Are Pacers too white? No, all Bird cares about are finding guys who can play
Bird wants players, and any color will do
Posted: July 8, 2009
In Indiana, and in many other parts of the NBA-watching world, it's the giant white elephant in the middle of the room.
Is Pacers president Larry Bird specifically trying to build a team dominated by white players?
It's an uncomfortable question to ask in these politically correct days, but how do you ignore a roster that includes Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, Travis Diener, Jeff Foster and now, first-round pick Tyler Hansbrough?
In a league where little more than 10 percent of the players are white Americans, the Pacers roster is racially split down the middle, making them one of the whitest teams in the league.
"I don't see race at all," Bird said recently. "I know a lot of it comes out of the brawl (in 2004 at Detroit), people think Indiana has to get all white guys, but I don't buy any of that. I played in Boston, where it didn't matter who came in or who left, it was who helped us win. (Late Celtics coach and architect) Red (Auerbach) never saw color. And I don't, either. I just pick them. If we hadn't taken Tyler Hansbrough, it would have been Ty Lawson. And if I could have gotten another pick (later in the first round), I would have taken Sam Young or Wayne Ellington."
There is the perception, fueled in part by local and national sports talk shows, that because the Pacers imploded after the brawl and had several other off-court embarrassments that involved a select few black players, they're overcompensating by stocking the roster with white players they perceive (and their fans perceive) to be choirboys. This overlooks the fact that since Bird got involved in the draft process, eight of the 10 Pacers draftees have been black.
Feel free to question Bird's judgment as a basketball executive, and there's plenty to question (see the empty 2006 draft of Shawne Williams and James White). But don't question the motivation behind his choices. If anybody understands that race doesn't matter, it's Bird.
In some ways, the Pacers president is still held hostage by some of the comments he made to Jim Gray in a 2004 ESPN roundtable discussion. Asked if the NBA would benefit from having more white stars (specifically white American stars), Bird answered:
"Well, I think so. I think so. You know when I played you had me and Kevin (McHale) and some others throughout the league. I think it's good for a fan base because, as we all know, the majority of the fans are white America. And if you just had a couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited . . ."
How is that different than saying that Major League Baseball needs more black stars? Or that the NBA needed a Chinese-born star to open that huge market?
Bird also caught heat for saying that as a player, he was insulted whenever a white player tried to guard him. To this day, he still feels that way. Strongly.
Whatever you think of the statement, does that sound like a guy who thinks so highly of white players, he would go out of his way to trade for, sign and draft them? Think about it.
"I say what I say and however people take it, they take it," he said. Then he paused. "People are still trying to figure out how a kid from French Lick, Indiana, made it to the NBA and played his ass off and won, and took no (bleep) off anybody. There are always people out there."
At one point in our conversation, I tossed out the supposition that Hansbrough, whose selection was partially jeered on draft night in Indianapolis, is the victim of reverse racial profiling.
Bird didn't bite, but here's my theory: When a white player is drafted (particularly a white American), we immediately think of the many famous white busts throughout history. I'll admit it: When I heard Hansbrough's name, I had a Rick Robey flashback. It could have been Scott Haskin. Or Joe Wolf. Or, more recently, Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick.
The truth is, if we had looked at Hansbrough's resume without seeing his picture, we'd have slotted him as a certain top-10 pick. When Bird looks at his No. 13 selection, he sees a player in the mold of former Boston great Dave Cowens.
"I hear people say how (Tyler) lacks athleticism," Bird said. "All I know is he can run, he can jump and he can score. He stayed in college four years, so that gave people more time to analyze and pick apart his game, but he's going to do very well in this league."
Hansbrough had a terrific summer league debut Monday.
"All these idiots out there, just wait until (Hansbrough) starts playing," Bird said. "Then they'll say, 'Oh, I see that now. I never saw that before.' Just wait."
In the end, it's not about black and white, but the bottom line is printed in black and white.
Wins and losses.
And nothing else matters.
