Larry Bird resigning as the Indiana Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations took many people by surprise.
Although Larry Bird recently said he takes his job year-by-year, it was surprising to hear the news about him resigning as the Pacers’ President. Kevin Pritchard is now taking over the position, although Larry still remains a consultant for the team.
Is this good or bad for the Pacers? You can go both ways.
Why It’s Good
Kevin Pritchard has plenty of experience calling the shots from when he did so in Portland. He was the Assistant General Manager of the Blazers in 2006, where he had an impact on the team acquiring Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge on draft day. In 2007, Pritchard was named the GM. He was the GM from 2007-2010. Unfortunately, Pritchard will always be known for selecting Greg Oden 1st overall in the 2007 NBA Draft over Kevin Durant.
That tough decision aside, Pritchard had some solid moves as the Blazers’ GM. For instance, he orchestrated a trade in 2008 that landed the team Nicolas Batum, who has become a stellar NBA player. Pritchard also acquired solid players throughout his tenure in Portland like Patty Mills, Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless.
Larry Bird had one of his worst years as the Pacers’ president this season. It may be the right time for him to step down, and for Pritchard to have a fresh start as the new president.
Why It’s Bad
For me, this could be a sign that Paul George is gone when he becomes a free agent in 2018. Larry Bird is getting older, and he doesn’t exactly like rebuilding situations. The Pacers very well could be going through a rebuilding situation soon if George does indeed bolt Indiana in 2018, unless he gets traded before then.
Pritchard will now have the tough decision on what to do with George, Indiana’s star player. He controls the future of the franchise, literally. Trading Paul and rebuilding may be the right thing to do, but it’s a process that could take many losing years before getting back into contention. Some rebuilds are quick, and some take long, grueling years.
Ultimately, Larry Bird had a great run with the Pacers as the team’s president. He found some diamond in the rough players through the draft like Paul George, Lance Stephenson and Roy Hibbert. He also acquired veterans like David West and George Hill that helped get the Pacers to NBA championship contention. The Pacers made it to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals’ in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, they were just one win away from the NBA Finals.
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Larry Bird deserves a ton of credit for the job he did.