Indiana Pacers News

Pacers Links: Pacers make Granger trade official, time to move on and get ready to win games

The Pacers have a much-needed off day to welcome Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen to the team and start the process of revamping their playing rotation for the remainder of the season.

By Tom Lewis@IndyCornrows Feb 21, 2014, 7:00am EST

/ new

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Late Thursday evening, the Pacers finally released their official announcements on trading Danny Granger, releasing Orlando Johnson to acquire Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen. The timing of the deadline worked out well for the Pacers with an extra day off to bring in the new faces and move on to Milwaukee for their game Saturday as a full squad.

That trip to Milwaukee will be different for the new and old faces on the roster, alike. The veteran voice of Danny Granger is no longer in the mix. But it is time to move on to the next phase of chasing a championship for this team. The goodbyes to Granger were heartfelt, including this public farewell from Paul George, but Larry Bird's evening salute to Granger signaled the emotional day was officially over.

"We thank Danny for his eight-and-a-half seasons with us and we appreciate everything he did for us in his time here," said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "We felt we needed to make this trade to strengthen the core unit and our bench. In Evan and Lavoy, we think we got two really good players that can help us and we look forward to what they can bring."

The sense of urgency and effort to push the Pacers toward a championship this year, is palpable from recent comments and moves made by Larry Bird. In fact, I just hope all of the players share that same urgent drive to get it done. They talk like they do, but recently there's been too many "meh" moments on the court. No doubt part of making these moves by Bird is to shake some of these young guys and clarify the mission -- championship or bust.

One thing is certain, the dynamic has changed for the Pacers and that could be a great thing, a good thing or a bad thing. But it sure is going to be fun to see how it all plays how.

Check out the links:

Pacers Acquire Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS

Pacers Make Tough Decision to Move Granger | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS

Danny Granger's Career Highlights | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS

Orlando Johnson Career Gallery | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS

Paul George farewell to Danny Granger - Instagram

Turner bolsters Pacers’ bench — for now - 1070 The Fan

Granger-Turner deal benefits Pacers now, in future - Indy Star

Philadelphia 76ers show how to trade your best players and win - SBNation.com

NBA trades: A list of deals completed before the 2014 deadline - SBNation.com

Bird’s Famous Fire Drives Pacers’ Granger-Turner Trade " Hang Time Blog with Sekou Smith | NBA.com

The 2014 NBA Trade Deadline Emoji Rating System - SBNation.com