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What Paul George got right and wrong about his time with the Indiana Pacers

By Ben Gibson

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks to the media during the Nike Innovation Summit in Los Angeles, California on September 15, 2017. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder speaks to the media during the Nike Innovation Summit in Los Angeles, California on September 15, 2017. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Paul George talked with Sam Amick of USA Today about being traded away from the Indiana Pacers, as well as some of his feelings on the franchise.

We keep trying to close the book on the Paul George era of the Indiana Pacers, but one way or another, we just can’t.

Today’s new chapter of the saga comes from Sam Amick of USA Today. Considering Amick’s coverage of PG in the past few years, it is safe to say the former Pacer feels comfortable sitting down with the journalist and opening up about his past and future.

The former star of the franchise said he felt Kevin Pritchard was trading him to the Oklahoma City Thunder out of spite. George also said he wasn’t happy with the way Larry Bird handled the Danny Granger trade. Needless to say, shade is being brought as George explained how he felt seeing his teammate traded away.

George felt it was disrespectful to send Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers after all he gave the Pacers.

"“I just want to touch on, man, on my situation. I’ve seen a guy that played for that (Pacers) organization, gave that organization everything they had, or everything he had, and was essentially traded to the dogs. And I’m speaking on Danny Granger, who was one of the better players in Pacers history. And at the time, they traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. And this was a guy that was battling injuries, and that’s where you send him? The guy is trying to get back on his feet, trying to work back to this league, (and) you send him to the Philadelphia Sixers? Why, because that makes you better? Do what’s right by the player that’s given you everything. So (there) was a lot of that in my seven years there, a lot of that kind of played a role and (took) a toll on me on, ‘Well, what will they do to me now? Like, where would I go?’ So you know, it was, I think, God had me in this situation.”"

There is plenty of truth there, but there is also the benefit of hindsight. If the Evan Turner/Lavoy Allen trade for Granger works out, would George complain? Doubtful, or at least not as publically. Hardly anyone was a particularly big fan of the trade at the time, but it gets easier to vehemently oppose it as time goes on. I was hopeful about the trade but never was 100% comfortable with the idea at the time, and overestimated Bird’s handle on the situation. But I bet we’d all love it if the Pacers made it past the Heat that season.

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Another thing PG gets wrong is how the Oklahoma City Thunder built their team this year. They have three stars because two of them wanted out of the situations they were in. That’s why Carmelo Anthony and George ended up where they are, not because the Thunder were the most clever small-market team in the NBA. Sam Presti created his own luck by pouncing on the opportunity, but there was no way under normal circumstances anyone would have expected the Thunder to get two All-Stars this offseason, or at least these two in particular.

While it is worth taking PG’s words with a grain of salt, he does have a point about how the Pacers handled some of their roster moves over the past few years.

Think about when George breaks his leg in 2014. Is he going to get thrown to the dogs if he isn’t himself anymore? It is easy to say a player doesn’t deserve his spot when he underperformed, but what’s the point of loyalty if it is merely transactional?

For Larry Bird, it apparently seemed that way. Granger wasn’t healthy? Time to go. Lance Stephenson wasn’t worth a certain about of money in Bird’s eyes, despite their relationship, and he let Lance go. Roy Hibbert is struggling? Dare him to opt in and then trade him. None of this sat well with David West, who took a pay-cut and left. George Hill was very tradeable in Bird’s eyes despite his contributions. While some of these moves made basketball sense, it doesn’t mean they sat well with anyone on the team.

One thing that seems clear now is Larry Bird didn’t have the pulse of the locker room. His gruff, his way or the highway style sounds great when it works, but when you hear players chaffing against the way things Bird handled these situations, the shtick wears thin.

None of this excuses how Paul George handled his exit, but it does shine a bit of a light on how he felt about management. According to other sources as well, George isn’t the only player who feels Indiana hasn’t treated them as well as they hoped.

Next: A surprisingly optimistic Indiana Pacers Media Day

The Paul George era of the Indiana Pacers is over, but the epilogue is far from its finish as today’s news reminds us.

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