Closer They Are to Wall

LeBron James is such a singular player that it's strange to speak of him as a test case. But in a sense, he was. James was a player who frequently made us question all we knew about the universe, or at least basketball; his role as "savior" was both more literal and more high-flown than any draft pick -- especially one so young -- in recent memory. That his game regularly blew our collective mind only added to this mystique. You don't get called a "messiah" without offering up a regular dose of revelation.

But enough slobbering. The LeBron James story did work out, and in John Wall, we have the first player since then who has really captured the draftnoscenti's imagination like James. I am not discounting Greg Oden and Kevin Durant; however, there were questions about each of them, and their informal competition for the number one spot became the real story. Like James, or the cheese, Wall stands alone. And if you think teams aren't clamoring for a chance to nab a player who, symbolically, is James redux, you're absent your temporal lobe.

That's how you end up with column like the latest Mike Wells offering in The Indianapolis Post. It's called "John Wall: The Ultimate Consolation Prize," but the title's misleading. In fact, it kicks off with a fiery paean to the Kentucky supra-talent, then reminds readers that when the lowly Nets come to town, their permanent midnight in the standings means they're also on the verge of a Wall-ian epiphany. Totally gnostic, I know.

How to bring it all back to the Pacers, a disappointing team that at its best, is near the bottom of the East's playoff crop? Wells gets out the mixed message, and he does so hard. Several sections of this column read like "The Playoffs: The Ultimate Consolation Prize." The Nets are bad, but no lottery is guaranteed. So there. Wall is in the picture. But the lottery is, well, a gamble.

Pacers fans are torn. Many celebrate victories and hope for the playoffs. Others realize every loss helps their lottery odds. They would rather see the Pacers tank than sneak into the playoffs or, worse, just miss like the three previous seasons, and land another draft pick in the mid-teens.

As tempting and franchise-altering as winning the lottery and first shot at Wall might be, those associated with the team -- from president Larry Bird on down -- are chasing another prize: the playoffs.

There are teams far worse than the Pacers, far closer to the Nets in terms of lottery probability. Read another way, there are teams that have far less of a chance of going on a run that lands them in the postseason. What makes Indiana's position so difficult is they're really stuck in the middle. Making the playoffs would require a real shot in the arm; getting close enough to Wall so they can cook burgers on his aura would require something like tanking, or at least a major slide. It's an untenable position for a franchise, especially this year. Not even mediocre, the Pacers are hovering between good-bad and bad-good.

What's more, the roster itself just screams duality. Danny Granger is a stud, vastly underrated, suddenly facing the possibility of wasted prime. Would he ever demand a trade? Troy Murphy is suddenly a valuable commodity around the league. Roy Hibbert is a young big man who, with the right attention, could be a force. Mike Dunleavy is paid a lot and capable of much; he needs to either disappear or saddle up and ride alongside Granger.

But that's a lot to worry about, and don't forget, the coach is still Jim O'Brien. What it easier to believe in, this mottled team working out all its kinks and stumbling down the path of the righteous -- or a gentle stasis that lands the team within earshot of the ultimate future?