A season that began with such promise for the Indiana Pacers ended with bitter disappointment, as the Indiana Pacers were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the NBA Eastern Conference Final for a second year in a row.
The Pacers entered the 2013/2014 campaign sporting odds of 10/1 in futures wagering to win their first NBA title, well back of the favored Heat, at 2/1, and the Chicago Bulls at 7/1. But after starting the season 20-3 SU (16-7 ATS), the Pacers emerged as contenders, with odds of 7/2. During the early stages of the season there were various pundits stating the pacers are meeting those high expectations, however that was not to last.
Things quickly unraveled down the stretch as the Pacers lost 9 of their last 15 regular season games. They entered the NBA post-season as the top seed in the East with futures odds of 6/1, but struggled throughout the playoffs, needing seven games to dispose of No. 8 Atlanta and six games to defeat Washington, before being pushed aside by Miami in six games.
Playoff disappointment leaves Pacers management facing a number of off-season challenges. A top priority will likely be resigning free agent shooting guard Lance Stephenson. While it was Stephenson’s off- court commentary on opponents, most notably LeBron James, which garnered media attention, the 23-year-old’s talent is undeniable; producing career bests this season in points (13.8), rebounds (7.2) and assists (4.6) in over 35 minutes per game.
With limited cap room available and several teams reportedly interested in pursuing Stephenson, including Charlotte, Detroit and Los Angeles, the Pacers are faced with a tough decision. Can they afford to compete with what are expected to be mega-offers made to Stephenson? Worse still, can they afford not to?
While somewhat of a volatile personality, as demonstrated by his off-court playoff antics, Stephenson brings a solid two-way game to the court, and in the right balanced mix could develop into a dominant offensive force.
The other off-season question mark for the Pacers is the future of center Roy Hibbert. The 27-year-old struggled with consistency, particularly in the second half of the season. To compound matters, Indy’s big man bottomed out in the playoffs, posting four games without a point, including one game with zero points and zero rebounds.
The Pacers could go either way with Hibbert. Recent reports suggest that Hibbert is on the trading block with Portland as a potential destination, while Pacers’ president Larry Bird has also hinted at bringing in some Hall-of-Fame help, possibly Bill Walton or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to work with Hibbert to bring his game to the next level.
