Indiana Pacers: Does Paul George Have A Reason To Stay?

The Indiana Pacers have made some very questionable moves over the last two weeks. If the moves don’t pan out in the long run, does Paul George have a reason to stay after his contract is up?

The Indiana Pacers officially promoted assistant Nate McMillan to become the team’s head coach moving forward, as The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported.

As many may know by now, the move comes as a surprise due to the fact that team president Larry Bird had expressed his desire of hiring a new voice for the team, and an offensive-minded coach.

The thing about the hiring of McMillan? He is neither a new voice nor a coach who has been known for his offense.

In 12 seasons of the head coach for both the Seattle Supersonics and Portland Trail Blazers, McMillan accumulated an overall record of 478-452 — as well as a 14-20 record in the playoffs. it’s also worth noting that teams coached under McMillan only won one-of-five postseason appearances and were hardly offensively efficient.

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Now remains the question that has Pacers fans growing weary of with the latest questionable moves and mishandling of business: Does Paul George have a reason to re-sign when his contract is up in two years?

While it is a fair argument to say that this question is an overreaction and it could be too early to tell as a lot of things could happen between now and two years, it’s a reasonable question to ask.

Let us start off by stating the obvious in saying that Larry Bird has been acting rather ignorant throughout this entire process. Not only did he handle the firing of Vogel very poorly, but it seems almost as if he didn’t put forth much effort in finding an adequate replacement for Vogel in a market in which the likes of Jeff Hornacek, George Karl and David Blatt were still available for jobs.

One other factor to look at regarding George’s desire to stay in Indiana at the end of his contract is the possibility that George could grow tired of the team’s inability to inch closer to a championship if the Pacers fail to surround the 26-year-old superstar with a supporting cast over the next few years.

Of Course, it is way too early to tell in regards to how the Pacers will perform next season and beyond. With a young, rising star in Myles Turner alongside George in the starting rotation for 2016 — as well as the team’s chances at signing a big-name free agent this summer — and the Pacers could be in fairly well shape moving forward.

Next: Indiana Pacers Hiring Wrong Head Coach in Nate McMillan

Things could either pan out fairly well and the Pacers could climb back into contention in the Eastern Conference, or they could become a sinking ship of mediocrity if things don’t necessarily go the way Bird envisions. Only time will tell.

Be sure to follow Ink On Indy as we continue our coverage of the 2016 Offseason for the Indiana Pacers.