Christmas Wish-List for the Pacers
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — The Christmas season is the season of joy and cheer. The NBA season has been anything but for Indiana Pacer fans. And the current 13-seed in the Eastern Conference continues to have no direction or identity. If you had a Christmas wish-list for this “little team”, what would be on it? Here’s mine:
1. A fully healed left-foot for TJ Warren.
No, this will not solve all of the Pacer problems. And at this point, getting TJ Warren healthy isn’t even about making a push for the playoffs. It’s about seeing what they have before the February Trade Deadline. If he can play in some games before the deadline, it would help the front office decide if they can/should deal him, or if they’d like to try and keep him around (for much cheaper than how things were looking in his Bubble-licious days.) Unfortunately, the odds of Warren playing before the deadline are probably slim.
2. A change in ownership
Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly thankful for the Simon’s and all they’ve done for this city and franchise. The work put in to keep our beloved Pacers in Indianapolis, and the work put in to (usually) have a playoff contender for three decades has been admirable. I’m not even wishing for Herb Simon to necessarily step away, but I’m wishing for some kind of change. A change of heart? A change of direction? Just give us something. It’s only been a week since Simon’s meeting with the media- the one that pushed whatever was left of the Pacers fan base over the ledge. Maybe someone will get in his ear and explain how the fan base reacted to his comments, coupled with the recent play of the Pacers… and maybe a change of heart could be possible.
3. More minutes for Isaiah Jackson
Obviously, Jackson could get more minutes if and when a trade goes down. But either way, I hope his shot in the rotation comes sooner than later. He’s still a teenager for another few weeks, so he will take some lumps along the way. But I love his potential, and he’s one of the few current players that would bring some excitement to the games.
4. “Deal or No Deal” every home game.
This one is for Tony East. Seeing his face light up whenever they play this game is worthy of a Christmas wish. In fact, I say the game should be expanded into a full Halftime show with random contestants from the crowd getting to play. Best Christmas ever? Best Christmas ever.
5. Trade season? It’s time.
Ok, back to the serious wishes. It’s time for the Pacers to make a big move, or three. This team hasn’t worked, but it has a lot of solid trade pieces. Plenty of teams would be interested in a number of these players. Pacers President Kevin Pritchard said “You don’t want to make a deal just to make a deal,” and has also recently said: “Once you make a decision, there’s no going back.” With that in mind, I’m sure it will take longer than fans would like for the first domino to fall. Whatever happens, I’m sure it will be equally scary and exciting for Pacer fans. The vast majority of the fan base wants change, no matter what that change looks like. One reason Herb Simon has never wanted to tank is because of his fear of attendance and overall fan support declining. That ship has already sailed. Bringing in some young, talented players in the near future might actually increase fan attendance, even if the team continues to fall off the map in the standings. This is my ultimate Christmas wish for the Pacers franchise: Do something exciting. Take a risk. Take a chance. Make a change. Make Kelly Clarkson proud and breakaway from the status quo of this current roster.
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