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NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 reasons the Indiana Pacers are better off without Larry Bird

By Akash Anavarathan

May 16, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird speaks to the press during a press conference at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird speaks to the press during a press conference at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 20, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) takes a shot against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Deron Williams (31) in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Cleveland defeats Indiana 119-114. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 20, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) takes a shot against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Deron Williams (31) in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Cleveland defeats Indiana 119-114. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Pace-and-space with no snipers

For Larry Bird, it was a make-or-break season, he wanted to get rid of Frank Vogel and his defensive-oriented style and bring in an offensive-minded coach. He turned to assistant Nate McMillan.

The construction of the roster wasn’t great heading into this past season, with not many guys to space the floor around Paul George. In a win-now mode, during the 2016 offseason, the Pacers let go of Solomon Hill, Ty Lawson and Ian Mahinmi. They flipped George Hill and got a younger Jeff Teague. They also added veterans Al Jefferson, Kevin Seraphin and Aaron Brooks. On paper, it looked like a fantastic team. Paul George, the face of the franchise, would have Al Jefferson and Jeff Teague to round out his Big 3. Well, not so fast.

The Pacers chose to sign an aging veteran in Jefferson, who was a good player, but a wrong fit. Which eventually led the Pacers to shop him unsuccessfully around the trade deadline. Jeff Teague was a one-year rental, who will become a free agent this upcoming offseason.

Looking at these moves, it didn’t really help the Pacers become a better shooting basketball team. They wanted to play with pace-and-space, but they didn’t have any snipers to hit 3-pointers. George and Turner were surrounded with Young, Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey, none of whom could really stretch a defense.

The roster construction didn’t really match the coach and it was the same issue with Vogel. This disconnect between style of place and roster construction was the biggest issue with the end of Bird’s tenure.

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The Pacers will now turn to their second-in-command, Kevin Pritchard, to take over Bird’s responsibilities. His primary duties will begin with re-signing George and structuring the roster of this team for the future. It’s a tough task, with high expectations left after some of the failings of Bird.

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