Indiana Pacers: 5 Reasons to Be Hopeful for the Future of the Franchise

Just as patience was wearing thin and fans were starting to give up on the franchise, the Indiana Pacers came back to life. 

It's been a long, tough decade for the Pacers. In a state where basketball is king, Peyton Manning and the Colts have become the talk of the town.

As the Colts rose to prominence, the Pacers fell from grace, literally. 

After the brawl at Auburn Palace GM Larry Bird tried every possible combination to hold together the faltering squad. He re-acquired veteran and former Pacer Dale Davis, signed Kenny Anderson to replace Jamaal Tinsley for half a season, and kept fruitlessly trying to build around Jermaine O'Neal for far too long in hopes of finding some magic formula. 

With the way he patched players together with reckless abandon, we might as well have called Bird the "quilt maker." Except the patchworks never had a glue player to keep the team together and the seasons from unraveling. 

2006, one year after Reggie Miller retired, was the last time the Pacers would make the playoffs for another four seasons. After reaching the playoffs 14 of their 15 previous seasons, the stretch was a dark time for Indiana. 

Realizing a total overhaul of the roster was needed, Larry Bird and the Pacers entered full rebuilding mode. It wasn't easy, but Indiana may be on the precipice of reaping the rewards. 

Just when Indiana was nearing rock bottom, a light has appeared at the end of the tunnel. There is reason for optimism once again, and it is not centered on the Colt's Super Bowl chances.

Basketball is back in Indiana.

1. Good Young Coach and Established Assistant

The Pacers are one of the league's youngest teams. Their oldest starter is 28, and none of the other four are older than 25. 

As with any youngsters, the Pacers are an impressionable group. Under Jim O'Brien, the players lacked discipline and lost interest. O'Brien had no idea how to motivate the group and was thankfully (and mercifully) fired.

Frank Vogel does.

Since taking over in February, Vogel has been able to reach the Pacers and turned their season around. The Pacers finished the season strong and snuck into the playoffs as an eighth seed.

Facing the much more talented Bulls, the Pacers relied on desire, hustle, and teamwork to keep the series surprisingly close. 

Such traits were a sign that the team had bought into Coach Vogel's leadership. Earlier this month, the Pacers made it official and removed Vogel's interim tag. They also went out and recruited Brian Shaw, a proven winner as both a player and coach, to serve as Vogel's assistant. 

Shaw is credited with both keeping Kobe happy in L.A. and with helping Laker bigs Gasol and Bynum to improve their games. Not only will Shaw's presence add needed proven experience to the staff, he should help develop Roy Hibbert's game as well.

The roster may be young, but the Pacers are in good hands. 

2. One of the Best Young Centers

The next in a long line of Hoya bigs, there is no reason the 7'2'' Hibbert shouldn't command the middle like former Georgetown greats Mourning, Ewing, and Mutombo.

Having shown substantial progress each of his three years in the league—and with the additional help from Brian Shaw—expect Hibbert's 12.7 PPG and 7.8 RPG to continue climbing as he takes his game to the next level, and establishes himself as one of the top centers in the Eastern Conference.

Should Hibbert start averaging a double-double (he's more than capable), the Pacers will ride their big man deep into the playoffs. 

3. Promising Point Guards

If point guard is the most important position as so many seem to claim (I strongly disagree, by the way), then the Pacers are set.  

At 23, and coming off a season in which he posted 13 PPG and 5 APG while leading a young team with no proven scorers, Darren Collison has the chance to cement himself as one of the top-10 point guards in the game. 

(No particular order: Paul, D-Will, Rose, Rando, Nash, Westbrook, D-Harris, Parker and 2 more.... Billups? Nelson? Maybe, but Collison is still improving, Billups is on the fast decline and Nelson has leveled off. Collison deserves to be included on the list). 

Collison's backup? The recently acquired George Hill, who is capable of running the offense and will help provide the Pacers a bit of the scoring punch they've lacked. 

All-in-all, there are few teams who have such quality, both starting and coming off the bench, as the Pacers do now.

With Collison in charge and Hill to pick up the reigns when needed, Indiana has a solid backcourt duo to lead the Pacers offensive attack.

4. Cap Room and Tradable Assets

After finally dumping mega-contracts, clearing cap space, and accumulating tradable assets, the Pacers have a chance to make a splash in free agency or through a trade.

Will the Pacers land a superstar? Probably not. 

But with enough cap space to lure a top free agent, the Pacers may be able to coax a guy like New Orlean's David West to come play in Indy.

If the Pacers decide to improve through a trade instead, with Paul George set to take his place, the Pacers could flip Danny Granger for several attractive offers as well. One such player could be Paul Millsap, a guy who could really help the Pacers both on the interior and on the glass.

The Pacers are desperate for a 18-10 guy. Flush with cash with over 20+ million to spend (depending on the new CBA, which was $58 million last season) and with Danny Granger as trade bait, the Pacers have the assets necessary to continue to find ways to enhance their roster. 

5. Intangibles

The Pacers have all the intangibles necessary for a playoff run.

Last year, the Pacers were one of the strongest rebounding teams in the league pulling down 43.5 boards-a-game to rank fifth in the league.

They also have one of the deepest benches in the league, and regularly relied on players like Foster, Dunleavy, and McRoberts to play key minutes and serve as a spark when the starters fatigued. The fact that guys on the bench regularly closed out games playing alongside the starters shows how much faith Vogel has in the unit.

With George Hill now as the sixth man and the Pacers hopefully upgrading at the power forward position, thus relegating Hansbrough to the second unit, the Pacers bench will be even stronger. 

Lastly, and most importantly, the way the Pacers fought the Bulls tooth and nail in the playoffs shows they have what it takes to compete in the postseason. The Pacers showed heart, determination, and grit and nearly shocked Chicago in the first round.

With one more year of experience, added depth, talent, and a familiarity that comes with playing together and under one coach for a whole year, the Pacers won't be overlooked this year.

Watch out, Peyton. Basketball in Indiana may finally be back.