www.dailyillini.com/sep03...mn01.shtml
Old school versus new school.
KRS-One versus Nelly.
The factions involved in each comparison have butted heads recently. However, during the upcoming NBA season, there will probably be more clashing between members of the Indiana Pacers and their front-office goons. A couple of months ago, Larry Bird was hired as president of basketball operations. Approximately eight weeks later, Pacers head coach Isiah Thomas was relieved of his coaching duties and replaced with Bird's right hand man, Rick Carlisle. Bird also hinted that he wasn't done tinkering with the lineup.
It was a foregone conclusion that the moment Big Bird was hired in Indianapolis, Ind., Thomas would be departing. However, the manner in which it occurred in relation to Pacers' forward Jermaine O'Neal is what has made the situation a mess. O'Neal publicly stated his angst toward Pacer management's decision.
"Am I disappointed? , yeah. I'm extremely disappointed. I was told he'd be the coach. That's why I resigned." O'Neal stated to the Philly Daily News.
However, Pacers president Donnie Walsh admitted to ESPN.com that the firing occurred well after O'Neal's signing. The real question is then: when was it decided that Thomas would be fired?
It is fair to say that O'Neal got duped in this raw deal if he is being honest. O'Neal could have gone to San Antonio and likely won a championship, but decided to stay a Pacer and contend out East. Walsh should have indicated to O'Neal that there was a chance Thomas would be fired.
Everyone associated with the NBA knows how fond Bird is of Carlisle, since Carlisle served as an assistant under Bird. Bird and Carlisle share the same basketball philosophies and seem to have a similar demeanor and personality. Even though both Bird and Walsh stated that they did not want to make any rash decisions, most NBA personnel could predict the outcome. Now, there will be a shadow over O'Neal's season if he doesn't play well.
O'Neal has also stated that he wants to evaluate his position with the team at the end of this subsequent season. In order to sooth the Indiana faithful, Bird stated to the Indianapolis Star that things are under (his) control.
"No way in the world would we want to get rid of Jermaine O'Neal. But after the season we'll sit down and he can tell me what he wants to do. We'll have to try to work this out."
They should have worked this out earlier by being honest with O'Neal, case closed.
The other gripe I have with this situation is with the handling of Thomas' firing in terms of the protocol followed. According to ESPN's David Aldridge, Bird and Thomas never had a face-to-face meeting concerning the internal workings of the team. I am guessing that Bird never asked how O'Neal dealt with with his stepfather's attempted suicide, how Tinsley dealt with his mother's losing battle with cancer, and how Austin Croshere dealt with his father-in-law's sudden death. Bird never bothered to find out first-hand from Thomas whether these mitigating factors had an effect on the team's psyche heading into the playoffs. Front-office personnel cannot truly understand the team dynamic sitting in a press box, and if anyone should know that, it is Larry Legend.
Bird was thinking about making changes at the head coach position. If he was not sure about Thomas as a head coach, the most logical thing to do is to contact Thomas and find out how the team actually operated during his tenure. If he didn't want to pursue that angle, then he could have engaged in a conversation with his franchise player O'Neal. However, that would have given some indication to O'Neal that Thomas could get ousted, which would have led O'Neal to bolt to another team. If Bird and Walsh had not made the decision right away, and did not consult anyone in the locker room about it, then what convinced them that Thomas should be gone? How did they go from possibly firing Thomas to the actual deed itself? All of these questions lead me to believe that something isn't right in Indiana, and Bird and Walsh may have started to build their own grave in front of Conseco Fieldhouse.
From what I have gathered, Thomas did not do an abominable job in Indiana. The Pacers were the youngest team in the league over the past two years, and Thomas is a just a baby in the head coaching world — that usually does not translate into becoming a playoff virtuoso. Also, the Pacers have gone from playing .500 ball during Thomas' first year, to finishing 14 games over .500 despite a losing skid. Also, Harrington, O'Neal and Bender have become better players because Thomas decided to play his young kids, something Carlisle did not do in Detroit. Thomas definitely received the short end of the deal here, and he will be back coaching sooner than later.
In light of all the happenings in the off-season, I really do hope the players will play for Carlisle and Bird. Carlisle is a good coach, however, I don't see him coalescing with the generation of players he has on his roster. Hopefully, there will not be any dissension among the team, like the old school versus the new school, like KRS-One versus Nelly. Good luck to the Indiana Pacers; they'll need it.
Ashley A. John is a senior in material science and engineering. He can be reached at [email protected]
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True, but as Carlisle said this morning on Fox Sports Radio, he has talked to O'Neal on the phone and plan to talk in person sometime this week.
"Damage control" as some would say, has already begun. Carlisle has already spoken to some players, especially Reggie and Ron Artest about things.
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