Time to Say "I'm Sorry" to Larry Legend

Some things that people said about Larry Bird on here would make most people cry their eyes out. Many said he was the worst in the league. So for starters, let's go over the situation the Pacers were in 5 years ago.

The Beginning:

Players were beating up Pistons fans, getting in trouble with the law weekly, and failing in the playoffs yearly. Everyone (including fans like us) knew that we had to make a move. So Larry and Donnie Walsh made a move for Dunleavy and Murphy. Okay, maybe it was a bit hasteful to take on contracts of their stature, but still something HAD to be done abot getting Stephen Jackson, arguably the biggest trouble-maker, off this team. That took a big hit of ridding ourselves of newly re-acquired Al Harrington, but at the time fans were pretty much demanding that something needed to be done.

The 2008 draft:

On the eve of the 2008 draft, the Pacers were able to rid themselves of Jermaine O'Neal (and his 20+ million dollar per year contract) for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the rights to Roy Hibbert. Since then Jermaine has been mediocre while the contract of Rasho Nesterovic gave us salary help just after one year, TJ Ford has had his ups and downs, but then there's this guy..... umm yea, Roy Hibbert. The player who has worked his absolute butt off for the last three years to add his name with the likes of Andrew Bogut, Brook Lopez, and Al Horford. Roy has also helped rejuvenate the dying fan base with unwavering hustle, unrivaling loyalty, and the addition of Area 55.

A day later, during the draft Larry Bird trades the rights to Jerryd Bayless for Brandon Rush, Josh McRoberts, and Jarrett Jack. Too bad that the Raptors came in and stole Jarrett Jack, because this trade was an absolute steal when you look back on it. While Jerryd Bayless was recently traded to the New Orleans Hornets for showing rare glimpses of brightness, the other side of the coin is much brighter. Josh McRoberts has become a part of a rare breed of intense hustle players who fly around and get blocked shots and can hit the occasional shot, something every team needs.Jarrett has shown incredible leadership and toughness for someone his age and like I said it would've been great if he could've stayed around. Rush has had his ups and downs, finally seems to be getting it (at least on the basketball court). Early in his career he floated around making jump shots and tried not to get in anyones way. Even though we;ve only seen him in one game he was incredibly aggressive and used his talents to the fullest.

The 2009 draft:

Much less active then the year before, Larry Legend goes for the college legend, Tyler Hansbrough. This was a ballsy move. Pretty much the whole world, including myself, thought Larry was crazy for this. He's too slow, he can't jump, he can't shoot. But, everyone forgot one thing that Larry knew..... this guy can flat out play the game. Everyone needs an intense and powerful force on the inside and Hansbrough is a truck. There have been some games that he keeps us in with his smart play and incredible effort. To be honest with everybody, I wanted Earl Clark and look how he's turned out.

The Outcome:

Larry was stuck with a bad team with bad contracts. Many GM's would've tried to make the quick fixes and hope that their fans fill a couple seat. But, Larry Bird wanted a contender. With A LOT of patience Larry has manuvered this team into one of the best situations in the league. He drafted Danny Granger (Beast), Roy Hibbert (Beast), Tyler Hansbrough (Scary man), and Paul George who I feel could be a player like Rudy Gay. He traded for Josh McRoberts (great role player) and got an absolute steal with Darren Collison, who learned a lot from Chris Paul. So with all this talent you would think Larry would've had to take on some horrible contracts... but yet we have over 25 million dollars coming off of the books next year. Not only has Larry's plan worked but it's worked masterfully. So give Larry the credit, because he has upheld his name, as Larry Legend.