Pacers expect O'Neal to return

JO is wanting to block a trade, he always fakes hurt when he doesn't want to play, Tinsley is one of the best point guards in the NBA, He COULD be the one to turn this team around, but Bird still has to go!

J.O.: Shut up and play. Leave decision-making up to management and coaches.

P.S. You've never dominated your entire career. Never.

That was my only comment....
Remind me. WHEN was it that you ever dominated?

I couldn't disagree with Coach O'Brien's comments about Jermaine O'Neal more. He said, "We certainly want him to be in the lineup because we're at our best when he is in the lineup."
Is it me, or do the Pacers win almost every time Jermaine is out with an injury? I don't think this is by accident. He slows the team down. The team is better when they are forced to run in transition, screen, pass, get everyone involved, etc. Jim O'Brien claims to want a "fast paced" team. This type of team is impossible with Jermaine O'Neal on the floor dribbling the air out of the ball on the post.
I'd rather see Ike Diogu and Jeff Foster out there. Jermaine is past his prime.

Talk about a waste of money. JO will go down as a white elephant that done nothing, but hurt the Indiana basketball spirit. Get rid of him and get someone with heart!

Playa wrote:

JO is wanting to block a trade, he always fakes hurt when he doesn't want to play, Tinsley is one of the best point guards in the NBA, He COULD be the one to turn this team around, but Bird still has to go!

Man, you guys have to get off Birds back...THIS IS HIS FIRST YEAR RUNNING THE SHOW. Donnie Walsh has been making the majority of the decisions. The worst thing Bird has done was the Jasikevichis deal( I know..spelling). He was the best player in the league he came from and was a proven big time player in the olympics against the US. There were a lot of teams gunning for him back then. The fans forced the Jackson and Harrington trade...by screaming "thug" every two seconds. And, Dunleavy and Murphy have proven themselves this year big time. If you're watching games you'd see it. Dunleavy is having a career year and honestly i think that was a great trade. Al Harington isn't the player everyone in this city thinks he is. Neither is Jackson.

Bottom line...what has Bird really done wrong??

Bird, I have always known you as the type that plays the game with everything, dump JO and find someone with HEART.

The Boston Connection Bartender

They should have traded O'Neal last summer while he still had some value. Walsh and Bird messed up again.

The Pacers play better without J.O. in the line up. The way I see it keep him benched and trade him as soon as possible!

JO stay away clap clap clap clap clap

JO has always been too soft and he can not lead a team. The Pacers have lost every game in which he was the leading scorer. They are a better team without him. I really wish the rumored trade with the Lakers went through over the summer. The Pacers could be a top 5 team with Lamar Odom playing PF instead of JO.

Rich wrote:

<quoted text>
Man, you guys have to get off Birds back...THIS IS HIS FIRST YEAR RUNNING THE SHOW. Donnie Walsh has been making the majority of the decisions. The worst thing Bird has done was the Jasikevichis deal( I know..spelling). He was the best player in the league he came from and was a proven big time player in the olympics against the US. There were a lot of teams gunning for him back then. The fans forced the Jackson and Harrington trade...by screaming "thug" every two seconds. And, Dunleavy and Murphy have proven themselves this year big time. If you're watching games you'd see it. Dunleavy is having a career year and honestly i think that was a great trade. Al Harington isn't the player everyone in this city thinks he is. Neither is Jackson.
Bottom line...what has Bird really done wrong??

Well...how about trading a future number 1 draft choice for a player that was cut during training camp? Or how about trading for Murphy's franchise killer contract? Or not trading J.O. when he actually had value? Or not trading Tinsley when he still had value? Or signing Sarunas? Or the inability for him to have a team that obeys basic society laws? That's just off the top of my head.

It must be nice to suggest to your boss "I think I'll just take the rest of the year off, and oh by the way..that will be with FULL PAY". Jermaine has become a total liability that has managed to put a strangle hold on this franchise.What do you do with a guy who can't or won't perform at a 100% and suggests that his presents "hurts the team"? It's time to cut ties with Mr.O'Neal before he becomes more cancerous than he already is.

Rich wrote:

<quoted text>
Man, you guys have to get off Birds back...THIS IS HIS FIRST YEAR RUNNING THE SHOW. Donnie Walsh has been making the majority of the decisions. The worst thing Bird has done was the Jasikevichis deal( I know..spelling). He was the best player in the league he came from and was a proven big time player in the olympics against the US. There were a lot of teams gunning for him back then. The fans forced the Jackson and Harrington trade...by screaming "thug" every two seconds. And, Dunleavy and Murphy have proven themselves this year big time. If you're watching games you'd see it. Dunleavy is having a career year and honestly i think that was a great trade. Al Harington isn't the player everyone in this city thinks he is. Neither is Jackson.
Bottom line...what has Bird really done wrong??

Another poster has some good examples - although I think Dunleavy might continue to be productive in this type of offense. The other thing Bird has done wrong is that he didn't blow up the team for a year to start over. We've needed to do that since the final Artest issue. He only blew up part of the team at a time, hashing around a grey area trying to slowly cut out a cancer while not giving up the ghost. Rather than get it all done at once, the rebuilding, he chose to try to keep us "competitive" while fixing the problems. I disagree with that, and attendance at games backs me up. With hard working losers playing, diving for loose balls, sweating, being loveable losers for a year, the fans might have stayed - and might have respected Bird for making a tough call to sacrifice a year for a franchise's future.

I love JO's game, but this isn't his system, and it's past time for him to move on - though I wish him well. Foster is great, but not properly used. Tinsley won't ever be welcomed here, but I bet the Knicks would have him. Harrison will not be in the league next year, unless someone has a slot open and wants to gamble.

OH, and I'd add Erazem Lorbek to the list against Bird, nothing personal against EL, but why bother on a 4 year advance prospect?

"It's better to know what team you're going to go with," O'Brien said. "But we certainly want him to be in the lineup because we're at our best when he is in the lineup." OB

He must be watching a different team or he is trying to put on a positive spin so the Pacers can trade him.

"I'm having a very average year and the team isn't .500. I need to get healthy enough so I can get out there and dominate again." JO

When did JO dominate? JO had always benefited from Artest and Miller and now that they are gone JO has done nothing!!

Everythime when i read the comments, i am disapointed from you guys. There is no positive comment. You are talking like you know all about JO, JT and all the guys. But i guess no one knows the real background. give the pacers a break!! It's allmost a new team and they need some time. Is there nothing positive to write about? Where are the real pacer fans?

This is a good growing team, A healthy Oneal can help so long as he is not the go to guy-give him producitive minutes especially on defense. His post presecne in the first warrior game was outstnandng. It depends if he can lift because of his knee. On the other hand his continual shooting hurts the teams offense-much like Tinsley who showed in Phildaelpha that if he accepts his role as point guard distributor and not a perimiter shooter the team will suceed.s
On offense look at thw number of guys that can put points up-Dunleavy, Granger, Rush, etc.
This has the makings of an outstandng team which has a legitimate shot at the playoffs-that's postive.

I just can't get behind a guy(Jermaine O'Neal) who is constantly making statements to the detriment of his team. It's true that the team tends fare better when he's not on the court, has been true for a couple of years now. But, as I said, my real problem with him is how he comes out at least once a season and makes comments that do absolutely nothing to help the franchise. Trade him and get it over with now, while we may still be able to at least get something out of it. This latest ploy, I fear, is just about JO saving himself and getting himself completely healthy so he can opt out of his contract at season's end and not only move on, but get a bigger paycheck due to his not having played for months and getting back to 100% health.

I wonder how much of this is trade bait. Reports have been circulating out of New Jersey that Indiana was inquiring on a trade that would send JO to NJ and bring Vince Carter, Marcus Williams and Jamaal Magloire to Indiana. Evidently NJ shot it down because of concerns with JO's knee. Maybe Indiana is trying to downplay the seriousness of his injury to get some offers. Not saying the NJ deal would be the best thing in the world, but this could get some wheels turning.

http://www.prosportsdaily.com/nba/pacers/rumo...