Pacers Finally Make Their Move

In most conversations involving the Indiana Pacers, Donnie Walsh does not become defensive until it has been pointed out at least three times that the Pacers’ record over the years is horse manure compared to everything except, perhaps, horse manure.

When sufficiently provoked, Walsh, the Pacers’ president, will point out that it was only three years ago that the Pacers established a franchise record for National Basketball Association victories. Only two years ago, the Pacers tied the second-best record in franchise history. Those facts are ignored because the respective records were 41-41 and 38-44.

“It says a lot about the franchise that 38-44 was the second-best record,” Walsh said.

Indeed it does, but what really irritates Walsh is that before the Pacers began the season with 11 victories in 15 games (before Saturday night’s game with the Minnesota Timberwolves) to lead the tough Central Division, it was assumed they would be bad simply because they always had been bad since joining the NBA with three other American Basketball Association teams in 1976.

And when Walsh started signing his players to long-term contracts, some wondered why a team that had not been better than .500 since playing in the same division with the San Diego Conquistadors would want to keep its roster intact.

“In a small market,” Walsh said, “you have to identify the players you want to keep and keep them on a long-term basis or you’re going to become a farm team for the bigger markets.” Besides, Walsh said, the Pacers were relatively successful until they lost their center last season. Steve Stipanovich went down with a knee injury that eventually ended his career, and the Pacers began the year 0-9. They spent the rest of the season tinkering with the roster and made significant acquisitions when they traded for LaSalle Thompson and Detlef Schrempf and hired Pistons assistant Dick Versace as their head coach.

They did not lose confidence in their nucleus, however. They kept starters Chuck Person, Vern Fleming, Reggie Miller and Rik Smits. Then they added bench strength in the offseason by signing free agents Mike Sanders and Rickey Green.

The result has been a team that looks familiar, but has seven players who were not on the roster at the beginning of last season. The Pacers are now fully recovered from the loss of Stipanovich, and Walsh has shown faith in the talent by giving Person (eight years), Schrempf (10 years) and Thompson (five years) new contracts.

The Pacers, in fact, are good enough to not need help from their No. 1 pick, George McCloud, the seventh player taken in the draft. Perhaps by next year, McCloud can make a contribution, particularly since the Pacers do not have a 1990 No. 1 pick. That was because of the last of many horrible trades they made, sending the pick to the Mavericks in 1984 for Bill Garnett and Terence Stansbury, each of whom is no longer in the league.

But that trade is only mildly bad when compared to the 1981 deal that brought Tom Owens to the Pacers and sent the Pacers’ 1984 No. 1 pick to the Portland Trail Blazers. If they had kept the pick, the Pacers could have drafted Michael Jordan.

“Oh God, please,” Walsh said. “I don’t want to even hear that.”

Such trades have contributed to the Pacers’ image as losers. And so have the last 13 years during which the Pacers have made the playoffs twice and been .500 only once. But Walsh, who joined the Pacers in 1986, says judge them not by what their inept predecessors did, but what is being done now. And he’s right -- that’s how they should be judged. The anonymous Pacers have quietly become a good team. And Walsh says those who have been paying attention are not surprised.

Few teams with an ounce of self-respect are elated by losses, but the Los Angeles Clippers were absolutely thrilled when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers by only eight points, 111-103, Tuesday. That was the Clippers’ 24th consecutive loss at the Lakers’ Forum, but the Clippers say they benefited from the close call. “It gives us more confidence,” said guard Ron Harper, who was not around for the previous 23 losses.

Magic Johnson patronized the Clippers by saying, “In about 10 to 15 games, when they get to know each other and Benoit (Benjamin) gets in shape to play the way he’s capable of playing, the Clippers will be a tough team.”

The absurdity of that statement is the assumption that Benjamin will get in shape. The Clippers obviously have assembled some talent, but everything they touch turns toxic. They have a bad organization and that makes it impossible to have a good team. The Clippers are a couple of lottery picks and a new owner away from making the playoffs.