Are Pacers poor victims of a curse?

**pooh** · 10-29-2004

Are Pacers poor victims of a curse?

By Mark Montieth
[email protected]
October 29, 2004

Now that the Boston Red Sox have overcome the Curse of the Bambino by winning the World Series, the search has gone out for the next hexed franchise.

Sports Illustrated has found one: the Indiana Pacers, who have fallen victim to "The Curse of Tom Owens."

While the Red Sox were supposedly jinxed for selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees before the 1920 season, SI.com writer Jon Wertheim suggests the Pacers have been victimized by their trade for Owens on June 5, 1981.

The background:

The Pacers' coach at the time, Jack McKinney, had just led the team to the NBA playoffs for the first time.

But he had just lost center James Edwards to free agency, so he traded a first-round draft pick in 1984 to Portland for Owens, a journeyman.

Owens played just one season for the Pacers, averaging 10.5 points. That draft pick, meanwhile, turned out to be the second overall selection in 1984. The Blazers used it to take Sam Bowie, but could have taken Michael Jordan, who went third to Chicago.

The history of the Pacers, and the NBA, would have been rewritten if they had kept the pick and drafted Jordan. Instead, they are still searching for their first NBA le.

Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, who took over the basketball operations in 1986, said he doesn't feel cursed. But he agrees he might feel differently had he made the trade.

"Then I don't know what I'd be doing," he said.

The Pacers have reached the playoffs in 13 of the past 15 seasons, and reached the Finals in 2000.

**IcemanCometh** · 11-02-2004

pooh picked the wrong team to bandwagon

**FromWayDowntown** · 11-02-2004

25 years in -- just think: if precedent holds, Pooh only has 61 more years of failure to live through.

**Spurminator** · 11-02-2004

Meh... If they'd have kept the pick, they'd have probably drafted Bowie anyway. Seeing as they needed a center and all...

**FromWayDowntown** · 11-02-2004

Meh... If they'd have kept the pick, they'd have probably drafted Bowie anyway. Seeing as they needed a center and all...

Actually, in 1983 (the year before the Jordan draft of 1984), the Pacers had taken Steve Stipanovich, a center, with the #2 overall pick. Stipanovich averaged 12 ppg and about 7 rpg as a rookie, so I don't think they would have necessarily been looking for another big. That, and with their first pick in 1984 (#14) the Pacers did take a shooting guard - Vern Fleming . . . . I think they might have wanted Jordan over Bowie.

**pooh** · 11-02-2004

pooh picked the wrong team to bandwagon

Nah if I wanted a bandwagon, I'd still be a Spurs homer.

**samikeyp** · 11-02-2004

actually if you are a homer..can you be a bandwagoner?

If I think therefore I am....if I think not, am I not? I think not.

**FromWayDowntown** · 11-02-2004

Nah if I wanted a bandwagon, I'd still be a Spurs homer.

That makes no sense -- if you were a Spurs fan all along, you couldn't have been a bandwagoner. Bandwagoners had nothing to do with a team and then jump on when things are good. If you would "still be a Spurs homer," then you wouldn't be a bandwagoner by definition.