Danger Bird

Will consecutive posts referencing the Indiana Pacers cripple this blog’s popularity? We’re about to find out.

On Monday, the Pacers announced that announced that Donnie Walsh will be leaving the team next year, with Larry Bird assuming full general manager duties. If the Simons actually had a decision here, they picked the wrong guy to run out of town. If there was nothing they could do to convince Walsh to stay, then perhaps the move was justified, as long as they keep the Hall-of-Famer on a short leash.

Since Bird started making personnel decisions, the team’s success rate has plummeted. Does that mean it’s all his fault? Of course not. Those donning the blue and gold uniforms lately have been disappointing on and off the court. But Bird deserves the brunt of the blame – much as Dubya does for the decline of the American economy. If either had made a savvy move or two, he could have prevented the people working underneath him from turning a mess into a disaster.

I did an internship with the Pacers in the spring of 2006. I had the opportunity to hang around the players and coaches and get a lot of my work published on the team’s website – it was an awesome experience. I spent about 20 hours at Conseco Fieldhouse every week, but I only ran into Larry Bird once during my five months with the Pacers.

One afternoon, I was following the team onto the practice court. I opened the door to the gym, only to see a tall figure coming up behind me. I paused and turned around. It was Larry Legend. Even though I was incredibly awestruck, I composed myself enough to hold the door open for him, which lead to the following exchange:

Basketball Jesus: Let me get that.
Me: Nah. Don’t worry about it.
The best shooter in NBA history: No, you go ahead – you’re working right now.
Me: Well, you’re working now, too.
Larry Fucking Bird: (smiles)

Until now, I’ve only told this story to people to reiterate how badass my internship was. But now, it seems meaningful and relevant in a different way. Bird didn’t put much stock into the fact that he had the most important job in the whole organization then, and I doubt that will change much next year when Walsh isn’t around.

Being a GM should be an all-day occupation. There should only be but a few minutes each day that you’re not brainstorming ways to improve the franchise. I got the impression that Bird spent most of his days piddling around, only putting on his executive pants to mull over terrible trade offers from other GMs before finally accepting them.

I hope that I’m wrong about this. But his track record so far as done little to put my mind at ease. If it was my choice, I would have shut the door on the Larry Bird era already.