The Indiana Pacers were hopeful that they would be able to take the next step this season under a new head coach and with roster continuity. Obviously, the hope was that the roster would stay healthy and a new system under a new coach would help fix the issues that led to the firing of former head coach Nate McMillan. Unfortunately, those things have not happened this year and the Pacers are in a world of hurt with the NBA Playoffs closing in quickly.
At the time of this writing, the Pacers are just 31-36 and have struggled mightily with injuries and consistency. Banking on health and keeping the roster together is a dangerous tactic and it has backfired in a big way on Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan.
So, with all of that being said, what has happened this season with the Pacers?
Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, Goga Bitadze, JaKarr Sampson, and Doug McDermott have all missed quite a bit of time due to various injury issues. T.J. Warren, who many expected to be the team's leading scorer, was only able to play in four games before going down with a season-ending injury himself.
Past the injury issues, the Pacers have seen first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren and his coaching staff lose the locker room. It all came to a point when assistant coach Greg Foster and young big man Goga Bitadze engaged in a screaming match during an embarrassing loss against the Sacramento Kings at home.
Let's take a closer look at three reasons it's time for Pritchard and the Pacers to blow things up with some massive offseason changes.
3. The Sabonis-Turner Duo Simply Doesn't Work
Over the past two years, the Pacers have experimented with a two big man lineup featuring Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. Both players are talented in their own ways, with Turner being a defensive specialist and Sabonis being a scoring rebounder. However, the two players need to be split up.
Turner and Sabonis are a serviceable front-court pairing. No one is saying that the two big man lineup can't work or that the Pacers need to make a trade just to get one of the two players out of town. But, trading Turner or Sabonis would bring in talent for other areas of the roster and it just doesn't make sense to continue going down the same path hoping that it works out.
Making the move to trade Turner would drastically hurt the Pacers' defense at the rim. On the other hand, they could be able to acquire draft capital or players on the wing who could defend much better than what Indiana currently has. It just seems like the right time to move one of the team's two centers in the offseason.
2. A New Head Coach Would Be A Great Thing
Let's be real, no one should have really expected that the Nate Bjorkgren hire would go over perfectly well. For a team that was hoping to make a leap into serious contention in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers bringing in a first-time head coach did not make a lot of sense. A guy like Mike D'Antoni, who has been in serious contention before, would have been a much better choice.
Bjorkgren has a ton of positivity and always seems to tell the media what it wants to hear, but the players don't like him. Reports have come out that both Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis are not big fans of Bjorkgren. When the two biggest star players on the roster don't like the coach, the end of that coach's tenure with the team soon follows.
Granted, the players having such an issue with two coaches in such a short period of time could spell other issues. But, for now, the right move would be relieving Bjorkgren of his duties, as he has lost the locker room and his assistants have literally screamed at players during games. Going out and bringing in an experienced head coach seems like the right move for this roster.
1. Trade Value Is At An All-Time High On Certain Players
Finally, the Pacers have to not only look at the present but also at their future. If they are going to blow things up, it is important to make sure that they get top dollar in a trade. That is why making a big move or two this offseason would make perfect sense.
There are a couple of players who could be on the trade block this offseason and were viewed as potential trade candidates at the NBA trade deadline. Those players are Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon in particular. Both players are at an all-time high in terms of trade value.
Brogdon is having the best statistical season of his career and there are quite a few teams around the NBA that could use an upgrade at the point guard position. Turner is one of the best stretch big men who can defend the rim in the NBA. Both players could be moved at their highest value and it would make sense for the Pacers to consider a couple big-time moves.
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