Bird, Pacers Sticking To Formula

Larry Bird has established a formula that he believes in, and is standing by it.

Last night Bird continued his character and maturity based drafting style, as he selected Tyler Hansbrough with the 13th overall pick, and AJ Price with the 52nd pick.

Last year the Pacers took defending national champion Kansas' Senior guard Brandon Rush, and Georgetown Senior center Roy Hibbert. This year they selected two more Seniors, including another National Champion in Hansbrough.

This method that Bird and company have put in play for this team seems to be working, although it is in the early stages. Rush exploded in the later parts of the season, and when Hibbert wasn't in foul trouble, he seemed to be productive.

This approach is different than what most teams seem to be going with these days. It appears that most teams want the "one-and-done" players in college, or the unique foreign players from different countries that sometimes don't even play a single game in the league.

The fact is, the Pacers have an image to shake with the whole Artest/O'Neal/Jackson/Tinsley crew that embarrassed the franchise to it's core. With these more mature players that have shown good character, things seem to be looking up in the basketball capital of the world.

The general conception the in league now is that players play at about 75% for most of the season, and begin to really play towards the last couple of weeks, and into the playoffs. What the Pacers will get with Psycho T is hard work, a desire to win, and a caring attitude.

As a fan of the Pacers, what more could you ask for? Obviously the Pacers are still years away from being a real contender, but by adding piece by piece to the core that is already established, things are looking good for the future.

Price has showed in the past that he has learned from his mistakes (laptop situation at Uconn) and has since matured. Adding another point guard in the draft just illustrates how confident the Pacers are (or aren't) in the point guards that they have now.

TJ Ford is wildly inconsistent, and Jack and Deiner are okay fill ins. One of them will be out now, most likely Jack. The SG and SF positions have already been taken care of, and with the addition of Hansbrough, it appears they are satisfied at the Power Forward position. As Hibbert progresses, he could take more minutes away from Foster, who has plenty of miles on his engine.

There were many fans who were unhappy about the Hansbrough pick, but apparently the Pacers weren't the only team interested in him. According to reports, Larry Bird has told the media that four teams have already contacted the Pacers about a trade for Hansbrough. While the Pacers should listen to any and all offers, they will probably stick with him, unless they can throw Jamal Tinsley and his heavy contract into the deal somehow.

The Pacers are slowly putting together a good team. While this is nice, they still need a superstar to get them over the top. When was the last time any team won a championship without a superstar? The fact is, Danny Granger is brilliant, but without another talent equal or better than him, the Pacers will be stuck at the worst position possible; the 9th best team in the East.