Kevin Pritchard poised to join the Indiana Pacers front office – NBA Update
Former Portland Trail Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard is all set to join the Indiana Pacers, it has been reported. If the move goes through, it would be the third non-playing personnel appointment, the Pacers have made
in around a week.
Just two days back, the franchise confirmed Frank Vogel as the team’s head coach for next season Brian Shaw as his assistant.
The move for Pritchard however could be much more important in the longer run. Pritchard enjoys a great reputation after his work in turning around the Portland Trail Blazers. Before Pritchard took over as GM of the Trail Blazers
they were nicknamed the “Jail Blazers” and were in all sorts of trouble.
However, Kevin made some shrewd moves in the NBA Drafts and in the trade market to change the fortunes of the side. He manoeuvred to get LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy as well as Greg Oden in the NBA Draft. The latter two players
have been plagued by injuries, but the Trail Blazers still made the playoffs and gave a good account of themselves.
It is believed that if the players brought in by Kevin Pritchard had stayed healthy then the team would have been a major force in the NBA. The executive’s growing popularity did not sit well with the Trail Blazers owner, Paul
Allen, and he was abruptly fired from his post.
Portland’s loss now seems likely to turn into Indiana’s gain as they would be getting a very smart and capable executive in the form of Kevin Pritchard. His role at the franchise has not yet been defined, but it is believed he
will work under the President of Basketball Operations, Larry Bird, and GM David Morway for the time being.
Bird had earlier stated that he does not feel up for the job anymore and revealed that he will continue performing his duties next season because of a request by the owner. He is set to leave once the season ends and analysts have
speculated that Kevin would take over the helm of affairs once Bird is gone. In the meantime, he can acclimatize to the organization with Larry Bird and David Morway performing the majority of functions.
The Pacers have a young team that was shown the door in the first round of the playoffs by the mighty Chicago Bulls. They do, however, possess some potential and if Kevin Pritchard can do the kind of work he did at Portland, then
the Pacers could become a strong contender in the Eastern Conference in the years to come.
Tags: