Dear Pacers, What Are You Doing?

Pacers' GM and Head Coach Kevin Pritchard and Nate McMillan at a press conference. Photo Courtesy of IndyStar.

I have not blogged since the Pacers lost in the playoffs. This is mainly because my knowledge of college ball is not up to par with others. It would be unfair to put you all through reading something that I know nothing about. Now though we are about to enter Free Agency and the Pacers themselves and NBA free agents are something I can write about. But, alas, that is not what I am going to talk about. Instead I am going to talk about, What the Hell are Kevin Pritchard and Nate McMillan doing???

Pacers' center Goga Bitadze playing overseas. Photo Courtesy of NBC Sports.

The Pacers needed a guard in the draft. Literally everyone said that: experts, fans, and journalists. Instead though the Pacers drafted a center. A center? I will be the first to admit, as a foreign player I know even less about Goga Bitadze than I would if he was an NCAA player, but I can rattle some statistics for you. Last season, he played in the Euroleague and through thirteen games (only started in four) he averaged 12.1 points per game on 54.8% shooting. That is not great, but it is not bad either. On the defensive side he did at least average 2.3 blocks per game.

Normally I would not have a problem with the Pacers drafting a center, I mean there was a time in my life that I convinced myself that Miles Plumlee was a good pick. But we have so many big men already: Domas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Alize Johnson, TJ Leaf, TJ Warren (more on that later), and now as I believe Born Ready 2 Pod named him, Go Go Gadget (Bitadze). How are we going to space the floor Kevin? Nate said he wanted to shoot more threes. Go Go Gadget shot 31.3% from three in the EuroLeague. He is not going to do it. Well maybe the answer is we are trading Sabonis and a future pick for a point guard that can attack and shoot? Nope not doing that either. Pritchard and McMillan plan to play Sabonis at the four. Unless Sabonis has been working on his three point shot he is not going to be spacing the floor either, as he averaged 0.2 three point attempts beyond the arc per game last season. Turner is the only one on this list that can shoot from three and he shot 38.8 this season, but the Pacers need him low to be fighting for offensive rebounds. Johnson has hope as an NBA player in the future, but do not get me started on Leaf.

Future Pacers' Forward TJ Warren with the Suns. Photo Courtesy of Bright Side of the Sun.

The Pacers then traded cash for TJ Warren and a second round draft pick from the Suns. I liked this move when it happened. You get a guy that can score for basically nothing, but then the chatter started that is signified the end for Thad Young in Indianapolis. If Warren can stay healthy that is a good choice, but Warren has yet to play seventy games in a season. So now, the Pacers have an injury prone scorer to replace the team leader, Young. It is a risky move that has a high likelihood of not playing out in the Pacers' favor.

I thought after the Go Go Gadget pick that the Pacers would pick Carsen Edward and his shooting with the thirty-second pick to help space the floor. Maybe he could develop into a player that helps take the pressure off of Victor Oladipo. NOPE! Traded that pick away for future second round draft picks that I fully expect Pritchard and McMillan to not be around to use.

Now Free Agency is about to begin and the Pacers still need a point guard. Darren Collison is now out of talks to return (which was unlikely) with his sudden retirement. With all of the point guards out there that can attack and who can shoot, what player has Pritchard and McMillan narrowed in on? RICKY FREAKING RUBIO. A guy who scored 12.7 points on 40.4% shooting from the field and 31.1% percent shooting from three. He also averaged 6.1 assists and 2.6 turnovers per game. I just honestly do not understand. Why? How is this the answer? But, hey at least he can do this...

If things go the way that Pritchard and McMillan want the starting lineup is going to be Rubio, Oladipo (when he returns from injury), Bojan Bogdanovic, Sabonis and Turner. There will be no spacing and it seems as if Oladipo will be doomed to be plagued by the double teams that he struggles with for at least two or three more seasons. I am honestly at a loss with what Pritchard, McMillan, and the Pacers are doing. No spacing and no attacking. In my way to early prediction: McMillan and Pritchard will both be gone by the start of the next season and the Pacers will be doomed to another early playoff exit this season. I want these moves to work out and I want us to be good, but truthfully, prepare for a rough one Pacer fans.