Mailbag Time...

You have questions about Tyrese Haliburton, the IU football team and Chris Ballard's future, and I have answers...

Mailbag time…

With all the injuries, it will be hard to assess the Pacers for several weeks. But do you make any connection between the seeming lack of effort and the fact that every eligible contributor got paid with very big $$$ within the past year? Human nature and what not.

They have been unwatchable, and when Haliburton has time to interview Obama but can’t even hit the rim on some of his shots, at least one fan wonders whether prosperity has injected a loss of focus.

Murray

It’s a perfectly reasonable conclusion to reach but having been around Tyrese and these guys for some time now, I just don’t think they’re built that way. While it’s true you never know how athletes will respond once they get the bag, I genuinely feel like Haliburton will be fine, and we’ve started to see that the last two, three games. I thought he looked the best he’s looked all year on Monday night against New Orleans. Not only was he making his 3’s, but he was aggressive taking the ball to the basket. I honestly don’t know what was wrong or what is currently wrong with Tyrese. Not sure if it’s an injury or lack of confidence or something else, but he obviously hasn’t been right. We’ll know whether he’s back – like, REALLY back – if he goes on the road and plays the way he’s been playing this last week. That’s been the issue: The home/road splits have been shocking, to say the least.

All of that said, I can totally understand the concern about Haliburton. We’ve seen weird things happen with Pacers stars in recent years, specifically Victor Oladipo and Paul George. But I don’t see that happening with Haliburton. Why he’s struggled, I’m not sure. It seems like it’s got to be injury-related, but it’s not serious enough to sit him down or limit his minutes. Honestly, I think a lot of it is in his head. Is he trying too hard to justify his paycheck? Maybe so.

As for the Pacers at large, the early schedule was a bear, so it didn’t completely surprise me that they started off slowly. Throw in the injuries to Isaiah Jackson, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard and James Wiseman -- that’s a lot of talent, a lot of depth. The good news is, the Pacers’ schedule softens significantly, so at 8-10, they really ought to get back to .500 in due time.

Hey Bob, in your last "Musings" column regarding the Lions game, you wrote: "This organization is tired. It’s stale. And the fanbase Sunday expressed their growing anger with their pocketbooks." I agree, and being the big Colts fan I am, this really bums me out. With your experience being around the team/organization as much as you are, IS Irsay listening? What's going on with him anyway? Does anyone know? He is aged waaaay beyond his years (stay away from drugs, kids) and I wonder what the near future--or just simply 'the future'-- looks like with this team and his leadership. I've been going to games regularly since the 80's and this feels different. It should feel exciting, fun and hopeful (kinda like after the Jets win) and after Sunday's loss in front of so many Lions fans, it certainly does not. I also know his daughters are involved (we see one of them on the sidelines during games) so are they preparing for a change soon? "Bye bye Ballard" seems to be what needs to happen, but also maybe "bye bye Jim" ...? Thanks so much for all you do, big fan of yours as well.

Keith

Let me answer one question you posed in the middle of your note: Jim Irsay is not giving up control of the team to his daughters as long as he’s alive. His daughters, specifically Carlie, are preparing for the day when they take over, but that won’t happen as long as he’s around. The Colts are everything to Jim. Now, is Irsay listening as all those Lions fans are taking over Lucas Oil Stadium? I feel like he has no choice but to notice. That was an embarrassing situation. That reflected badly on the organization. Will it impact his decision on whether to retain Ballard? I’ve got to think it will, and it should.

Honestly, I don’t know what Jim is thinking these days; we haven’t had a heart-to-heart in a very long time. I said this at the beginning of the season: If the Colts fail to make the playoffs, and they’re a longshot now, Ballard should be sent packing. I continue to say that now.

Thanks Bob.. why is the local market blacked out on 1 of the 4 Sunday games..???

-we never get 2 games at 1:00, AND 2 games at 4:15….

Even if there were 2 games televised at 1:00, with the Colts one of them… still just 1 at 4:15.

I keep expecting to see “Heidi”. IYKYK.

Melissa

True story: I saw the “Heidi” game when I was a young boy. I grew up in New York, so one afternoon, we were watching the Jets-Raiders game when the channel flipped to “Heidi” and everybody went nuts. As for your question, that’s the way it is in every market. It’s not an Indianapolis thing, trust me. You get the Colts game at 1 and the two games at 4:15. That’s normal. If you want to see all the games, get the Sunday Ticket. It’s your only alternative. Well, you could go to your local sports bar.

Hi Bob, love your Substack. My question is: Is it time for us to start panicking about the Pacers? Not sure what team we’re watching out there. Are there any big moves you think we could/should make?

Render Thomas

I should mention, I received these notes before the start of this current four-game homestand, so they’ve started playing a bit better in recent days. I’ve never thought they were in any kind of trouble even with the uneven start. And look around the Eastern Conference – aside from the Celtics and Cavaliers, nobody has begun to run away with things. Even at 8-10 (heading into Wednesday’s game), the Pacers are the seventh seed. I have every confidence that as Haliburton finds his way and the Pacers get healthier come December, they’ll finish close to the top four or five in the conference. Just got to be patient.

Less a question than a proposal for you to react to: How about Carlisle sits Haliburton for a couple or three games? And not any BS phantom injury stuff -- it goes in the books as DNP-CD. Tell him up front what you're doing, and why. His +/- score the last few games says he doesn't deserve to be on the floor. Contrast his effort level with Quentin Jackson's. Hali clear needs some kind of mental kick the pants. I imagine the shame of being an All-NBA player who gets benched could do the trick.

Too harsh? Or just not feasible in the modern NBA?

Christopher Lloyd

Film Yap

Again, this was sent along prior to the last three games, when Haliburton played exceedingly well, especially against the Pelicans. No, I don’t think a benching will do the trick, nor would it make any sense. This is your resident superstar, a max player, and you give him every opportunity to play his way out of his most recent slump (he struggled at times late last year, too). Benching him seems awfully punitive, and I’m not sure it would benefit anybody. This isn’t an Anthony Richardson situation.

Quick Question- If the Colts don’t make the playoffs and Ballard doesn’t get fired in your opinion does that mean that Irsay just doesn’t care about the team and results anymore? It seems like he took pride in the team but now is ok with mediocrity and dysfunction- thanks for reading.

Paul K

We’re going to find out, it seems to me. At season’s end, it’ll be eight full years since Ballard took the reins. In that time, his team has failed to win an AFC South title and has made the playoffs just twice, winning one game. That’s a lifetime in the National Football League. The question, ultimately, is whether Irsay is happy enough having Ballard toe the line on the budget while maintaining mediocrity. Again, it’s been a minute since I’ve had a conversation with Irsay, so I’m not sure where his head is at these days. Back in the day, he wouldn’t have stood for this, but times and circumstances, namely his health situation, have changed. Is he committed the way he once was? I don’t know the answer to that, but if the Colts fall short of the playoffs, we’ll know where he stands when he makes a decision on Ballard.

What’s your take on Butler Basketball?

Did you hear about the new NIL legislation coming soon? $22M to divvy up, 75% goes to football.

Blackwing Manual

I’d be lying if I said I know a ton about Butler’s basketball team. I’ve only seen them play once so far this season. From what I can gather, they are severely lacking at the point guard position and are likely headed for another season in the middle or lower tier of the Big East pack. More and more, I wonder if the move to the Big East made sense for the Bulldogs. Their basketball budget is roughly 30 percent lower than the average Big East hoops budget which, in this world of NIL, puts them at a significant disadvantage. If you want to compete with the big boys – as IU has in football with their most recent moves – you’ve got to spend like the big boys. And Butler is not inclined, and perhaps unable, to spend the kind of necessary to compete in one of the best conferences in the nation.

Before the season media and fans were bullish on a Richardson/Taylor combination in the backfield. I can't remember a single game they dominated. What went wrong? Do you think this might show itself in the remaining games?

Ron Bielke

Hasn’t happened, has it? Clearly, JT puts up better numbers with Anthony Richardson behind center than Joe Flacco, although the last two, three weeks have been largely unproductive in the rush game. But you’re right. This ought to be a Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry or Jalen Hurts-Saquon Barkley type of thing, but it hasn’t been. Now, the Colts have been beat up on the offensive line, having recently started three rookie O-linemen, so that’s got to have a significant impact. Right now, Taylor doesn’t look like a back who’s making $14 million a year (still not sure why the Colts capitulated and paid him), but I think a lot of that is related to the injuries along the O-line. But you’re right, this should be a much more explosive combination.

1. Historic parallels of IU football program turn around in one year.

2. What does Coach Painter do differently to find success? If recruiting little known talent and growing them was easy why does not everyone do it?

3. Can pacers build on last year? Better defense and rebounding? What early clues will tell us if those lessons have been learned and implemented?

David

To answer your questions in order:

1) There are plenty of historic parallels, the most notable coming in 2022, when TCU went from 5-7 to 13-2. In 2005, UCF (Central Florida) went from 0-11 to 8-5. In 2011, Houston went from 5-7 to 13-1. There are lots of examples, and there will be more examples as NIL changes the landscape of college sports and makes it possible to turn around a program in just one year. That’s why Purdue’s decline with Ryan Walters is so hard to stomach; teams are routinely turning things around in one or two years. This will be Walters’ second year, and Purdue might be the worst team in the nation. Does he survive this season? In the past, I would have said, “It’s only been two years.” But in today’s game, two years is a lifetime.

2) It’s amazing to think that Purdue has successfully recruited just one McDonald’s All-American during Painter’s time in West Lafayette. (It was Caleb Swanigan, for the record.) They rarely use the transfer portal. They routinely red-shirt their players. Thus far, they’ve been able to retain most of their players. It’s just a well-coached, well-organized program. Yeah, they lost a lot from last year’s team, notably Zach Edey, but you watch, they’ll finish in the top three of the Big Ten. (Not sure the same can be said for IU, which has the talent but is currently, as I write, getting run off the floor in The Bahamas by unranked Louisville.)

3) When the season began, I thought they could be a better rebounding team, but losing the two big guys (Jackson and Wiseman) is going to make that a challenge. Myles Turner does a lot of things well and should be appreciated for what he’s brought to this team and this city, but he’s never going to be a great rebounder. As for defense, it’s hard to say what they’re going to look like with their two best on-ball defenders, Nembhard and Nesmith, out of the lineup until probably December.

What do you make of IU placing 10^th in the College Football Playoff last night?

Allan

I thought they finished exactly where I thought they would. Tenth is just about right. You lose to Ohio State by a fairly healthy margin, you deserve to fall a couple of spots. So here’s where it stands, in my view: As long as IU beats Purdue in one-sided fashion, the Hoosiers are safe. If they struggle – I don’t see how that could happen, but weird things happen in rivalry games – then turn your attention to Clemson and South Carolina. If Clemson wins (and IU struggles), I could see how the committee might make a case to move Clemson up to IU’s spot. So they’re on the edge, but it’s simple: Do what you’re supposed to do against Purdue, you’re in the big tournament.