Are The Pacers’ Playoff Hopes Worth A Lottery Pick?
As expected, the Indiana Pacers are currently two games behind the Miami Heat for the eighth-seeded playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, sitting at a record of 21-33, desperately fighting for another playoff berth come mid-April.
The probable return of Pacers’ star Paul George next month drastically helps any hopes that there is of fans having the opportunity of seeing the blue and gold play past the regular season’s end.
But fans alike, including myself, must ask themselves one important question:
Is the joy of seeing your favorite team play in the post-season worth the potential risk that can come along?
Sure, I would agree with some people that there is just something about playoff basketball in Indiana that brings about such a positive vibe. The sea of gold that is present during the occasional “gold out” games, the vibrant atmosphere in the arena, or the pre-game rallies held on Georgia Street downtown before every game.
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Many fans would certainly agree with me when I would say that Indiana Pacers playoff basketball is one of the reasons as to why I look forward to the months of April and May so much.
But the cost of this Pacers team making the post-season is far more important than a tad-bit of enjoyment any of us fans would get from any playoff festivities.
The Pacers need a lottery pick come June in this years draft. No doubt about it.
Many would disagree, but given the circumstances of this season so far, you have to think about the future. Not the present.
If the Indiana Pacers want to return to the prominence that we’ve seen from them the past three seasons, it would be wise of them to settle for a lottery pick in this years draft. Again, most “die-hard” fans would disagree with me, but at the end of the day, it is the most logical thing to do.
Imagine this Pacers team with a healthy Paul George and a potential top-ten lottery pick to accompany him next season (assuming David West stays put), along with Roy Hibbert and a rejuvenated, more-aggressive George Hill.
That sounds like a recipe for success that this team needs if it wants to return to one of the powerhouses of the Eastern Conference that is once was. I’ve said it once and I will say it again: this team needs to prepare for the future and drop any hopes for a fifth-straight playoff berth.
I look at it this way, I would much rather see this team acquire another potential star via the lottery, as opposed to the heartbreak of watching them lose in five or six games in the first round of the playoffs and miss out on the lottery. It would be a lose-lose situation.
Be wise, Indiana. What you do this next month and-a-half could make or break your success moving forward.