Inside Enemy Territory with “Indy Cornrows”
Last week Kinnon ran an Inside Enemy Territory with Tom from Indy Cornrows and with a second game in less than a week Kinnon graciously allowed me to step in and ask Tom a couple of questions that were bouncing around in my head after watching the game earlier this week.
1. Rebuilding is always tough for fans to endure, but what have been some highlights for you this season? What player has captured your attention? What is it about being a Pacers fan that still inspires a level of pride?
Well, today’s not a good day to measure my level of pride as I’m tracking police reports, yet again, but there have been plenty of positives to point toward throughout this tough season. First of all, Jim O’Brien changed the mind set of the team and implemented a more entertaining brand of ball that is fun to watch. Plus, this team rarely gives in when they fall behind and I give O’B credit for developing that mind set.
As for players, Danny Granger is currently playing the best basketball of his young career. He’s more assertive and producing consistently and has made big strides this year. He even broke Reggie Miller’s club record of 61 consecutive made free throws when he splashed 64 in a row. The next key for Granger is to ice down that blood in the final minutes of a game and find a way to hit some game winners.
Also, I have to mention Jeff Foster when discussing pride in the Pacers. Foster just goes to work every night often battling two or three bigs on his own. His patented volleyball swat of missed shots out to the guards has preserved countless possessions this year and without J.O. for much of the year, he’s had to play heavy minutes and produce. Foster would be a huge asset to a championship contending team. In fact, I thought he might be moved before the deadline which I would’ve reluctantly applauded. The guy deserves to have that shot, plus his value probably won’t be much higher.
2. Injuries are always a frustrating thing to endure - especially for a team like Indiana that looked to be a playoff caliber team after the first month of the season - but how have injuries helped some players mature and grow? Sometimes injuries are a hidden blessing, what players have benefited from increased minutes after Jamaal Tinsley and Jermaine O’Neal went down to injuries?
First, I’d point toward the development of Danny Granger’s game as mentioned above. Without J.O. and Tinsley, Granger has stepped up his game out of necessity and the improvement is now readily apparent.
Another beneficiary has been Travis Diener. Diener has taken advantage of the playing time thrust upon him due to Tinsley’s injury to prove he can produce at the NBA level. Diener played poorly to start the season and was buried on the bench. Since playing consistent minutes, Diener has his game under control and proven he can be a solid back up PG in the future.
The resurrection of Kareem Rush’s game and career have benefited from the injuries, as well. His shot was a known quantity, but Rush earned more playing time with his defense and seeing his game mature this year at both ends of the floor has been nice. With J.O. out Rush offers Jim O’Brien the flexibility to start a small ball lineup with Rush at shooting guard and Dunleavy and Granger joining Foster in the front court.
3. In recent weeks Larry Bird has been outspoken with his displeasure about the character of some of the players in the Pacers locker room. Earlier this week you talked about Shawne Williams being a key part of the team moving forward - do the recent incidents involving a murder suspect leaving his house change how the franchise looks at home? Is he innocent until proven guilty or will the franchise look to distance themselves from a player attached to this kind of story?
I raised a similar question regarding William’s future as a cornerstone of the franchise. He received a pass with an earlier incident but now the same “friend” is involved and oh, by the way, he’s suspected of murder. The PR perception of this team is horrible and I’ve said before all of this that there is no player on the roster that should be considered untouchable. With Williams, it is not a matter of guilt or innocence, he’s only guilty of hanging out with bad people, but for a franchise desperately trying to convince fans that they have team worth rooting for, one day of off-court problems can wipe out months of good will. This is an extremely competitive market that has plenty of fans willing to back a strong, competitive Pacers team, but right now there are three college teams within an hour of Conseco Fieldhouse that are ranked in the Top 20, all with compelling stories to follow. Juxtaposed to the stories emerging from the Pacers, the casual fan has averted their attention from the ugliness at the Fieldhouse and is finding their hoop fix elsewhere.
A big thanks goes out to Tom for taking part in a second Inside Enemy Lines in the span of less than a week. Make sure you check out Indy Cornrows before and after the game for the inside scoop on the Pacers.
This article was written by:
Ryan McNeill - who has written 200 posts on Hoops Addict.
Ryan McNeill is the editor for Hoops Addict and has appeared on NBA XL and WSRQ 1220. Ryan has covered the NBA with media credentials since the 2007 season.
Comments
By Anthony RapFan on March 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Feel bad for INDY actually,
ITS INDIANA PENNITENTIARY, what is it in this city that is making the the team shoot ppl?