Why the Pacers SUCK

This one is pretty obvious to me.

There are basically two kinds of athletes that make it to the professional level. There are those that make it on "natural talent," and there are those that make it because they are "hard workers." Of course, there are athletes who possess varying levels of both attributes. But, very rarely do you find an athlete who has high levels of both attributes. Jerry Rice had high levels of both attributes. So did Emmitt Smith. In today's NBA there some athletes who possess relatively high levels of both. Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, and Kobe Bryant are the first that come to mind. Imagine what Shaq could have been if he would have had a little bit more of the "hard working" attribute.

Anyway, I feel you have to have some of these "hard workers" on your team to be successful in today's NBA game. These "hard workers" are the guys who dive on the floor for the loose ball, set hard picks, and block out for rebounds. They are the guys who volunteer for the toughest defensive assignment and give every ounce of energy they have. Some people call these guys "role players."

The Pacers roster was full of these "hard workers" in the past. They had guys like Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, James Jones, Austin Croshere, Scot Pollard, and even Ron Artest. Love them or hate them, these guys played hard every single night. None of them were extremely talented, but they never forgot what got them to the NBA in the first place. They didn't lead the Pacers in any statistical category, but they played hard every night.

This last offseason the Pacers overhauled their roster by trading away their "hard workers" and replacing them with guys who possess "natural talent." The Pacers roster is full of guys who can score, but there really aren't any "role players" left. Jeff Foster appears to be the only guy who is willing to dive on the floor. He has a lot of the "hard working" attribute, but there really isn't a whole lot of talent there. Some of the other guys run around a lot and score points, but they don't accomplish much else. Everybody seems content to get by on their "natural talent." I don't think I have seen anybody play defense for the Pacers all season.

Now the Pacers have compounded their problem because most of their players have underachieved all season. This will lower their trade value and prevent the Pacers from obtaining the "hard workers" from other teams that they need to rebuild their roster. Rick Carlisle will probably be made the scapegoat and have his contract terminated at the end of the season. This team is a mess, but Carlisle isn't the problem. He's not the guy who traded away all the "hard workers." Let's not forget that the Pacers were a .500 ballclub under Carlisle's guidance when half their team was either suspended or hurt during the "brawl" season. Fortunately for Carlisle that season, the part of the roster that he still had left was full of "hard workers." The difference this season is that he has a roster full of "natural talent."