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Raptors, Rockets among NBA teams that will regress in 2014-15

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 1, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson (7) drives to the net past Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. The Nets defeated the Rockets 105-96. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson (7) drives to the net past Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. The Nets defeated the Rockets 105-96. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 22, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (left) and guard Lance Stephenson against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Indiana Pacers

I mean, duh. The only excuse for not being able to predict the Indiana Pacers locking up the top spot on this list is that you completely forgot about them because, in your defense, they’re no longer relevant in the Eastern Conference contender picture. With LeBron James heading home to Cleveland and the Chicago Bulls still fully reliant on Derrick Rose’s shaky health, this was the year for the Pacers to stake their claim for the Eastern belt.

But in one summer, Larry Bird’s team fell apart, losing its best two players/scorers/playmakers/wing defenders. First, Lance Stephenson bolted for Charlotte, turning down a five-year, $44 million deal from Indiana in the process. Still, the Pacers had their star two-way force in Paul George, who accepted his country’s call to play for USA Basketball in the FIBA World Cup…right until the moment his leg snapped like a wishbone in a nationally televised Team USA scrimmage.

That horrific and unbelievably unfortunate injury has cost Indiana its chance at contending and the Pacers are no longer a lock to even make the playoffs. Call me crazy, but I don’t see Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles replacing PG-13 and Stephenson. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Roy Hibbert to lead a team Bird expects to be competitive. Leadership and stepping up when called upon has never been Hibbert’s defining trait, so the 2014-15 season could be a rough one for Pacers fans.

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