Doyel: George, Turner, Vogel give Pacers needed pieces
TORONTO — The three most important pieces are in place. The Indiana Pacers have the right veteran superstar, the right young player and the right coach. What happens next is up to team President Larry Bird, but his renovation of this franchise — from old and creaky to young and sleek — is underway and on target.
What happens next, however, could be more destruction. The same wrecking ball that demolished Roy Hibbert’s time in Indianapolis last offseason could be aimed next for coach Frank Vogel.
As Bird walked out of Air Canada Centre late Sunday night following the Pacers’ season-ending loss to the Toronto Raptors, I asked him if Vogel — widely believed to be in the final year of his contract — will be back next season.
“Come on, man,” Bird told me, before walking off. “The game just ended.”
Twenty-five minutes after Bird was passing on the chance to say of course Frank Vogel would be back next season, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported via an anonymous source that Vogel was indeed in the final year of his contract this season — and “so far there’s been no discussion of a contract extension.”
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Ominous, all of it — and unfair if Vogel isn’t back. After an unsurprisingly uneven season, the Pacers hit their stride in the final two weeks of the regular season and took the second-seeded Raptors to Game 7 before falling 89-84.
If Bird doesn’t bring Vogel back, I’ll revisit this topic then — and I’m bringing hell with me — but for now let’s talk about the other two pieces in place.
Paul George is back and better than ever, and before that broken leg he was pretty spectacular. But this is a new Paul George, and not just the one who averaged a career-best 23.1 points — along with seven rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals — this season.
The Paul George who reported for duty in the playoffs was a whole other creature, spectacular not just occasionally but consistently, so good that Raptors fans were groaning audibly every time he shot the ball. They expected it to go in, because that’s how good he was — that’s how good he is.
After it was over, I asked George if he learned something about himself this series. He nodded.
“I was ready for this moment,” he said. “I was ready to step up, I was ready to do whatever it took to win. I knew I was going to have to have a big series to give us the best chance. I knew I would have to be at my best.
“One thing I can really take away: The game really slowed down. I had a better understanding of my game, how I can attack different defenders, how I can free myself regardless of how they’re going to guard me. I learned a lot. Learned what I was made of.”
Raptors coach Dwane Casey conjured Kobe Bryant when he was asked about George, who averaged 27.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals in the series, shot 41.9 percent on 3-pointers and defensively dismantled the NBA’s ninth-leading scorer, DeMar DeRozan, for the better part of seven games.
“Unbelievable,” was the first word out of Casey’s mouth. “This young man reminds me of trying to prepare for a young Kobe Bryant back in the Lakers days. … I think he’s back, and I’m happy for him, now that we’re finished with him, because he’s a super young man. He represents everything basketball should be about. He’s back to his all-pro, All-Star form.”
Vogel also was effusive, graphically so, in his praise for George.
“Paul George broke his leg in half two years ago,” Vogel said. “This was a remarkable triumph and a remarkable return for him to get back on the court this season. To play the way he did in the playoffs was just remarkable.”
George is the superstar the Pacers can build around, and rookie Myles Turner is another integral part of the foundation. Turner’s offense was hit-or-miss in this series — he averaged 15.3 ppg in Games 3, 5 and 6, and just 6.5 ppg in the other four — but his defense was consistently dominant. He blocked multiple shots in every game and 23 for the series, and by Game 3 he had DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas and Bismack Biyombo severely spooked in the lane.
“A lot of reason to be excited about our future is because of that kid,” Vogel said of Turner.
Doyel: Pacers' best not quite enough in Game 7
And said the Raptors’ Casey: “They’re a tough team. That young man Myles Turner is going to be a player. I want to congratulate them. Frank did a heck of a job. That team right there is a big-time team. And Paul George is back after his injury.”
True, all of it. Bird nabbed a top-five rookie with the No. 11 pick in Turner. The future is even brighter for George, a perennial All-Star who played at an MVP level in the playoffs. And then there’s Vogel, who’d better be back.
As for the here and now? Before leaving Toronto, George took one last look around at this 2015-16 season and decided that, going forward, he likes what he sees. That’s what he said, even as he issued a challenge to Turner — “He’s got to add some strength,” George said — and sent out an SOS to a star-studded free agent class that will include Kevin Durant and more obtainable stars like Indianapolis natives Mike Conley and Eric Gordon.
“Hopefully myself and Monta can do a great job recruiting some free agents,” George said. “Maybe George (Hill) as well, getting a big name to come here and help us out.”
The Pacers won 45 games this season. They can win 50 or more next year. How they get there, and who leads them toward that number, is up to Larry Bird.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter: @GreggDoyelStar or atwww.facebook.com/gregg.doyel.