The demise of the Indiana Pacers started with this photo: 
From that point forward it has been all down hill. Paul George was lost for the year due to injury, Lance Stephenson left for Charlotte, and……the other three guys in the photo are still on the roster.
I know the days of tanking may be numbered, but until it is completely out of the NBA it’s definitely worth a try to land the top pick in this year’s draft. Last season, the Philadelphia 76ers tanked, and ended up with the No.3 selection, and they walked away with Joel Embiid out of Kansas. Now, the 76ers didn’t land Andrew Wiggins, but it’s safe to say when healthy Embiid was clearly the better player. Tanking has proved its worth in the NBA, and teams have benefited from throwing their season down the drain.
In 1997, the San Antonio Spurs tanked to get Tim Duncan after David Robinson was out for the remainder of that season. In the 2006-2007 season there were several teams who tanked to make a run at drafting Kevin Durant or Greg Oden as the number one selection, but there were other future All-Stars such as Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and quality players such as Mike Conley and Jeff Green that also made teams squander winning for the future.
With that said I feel that it would be worth the gamble for the Indiana Pacers to tank their season. When looking at their roster, they lost Paul George to injury, and Lance Stephenson to free agency. With their two best players from the last two seasons not on the court this year it gives Roy Hibbert and David West the keys to the team. We all know that Roy Hibbert had a terrible fall after the All-Star break, and his confidence was shook. David West will be David West, but what about everyone else? George Hill, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles, Luis Scola, Ian Mahimi, and C.J. Watson are all mediocre role players, so that leaves David West as the catalyst for the team.
The Pacers lack trade assets outside of West, because players such as Hibbert and Hill are overpaid for their market value. With a season with nothing to gain I feel that it’s best to throw in the towel to help improve the roster for years to come. History shows that big name free agents always skip over Indiana, and they have to build their team through the draft. With prospects like Jahlil Okfaor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Cliff Alexander, and Kelly Oubre potentially on the board it makes perfect sense to throw away this season. Going from a legit title contender over the past three years to a bottom-feeder team may hurt the Pacers fans, but in the long run it could be beneficial. It will be a struggle to win for the Pacers if they attempt to compete on a nightly basis. For a team that had Paul George and Lance Stephenson they struggled mightily on the offensive end, and without them having to rely on Rodney Stuckey, Roy Hibbert, David West, and George Hill for offensive production will be similar to watching paint dry.
I know Larry Legend is one of the best in the business when it comes to orchestrating a team, and he may soon realize that tanking is the best way to save the Indiana Pacers for the future.
I don’t think they will have to tank, they gonna stink regardless!