Father Time catches up to all of us. There's no particular year, no particular month, no particular day thats written in stone. It just happens. One day Father Time creeps up like a thief in the night, puts his hands on you, and on that day you realize you're getting older and your generation has passed. I remember clearly when that day was for me.

Before I share that day with you, let me tell you a little about BigBlackRichard. I'm a big guy, always been big. Despite my size I'm a pretty nimble guy. I could play some roundball. Not on a pro level, hell, not even on an NAIA level; but on the playground I could always hold my own. Down low, BigBlackRichard could get some work done. Rebounding, posting, and punishing was my skill set. I brought my son up having a no mercy attitude with him on the court. Block his shot at 6 years old? Yep! Throw a little elbow at him with a post move when he was 10? Yep! Lay him on his a@# when he was going to the basket at 15? You know I did! That brings me to the day I knew I was thru.

Three summers ago, my son is 19 years old. It was my first time out that year to play. We shoot for ball and he wins. Top of the key, I check the ball to him, he grabs it and blows by me like my feet were nailed to the court. As I stood there at the foul line watching him finish, I did the only thing that any self respecting father would do. I grabbed my hammy and faked an injury! I even had a fake limp going for a week to try and sell it. He had never beat me and I wasn't gonna let it happen. I told him I would heal up and we would play again. I never played him again and never will. I'm retiring on top! If I ever play him again, I won't be on top anymore. I am old, I can't do it anymore, my generation is a thing of the past. Of course I will always look back on my generation fondly. I will swear to my children and grandchildren that it was the greatest generation ever because it was mine. Not too many things remind me of the heroes of my generation, but we have a young Pacer who does.

Paul Georges game is sick! Smooth, explosive, skilled, and appears effortless. When I see him on the court I can squint my eyes and see George Gervin pouring in 40, Dr J dunking in Bill Waltons face, the Pacers winning yet another ABA championship. Oh the fond memories of the greatest generation :) After being inspired by the Pacers recent retro ABA uniforms I realized Paul is only missing one thing. The Superfly fro.

Sport the doo PG, grow it out and pick it out. Your game is 70's retro, you need the look that matches. The good lord knows you have the hairline for it. Do it for my generation. The generation that helped make the NBA the above the rim game it is today, the generation that brought you the 3 point line, the generation that brought the players your game is molded after.

I would like to start a petition for Paul to "sport the fro." If you would like to see it as well, post here and make your desire known....Finally I'll leave for your entertainment a couple videos of some of my childhood heroes (who Georges game reminds me of), and a classic 70's basketball song. Thank you Pacers nation

Julius "Dr J" Erving

George "Ice Man" Gervin

Paul George rookie highlights. It's a little eerie how much Pauls game reminds me of these two.

Cheech and Chongs "Basketball Jones." I read a comment below that this was a racists video. It's not. Keep in mind this was made in the early 70's. It's Cheech and Chong and they wanted it to be funny. EVERYONE in this video looks silly. White men, black men, Asian men, they all look silly. Believe me, BigBlackRichard would not post ANYTHING that was racists in any way.

I think these guys need a nickname, kind of like the Clippers are called Lob City. Maybe like The Naptown Brawlers or something like that to describe their defense. What do you guys think? Any ideas? I also think we need to give Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and George Hill a nickname, Danny is "Street Ball Nation", David West is "the 17ft. Assassin", Tyler is "Psycho T", and Lance is "Born Ready". I heard a sportscaster on ESPN call Paul "King George", I like that a lot. We are known for our love of basketball but fans in other cities seem to show more pride in their teams I feel. We need atmosphere at the Fieldhouse like we have in IU or Purdue. We should be the loudest crowd in the NBA and show these guys how proud we are of them.

I think we all need to give some props to Brian Shaw. No doubt in my mind that Paul George's latest surge has a lot to do with our new assistant. With Shaw's experience with a superstar level scorer in Kobe, I bet he as really put in some good work with PG. I think Shaw was probably the best offseason pickup we made as a matter of fact. The coaching changes have been way overlooked. West and Hill are great. Really think West is bringing some solid leadership and toughness with his Grown Man moves and such. The coaches though.....You can just see the their message oozing out of the players every game. TEAM.....REBOUND....DEFENSE.....OPEN MAN......WIN........Props to Vogel, Shaw, Burke, and Boylen. Blue collar is back in business!

Hi guys, I'm new to the blog and this is my first fan post. I'm a huge Indiana Pacers fan from San Diego.

Anyway, what do you think of the Pacers going after JR Smith once he finished his contract with Chinese Basketball League? With George Hill out indefinitely, I really think we need another option to come off the bench. Born Ready to me is just not the type of player that will give us a scoring punch, and I just can't trust him with all his dribbling and turnovers. GH might be out somewhere between 3-6 weeks, which is a very LONG time. We can sign Smith for the rest of the season and see if it pans out maybe we can offer him midlevel exception this offseason. I know he is a little bit of a head case, but with Frank Vogel and Brian Shaw at the helm I think they can get him under control. The question is wil he sign with us, being a small market team. But with our talent and expectations this year, I think we are a fairly attractive destination for free agents. I think signing Smith will be a huge upgrade on the bench and once we get GH back, then I think the East will be ours to lose.

according to cbssports while our next opponent, the Mavs, are contenders. Here's something for the Pacers to think about before the game. Pretenders vs. contenders tonight.

Note: Philly is considered a contender in that article. I think we could have beaten them in Philly if we had Granger and Hill at that time. We also have a better road record and tougher schedule than the 76ers so far so at least in my books, we should at least be recognized like them.

The Bulls were excluded from the list as well as Heat and Thunder. I am assuming that the writer has considered those 3 contenders as would anyone with an iota of NBA knowledge. Well, we beat the Bulls in Chicago. We lost to Miami but I think that game was an exception. No way they will beat us like that again. Their offense was clicking and our defense was sleeping. We have yet to play OKC but I think we can at least give them a good fight. But even as of now, we have already shown that this team is for real and not just for this year but also for years to come provided this team stays intact and plays unselfish offense and great defense.

Indiana Pacers

I want to believe. I really do. The Pacers are a fun team and their resurgence over the past two seasons has been something else. David West was a nice addition and Roy Hibbert is playing really well. They've built up their resume with some good wins over the past couple weeks, but I don't see how they improved in the area that killed them last postseason -- fourth quarter execution. Danny Granger is a good player but can't shoulder the load of getting tough, key baskets in crunchtime. I can't see them beating the Bulls, Heat or even 76ers.

Verdict: PRETENDER

Dallas Mavericks

It appears the championship hangover is finally wearing off. But for a while there, the defending champs had us concerned. They looked flat, uninterested and worst of all, not as good after losing J.J. Barea, Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson. But the Mavs are finding their form a bit and if Lamar Odom can ever finally wake up, Dallas goes eight deep with a nice rotation. And as long as that tall German guy is on the roster, they're a tough matchup for anyone.

Verdict CONTENDER

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/34654252

Is there some way we can get the Pacers to keep these uniforms all season. They are so sick. I haven't wanted to wear Pacer's gear in years. I've felt halfway ashamed to wear blue and yellow as a combination for the past few years lol. Not that I wasn't a fan. I just usually don't go all out on rocking team colors if my team is doing terrible. Shirt here and there maybe. Like I'm a Cubs fan, and I have several shirts. But Unless I'm AT the game, you won't see me sporting any Jerseys anywhere. This is a slick look for the Pacers though. Given our new identity and respect level, I think it only fitting to have a new look. Even thought it is an "old look". I mean obviously they are newer fitting versions of the ABA jerseys. I really dig them though. I think they really like playing in them too though. They have been really energetic the past few games I think.

Hey guys just read on one of the websites that Indiana may have moved to the top of the list in inquiring the big man. Looks like Indy would take Kaman and his 9.3 million salary straight up as a back up to big Roy. 9 million not 14million I guess because it is prorated or some NBA rule. I haven't seen much of Kaman, form what I have read he is a pick and pop guy. So...what do you guys think?!?!?!

Here's what he according to Mike Wells. Bulletin board material.

“I’ve said all along I’ve never liked the Pacers,” Love said. “I guarantee the next time we play them it will be just as physical.”

Love wasn’t done talking about the Pacers.

“They’re so tough,” he said. “They take those pills and they’ve got all that toughness. I don’t know where that comes from. They all think they’re tough guys. I just don’t know where that comes from. That just blows my mind. They’re all tough. And it makes me laugh.”

The Timberwolves visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 16.

Kmart is back and he is looking for a place to stay. Obviously, we need front court help. Question is, do we need the added baggage that goes with Martin ( I heard he can be a headcase). Other than the baggage, I am assuming he is in mid-season form. He can definitely help out in the 4 spot and even play some 5 against small teams. I am also assuming he will be cheaper than Kaman in which case, will give us more money to sign Wilson Chandler when he eventually returns.

Personally, I really am not sure about this but it seems we don't have much to lose by signing him anyway. We have roster spots and if things don't work out, we can trade him eventually.

What say you, guys?

I was looking at the trades that ESPN analysts have been putting together for Dwight Howard. The Bulls seems to be a popular flavor of the week. The Nets would supposedly give up Lopez, Marshon Brooks, and 4 1st Rounders. Yes, I said 4. Boston may even be on the list.

The Clippers you say? Would you give up the most exciting player in the league in Blake Griffin for the second most exciting player? No, I didn't think so. The Knicks? Well, they just signed Chandler, and they can't even find a way to get two star players to play together. What makes you think Howard would work there.

So, let's see what are Howard's requests? He wants to be a contender. He wants a team. He wants a quality system. He's a good kid. He likes people. He would fit in with Vogel and the Pacers. I love Hibbert. And he's been playing really well. But, what if we got Howard. Would he do this trade?

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6s6n2ml