INDIANAPOLIS -- The justification of Miles Plumlee began Thursday night and continued at a press conference Friday as the Indiana Pacers explained their reasoning for investing the No. 26 pick in the NBA Draft on a player whose body of work at Duke University did little to merit that selection.
The last first-rounder of Larry Bird's career as team president may well have been the biggest gamble. Not only did the Pacers leave more highly regarded big men Perry Jones of Baylor and Arnett Moultrie of Mississippi State on the board, they invested in a player who has proven more impressive in workouts and practices than in live action throughout his career.
Small wonder fan reaction to the pick was overwhelmingly critical, as was the initial wave of draft evaluations in the national media.
"I got booed off the stage for my first pick (as a new general manager in 1986), which was Chuck Person. He was rookie of the year," said Donnie Walsh, who has returned to the franchise as Bird's replacement as team president. "It was because people didn't really know him. And I got booed for Reggie Miller (in 1987), who turned out to be a pretty good player.
"So from that experience I don't usually take too much from what the reaction immediately is. It takes time for people to see a player play and fit in with the team. We're confident when that happens their reactions will change."
Coach Frank Vogel suggested Thursday night fans "trust Larry Bird's track record," in essence suggesting the need to take a leap of faith.
In his four drafts as the team President, Bird proved committed to his plan of not only restocking talent but revamping culture while patiently clearing cap space one contract at a time. But his record wasn't quite spotless.
In 2008, he made two huge trades.
In the first, he acquired No. 17 pick Roy Hibbert from Toronto (along with T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic) in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal and No. 41 pick Nathan Jawai. O'Neal made six All-Star teams in eight seasons with the Pacers but as his body began to break down, so did his productivity and he carried a crippling max contract. The gem was Hibbert, a hugely undervalued big man who has developed into an All-Star center -- ironically on the verge of something close to a max contract.
In the second trade, he picked up Brandon Rush in a lottery pick swap that sent Jerryd Bayless to Portland. This was basically a push as neither player became a star but both developed into solid role-players.
In 2009, he rolled the dice.
In selecting Tyler Hansbrough with the No. 13 pick, Bird bypassed one of the strongest crops of point guard prospects in years, leaving Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague (not to mention Darren Collison) on the board in favor of the North Carolina legend. Hansbrough has had flashes but been inconsistent and faces something of a make-or-break year while Holiday, Lawson and Teague all are promising starters on playoff teams. Snagging A.J. Price in the second round was a bonus, but did not compensate for letting bigger talents get away.
In 2010, he hit a home run.
Getting Paul George with the 10th pick already has proven a steal. George has star-quality talent and appears in the verge of a breakthrough. He was at worst the fourth-best player in that draft and there was not a single other player on the board at the time that would've presented a better option. Consider: the No. 11 pick was Cole Aldrich.
In 2011, he traded again.
At the time, the deal with San Antonio for George Hill looked lopsided. Not only were the Pacers acquiring one of the more promising young guards in the league from a team with a winning culture, the cost seemed minimal. But No. 15 pick Kawhi Leonard emerged as a starter and helped the Spurs to the best record in the Western Conference. This was still a win but not the blowout it first appeared.
Which brings us to 2012, Plumlee and second-round acquisition Orlando Johnson.
Bird believes Plumlee could become a Jeff Foster clone, which would be a major bonus for the Pacers. Others see a significantly lower ceiling based on career averages of 4.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in four seasons at Duke.
"Whether we get graded A or we get graded F that's not the important thing today," said General Manager Kevin Pritchard. "What's really important is where we are this year, next year and three years during this kid's career."
If Bird proves right, the selection of Plumlee only will add to his legacy and help the Pacers grow into an elite contender. If not, the landing from that leap of faith will prove painful.
