Paul George does not sound happy with how the Indiana Pacers are playing.
The Pacers are just 15-18, working through growing pains of a new roster that hasn’t quite fit together like team president Larry Bird likely envisioned. The new backcourt of Monta Ellis and Jeff Teague is an odd combination, and while George and second-year big Myles Turner are certainly bright spots, it’s hard to get very excited about the rest of the team. Combine that with a new coach in Nate McMillan, and you have a recipe for growing pains.
That’s new for George, who came into the league on a competitive roster, and featured on all three Indiana teams that had memorable playoff battles with LeBron’s Miami Heat. It sounds like he’s struggling to adjust:
“[This season] hasn’t been [fun]. We’re trying to work through it, it’s been one of the most frustrating seasons I’ve been a part of.”
“Maybe I’m just living in the past of how good we used to be, the personnel, the guys I had around, I’m still living in that moment, maybe. I gotta put myself into a different team and maybe I have to do more, maybe that’s just what it is, maybe I have to do more now. But whatever is, I’m going to figure it out.”
Before you get all excited about Paul George trade rumors, this is what Zach Lowe had to say recently about that very possibility:
Larry Bird isn’t returning calls on Paul George with a friendly new CBA on the way, according to teams who have inquired.
Considering that the new CBA is rumored to include plenty of incentives for a superstar player to stay with his current team, that makes sense. Indianapolis is not a bad city, but it’s never going to be first on the list for premium free agents. The Pacers path to superstar talent is through the draft, or via trade. Even if George plays his entire career for the Pacers, though, they’ll have to put a competitive roster around him again at some point to truly capitalize on his talent.
Whether or not Larry Bird remains the right guy to do that, though, is another question.
