert hustle play.
Jon Washburn: Is it too offensive to simply say, “Nope” and move on? I didn’t dislike Roy as much as most. He stuffed Carmelo. He was a great foil to LeBron. He even loved Indiana, creating Area 55, appearing on Parks and Rec many times, and relishing the role of “Franchise Guy” for a team looking for an identity. But it was time for him to leave. No hard feelings. I wish him the best, though it looks like the NBA is changing away from him.
Ben Gibson: Personally, I miss him. Maybe it’s cause my first post on here was on him, but for me it isn’t so much about what he is now, but what he did for the Pacers. Sure, things had ran their course, but he played a big role in the Pacers success Post-Brawl. He’s not perfect, and it was the right move to let him go, but that doesn’t mean won’t appreciate him and what he did for the Pacers.
Next: Frank Vogel, Coach of the Year?