Pacers have struggled since trading Danny Granger. Heat official: ‘Now you see why we didn’t trade’ Udonis Haslem.
The Pacers have gone through all kinds of turmoil following a strong start to the season that had them atop the Eastern Conference standings until just recently.
Paul George has struggled both on and off the court, Roy Hibbert has called out his teammates’ selfishness, and perhaps most importantly, the losses are piling up, with Indiana having won just seven times in its last 17 contests.
One might wonder if it can all be traced back to the deadline deal that saw the Pacers trade Danny Granger.
Chemistry is extremely fragile on any championship contender, and it goes beyond simple Xs and Os. Despite not really doing much since getting healthy, Granger was the team’s elder statesman, having been there for more than eight seasons and acting as a locker room leader for the team’s younger core players.
A Miami Heat official pointed to Indiana’s struggles as the reason they chose to keep their longest tenured player as the trade deadline passed.
From Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report:
Heat players have referred to the risks you run when reshuffling a contender so late in the season.
As one Heat official recently put it, “Now you see why we didn’t trade U.D.” …
How would that have gone over?
“That’s a tough question,” Mario Chalmers said, measuring his words. “U.D., besides Dwyane and Bron and CB, he is the heart and soul of this team. He is one of the captains, one of the leaders on this team. He sets a good example for everybody else. I don’t know. It wouldn’t have been a good thing.”
Haslem has found himself in the starting lineup as of late, and has been positively affecting the team’s net rating far more than Shane Battier or Greg Oden had been able to in their opportunities there this season. He’s remained ready, and Miami has needed him on the court when it didn’t look like that would be the case when the season first began.
It’s easy to pile on the Pacers for what sure seems like a mistake now, when Haslem is contributing and Indiana has fallen off a cliff since dealing Granger. But chemistry is an undeniable component to winning a an NBA le, and unless the Pacers prove that they can regain it come playoff time, the consensus will be that their midseason trade was extremely short-sighted.
if trading a bench scrub is the reason you're slumping, you were never a real contender, tbh..
Indiana had an easy schedule + George/Stephenson/Hibbert playing above their heads..
Lance Stephenson is a ty player and George Hill shouldn't be starting on an NBA team, he's a PG that can't dribble a basketball..it's going to be tough to succeed offensively with a ty backcourt + a big man with limited mobility..
Indiana is still a contender by default, though..
^ you don't know about basketball, . Granger was a fan favorite in Inddy and losing him didn't only hurt the team's popularity among fans, but also damaged the team's chemistry to a significant extent. That's why the Spurs gave Manu the 7m'yr extension despite him winning Miami the championship last season. Manu is still a fan favorite among Argentinian fans (if not all spanish-speaking fans) so the presence of his bald spot will continue to attract a steady flow of hispanic fans into the gym. Not to say that Manu is probably most respected guys in Spurs locker room (since he doesn't sleep with no teammate's wife, nor does he allow any teammate to sleep with his)
You don't trade the glue man, it is why Fischer was a welcomed Laker until it fell apart.
Glad to have you back. Needed this. Goddess would be proud.
Also OKC trading harden before the start of the 2012-2013 season. Killed the team.
still a GOAT gif....before Manu went El Ocho as well.
some truth to this. it's why I laugh when upstairs wants to trade a guy like Bonner for some random off the streets. Not that Bonner is the glue guy, but he's definitely part of the team's chemistry.
How are they a contender by default? You ain't going to beat Miami with so many flaws. TBH they played out of their minds last year. That series shouldn't have gone over 6 tbh.
Indiana is still a contender by default, though..
lol... Chalmers "Besides everyone else on the team, U.D. is the heart and soul of the team"
In the triangle with a dominant wing he woul be fine. Put Hill on the 3peat Lakers he could easily play the broke down Ron Harper role ...
Indiana had an easy schedule + George/Stephenson/Hibbert playing above their heads..
Lance Stephenson is a ty player and George Hill shouldn't be starting on an NBA team, he's a PG that can't dribble a basketball..it's going to be tough to succeed offensively with a ty backcourt + a big man with limited mobility..
Indiana is still a contender by default, though..
The Heat didn't trade Haslem, but they did amnesty Miller. It remains to be seen how much they'll miss him in the playoffs.
Can an offense this bad win a championship ? I doubt it... it's comparable to the 2004 Pistons, 2007 Cavs, and 2003 Nets... except even worse.
Lmao exactly what I took from that article
That game is the greatest sports moment of my life. Being there in person was a big reason why game 6 was easy to get over.
Indy will still take a game against Miami... probably game 1. The haters rejoice & Jacob1983 jacks off repeatedly, only for LeBron to back-door sweep the fake contenders. How many times have we seen this script?
04 pistons did win it though. Pacers D is just as good as Memphis while their O is so much better. If they still have the same chemistry they had through the early half of the season it wouldn't surprise me if they won the championship somehow, since the grizzlies could crawl their way into the WCF last season simply by their grinding defense.
not once yet, as far as indiana is concerned
Sure you could hide him in a system, he's hid in that one, but he has no business playing the starting PG role, none.
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