| This years version of the Pacers holds an interesting mixed bag of potential.....and potential reality. You don't have Big Smooth veterans to lean on and you have a 3rd year 20 year old vet coupled with a rookie 23 year old. A second year coach who has an uncoventional style and a roster that matches that unconventional preconception. Who is the point guard, who is the Center, who is guaranteed anything, but Jalen, Reggie, and J.O.? One thing is somewhat clear if an NBA Championship was decided on potential it would be another Indiana v. L.A. final, but not the Lakers.......instead......the Clippers. Chemistry: What is chemistry? It amounts to the realization of an old cliche "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts". The Pacers were much better than .500, last year, if you counted vertical leap and athleticism, but the all important familiarity and chemistry reared it's ugly head to discount this theory. What makes it so obvious was the previous Pacer teams of the recent past and how they were the epitome of this. Youthful enthusiasm is nice to watch and entertaining on ESPN SportsCenter, but it doesn't put W's on the board. Crazy/Mad love must go to Reggie Miller as he could only watch and shake his head after coming from a TEAM that was much less talented that went to the Finals the previous year and conducted himself as a leader and true HOF pro, while suffering through a, hopefully, transition year without so much as a sigh, publically. The Pacers are talented, skilled, and very very young, relatively. Basketball is a team game and highlight dunks don't win games. A.I. learned it last year...Kobe the year before...Jason Williams was a staple in the highlight films two years ago and now he is an after thought. It comes down to substance over style. It may fly in Memphis this year, but in the Hoosier State, that dog don't hunt. Ever seen Gene Hackman...Jimmy Chickwood....in that movie....you know what I mean. Youth. Ahhh, the pitfalls and exhuberance of youth. Gotta love it or love to hate it. It applies to all walks of life. If I knew then, what I know now. You can't have it both ways. Youth means inexperience, just by the very nature of the definition. This directly leads us to Donnie Walsh. He thinks you can have both. Jonathan Bender is in his 3rd year, but should be Junior in College. Primoz Brezec and Jamison Brewer, too. Al Harrington a Senior. Jermaine O'Neal a 2nd year pro player, but he is a 6th year pro. Can you have your cake and eat it too? We will see. Harrington trained like a decathalete and by all accounts (mine too) J.O. was the best player on the floor at the Goodwill Games and is on the verge of an AllStar caliber seaon. Bender put on 20 pounds of upper body strength, but still seems to be a really really tall Micheal Jacksonmorph body type. Bender, also, needs to prove his toughness, in that he was only able to play 1, count it 1, summer league game because his ankle had a boo boo. I don't doubt the severity of his injury, but it comes down to this. You MUST play in the NBA when you are hurt. No, not when you are injured, but, YES, when you are hurt. Back to JB later. The stark reality is that you can gauge it two ways, when judging youth, which directly correlates to sucess. One is experience, which includes ON COURT experience. Two, is age. In regards to age let me settle this in September, Norm Richardson will be the 15th player on this team. He is the only other, Reggie, shooting guard on the training camp roster beside Galen Young and he is better. Like I said, more on JB later. With this bold, tongue firmly implanted in cheek, statement I offer this......10, yes ten, of the 15 players who will comprise the Pacers this season will be under 26 years of age. You then have Reggie and McKey 35 or over and 3, Travis Best, Jalen Rose, and Carlos Rogers in the 27 to 34 range. Three players in their prime or at least typically what most would consider their prime. Add 2 cloves of Garlic, Basil, and some essence of Walsh and BAM!!!!, you have.....what? I'm not sure. It goes against convention because within this young team, you have experience and LOADS of talent. | |
