Musings of an Old Sportswriter

On IU and the Pacers, Luka-for-AD and Tom Brady, and other stuff...

It used to be that I pulled punches when writing about college sports.

I rarely, if ever, ripped a college player, focusing instead on the coach, uncomfortable with the notion of criticizing young players for poor performance. After all, they were just (sort of) amateurs, playing the game for the glory of old State U, plying their trade for a scholarship to said school. And yes, I hated the idea of local fans booing the players, as has happened in recent weeks down in Bloomington.

Enough pulling punches. From journalists and fans. If you want to boo, boo.

They’re pros now. They make money, lots of it. Especially at IU, where Mike Woodson has ample NIL funds at his disposal and has managed to build the Worst Team Money Could Buy. They’re no longer an extension of the school; they’re mercenaries, Hessians. Most of them are here because IU could pay the most. There’s no depth to the relationship, no real connection to the students and the school. They’re here to do a job, and if we don’t like the job they’re doing, they’re going to get criticized and they’re going to get booed.

I don’t like this team, whether it’s Luke Goode’s impertinent comments about fans (“Don't switch sides when we get this thing turned around”) or Oumar Ballo going after Myles Rice after an ill-advised shot late in the Purdue game; I mean, there’s been a lot of stuff this season, off the court and on. I’m not in the rooting business, but I find it extremely hard to root for this group, which has undeniable talent but has underachieved dramatically. I really wanted Mike Woodson to be successful – we attended IU at the same time and I usually cheer for the old(er) guys – and I like the cool grandpa vibe, but it’s not happening in Bloomington and it’s not going to happen. This team was supposed to compete for a Big Ten title this season, or at least finish in the top 3 in the league.

Two straight years without an NCAA Tournament bid is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable almost anywhere, and it’s certainly unacceptable at IU. Just look at other programs, where new coaches like Pat Kelsey and Dusty May (and many others) have turned the corner after a short period of time.

The crazy thing is, if IU could have pulled out Friday’s game against Purdue, the Hoosiers likely would have moved to the right side of the NCAA bubble. I know it seems outlandish given IU’s desultory record and the fact their biggest win came at Ohio State, but by most accounts, they currently stand on the bubble, just a win or two short of making the tournament. But the schedule gets nasty in coming weeks – at Wisconsin, Michigan at home, at Michigan State, UCLA at home and then Purdue at home. You see a lot of wins in there? I don’t. It’s likely nine Big Ten teams will reach the Tournament. IU isn’t one of them.

There are nine more regular-season games in the Woodson era. Then the Big Ten Tournament. Then…who knows?

Counting down the days…

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I was falling asleep late Saturday night, messing with my phone when a friend texted me:

“Did Shams get hacked?”

He was referring to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who had just reported the seismic Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. I hurried over to X, checked Shams’ timeline, and sure enough…

Incredible.

First time in NBA history two reigning All-NBA players have been traded for one another in midseason.

I don’t see this from the Mavericks’ point of view. They’re unloading a 26-year-old who’s in the prime of his career (and imagine if he was in peak condition) who will accept the mantle from LeBron eventually and put the Lakers on his shoulders. What are the Mavs getting? A 32-year-old player who has had injury issues of his own during his career. Couldn’t they have gotten a bigger haul?

I look at this from the Lakers’ point of view, it’s a great win-later move. I don’t see how LeBron and Luka co-exist, don’t see how a bad Lakers defense gets any better with the defense-averse Doncic, but once LeBron departs from the premises, the Lakers have an alpha who can lead them to future titles. If Luka has an epiphany and starts to take his conditioning seriously, look out, NBA. Even in his current state of puffiness, Doncic is a top-5 player in this league. Beyond that, he is box-office gold, perfect for Tinsel Town.

There had to be a compelling backstory that explains this move. There had to be. What that is, we likely won’t know for some time. But this makes no sense for the Mavericks, who were in the NBA Finals just one year ago.

Why in heavens name didn’t the Mavericks general manager, Nico Harrison, create more of a market and a bidding war for Doncic’s services? Why would he unload Luka, a generational talent, to just one potential suitor? It’s like marrying the first girl who smiles back. Davis, an All-Pro, is a hell of a player. But he’s not a superstar. He’s not generational. Doncic is.

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Just as an aside, I love everything about Matt Painter’s program. Ranked 10^th in the nation, they strike me as a program that could reach the Elite Eight or get knocked out in the early rounds, but it is continually amazing how Painter continues to maintain such a high level. All you need to know is that Painter recruited and landed Braden Smith of Westfield; IU never gave him a sniff. Painter recruits to his culture. At IU, I’m not entirely sure what the basketball culture is.

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Next Sunday, Tom Brady will be the analyst on the Super Bowl, and I’m not excited.

I’ve listened to him a couple of times this year, mostly during the playoffs, and I’ve been completely underwhelmed. Give me Greg Olsen, who did such an amazing job in the top analyst’s spot in previous years. Plus, I despise the idea that Brady has been allowed to broadcast while also being a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s a complete conflict. But the rules don’t apply to certain people.

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I liked the local sports scene better when Butler basketball was relevant. They struggled under LaVall Jordan. They’re struggling now under Thad Matta. He’s supposed to have some good players in the pipeline – it’s certainly too early to start talking about Matta’s job security – but for now, they look like just another overmatched Big East team, as they have been in recent years.

It’s fair, it seems to me, to question whether the Bulldogs should have made the move from the Horizon League and then the Atlantic 10 to the Big East, where they currently have the conference’s smallest basketball budget. Butler has always taken great pride in doing more with less, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re competing with one hand behind your back.

As we’re seeing now.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver floated a trial balloon recently, suggesting the NBA could or should move from four 12-minute quarters to 10. This is a reaction, I would assume, to the fact that NBA ratings have dipped in recent times.

It’s not the answer.

Frankly, I don’t know what the answer is. (And I will not accept “wokeness” as a reason for the decline.)

Today’s game is fueled by analytics, and the analytics tell you to shoot layups or three pointers. Honestly, I don’t mind the modern NBA game. Unlike some of my colleagues in the business, I don’t believe the 3-point shot has diminished the sport. Yeah, it bothers me when a team has a 2-of-1 break and someone pulls up and hoists from three, but that’s how they’re being coached these days.

Shorter quarters, shorter games feel like an overreaction, an over-correction. The pitch clock worked for baseball, but it won’t work here.

This is one trial balloon that needs to go full Hindenburg and crash.

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Don’t look now, but the Indiana Pacers are on absolute fire, winners of 17 of their last 22 games. And for that reason, I’d prefer they don’t make any moves at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Rumors are everywhere, rumors regarding Myles Turner (as always) and Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin, and that makes sense given the fact the Pacers probably need to unload some salary so they can pay Turner and avoid the luxury tax.

The Pacers haven’t been in the luxury tax since 2005, and this seems like the perfect time for Herb Simon, the longest-tenured owner in the league, to loosen the purse strings. How often will his team be this close to contending? (Hint: Never.) In a perfect world, I’d like to keep the current Pacers fully intact. Not only are they winning now – and it helps to have Tyrese Haliburton playing at a high level again – but they continue to have a chance to make another playoff run. Who could have imagined they would learn how to play defense, where they’ve excelled in January?

If I was to move anybody, it would be Jarace Walker, but that doesn’t do the Pacers much good in terms of creating space to pay Turner. And anyway, Walker, a No. 8 pick two years ago, is starting to find his game. The status quo, or something close, works for me.

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Good for Caitlin Clark. She turned down the opportunity to compete in the NBA’s 3-point shooting competition at this year’s game in San Francisco, choosing to wait until this coming summer to take part in the WNBA All-Star game here in Indianapolis. When you’re a rising star, it’s hard to say no to anything, much less an invitation from the NBA, but Clark has smartly managed to protect her sanity by turning down the 3-on-3 league and now the 3-point shooting contest at the NBA All-Star game.

I’ll be honest: I can’t wait until the Fever season starts back up again in May, especially now that the Fever have added three superior players in Natasha Howard, a three-time WNBA champion and defensive stalwart, sharp-shooter Sophie Cunningham and veteran multi-time champion DeWanna Bonner. The Fever have changed our Hoosier summers. Completely. And now the championship window has opened. It’s simple: Any year you have Clark on your roster, you absolutely go for it.

I’m no WNBA expert, but with these moves, it seems to me the Fever are a championship contender alongside Minnesota, Vegas and New York. The time is now.