act-offer-matched-indiana-pacers-191739358–nba.html”>Roy Hibbert, who they just committed 58-million dollars over 4 years to is averaging 8-points with 8-rebounds.

The casual NBA fan can remember it like yesterday, the Indiana Pacers went into halftime of game four of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals with an eight-point lead and were a half of fine basketball away from taking a commanding 3-1 series lead over Lebron James and the Heat. Then, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade channeled their inner selves and the Pacers dropped game four and the entire series.

Now fast forward to this season. The Pacers entered as one of the most feared, young teams in the Eastern Conference. Bringing back the same team that almost took down the Heat and more, adding Gerald Green, a solid backup to Roy Hibbert, Ian Mahinmi, and D.J Augustin who was set to replace Darren Collision in the backcourt.

Everything was in place for the Pacers to make the jump and become an elite team this season.

Although, just before the season got underway Danny Granger, the clear leader of this Pacers club, has not even made it to the floor this season due to left patellar tendinosis, and will not be able to play for at least three months.

With a volatile offseason, the Pacers had to begin playing basketball. The season began with close calls and losses to teams they were expected to beat such as the Bobcats and the Raptors.

The lack of leadership and quality play from their core group of players have led to the Pacers ranking 30^th in points-per-game.

Roy Hibbert, a player that Indiana was banking on to be one of the most feared centers in the league this season, is playing as poor as he has every played. Hibbert is shooting 38% from the field which attributes to his meager 8-points per game. As well 7’ 2” center is grabbing only 8-rebounds which is unacceptable with a player of his stature.

As well, Paul George, who was expected to become a household name this season, has not made the impact that the organization first believed. George is only putting up just under 14-ponts a night with 4-rebounds and assists—not a nightly average of a superstar. Paul George has the potential to carry this Pacers squad, and with the club being in a predicament like the one it is in, this is how it starts for George.

Lastly, the Pacers are missing Darren Collision. D.J Augustin is playing only 13-minutes a game and has been ineffective in that time period, with only 3-points to show for his time played. Collision, who has been replaced by Augustin, played nearly 20 more minutes a night and scored nearly 11-points a night and was a lock down defender committing a steal almost once a night. The trade that got rid of Darren Collision and the signing of D.J Augustin clearly was not as smart as the Pacers originally believed.

The panic mode should be on in Indiana, for they are lacking talent on the floor with the loss of Danny Granger and young players who were thought to be on the verge of joining the elite category this season have not panned out to date.

There is still time to save Indiana’s season as they have only played nine games, but somebody has to step up and lead the team, filling the void that the players who almost took down the Miami Heat have left on this roster. The clock is already ticking on Indiana’s season.