Paul George Says Cavs Are Eastern Conference “Front-Runners”

It wasn’t long ago that the Indiana Pacers were considered the best team in the NBA. Paul George and company opened the 2013-2014 season a scorching 16-1, leading some to wonder if they had a realistic chance at winning 70 games. But Indy’s dominant play early last season and the wild optimism accompanying it is a memory far, far gone. As 2014-2015 rapidly approaches, consensus is that the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers – led by a fully rehabilitated Derrick Rose and redeemed LeBron James, respectively – are favorites in a suddenly wide open Eastern Conference. George doesn’t disagree, either, recently calling James’ Cavaliers “front-runners.”

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has more on George’s sentiments. With the majority underestimating the Pacers, George says he’s ready to shoulder the burden of trying to prove his team’s doubters wrong.

“With Lance being gone and everyone thinking this is going to be a rebuilding year for us,” Paul George said during Team USA training camp this week, “immediately when LeBron went to Cleveland, that made them the front-runners…”

But the Pacers, with a strong core led by George still in place, are certainly not rebuilding, right?

“People do look at it that way,” George insisted, perhaps even trying to sell it. “I’ve got a lot of pressure and I’m coming into this year and I’m ready to live up to that pressure.”

George is certainly right. Indiana has been something close to an afterthought in sussing out the conference pecking order for 2014-2015, with most assuming LeBron’s presence will vault Cleveland to the top of the East. Chicago will also be improved, of course, and the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors seem primed to take a step forward, too. The Miami Heat could be a more likely playoff team than any listed thus far save for the Cavs and Bulls, while the Brooklyn Nets will be very competitive, as well.

That’s eight solid teams before considering the Pacers. It would be remiss to assume Indiana will have to fight tooth and nail for a postseason berth despite the conference’s collective strength, but it’s also logical to expect regression from the Pacers. Their gradual, in-season downfall was of the most confounding developments in recent regular season history, and Indy lost Lance Stephenson to Charlotte, too.

Even if you take a more measured approach in assessing the Pacers’ previous season by believing they were never actually as bad nor as good as they often appeared, Stephenson’s departure is a sizable blow. The Pacers aren’t only missing an impactful, tone-setting wing defender opposite George, but also their most consistent and effective means of playmaking. The deficiencies losing Stephenson creates aren’t lost on George. He’s confident, however, that free agent signee Rodney Stuckey can help pick up Born Ready’s slack.

“Obviously, I wanted [Stephenson] to come back, we gained so much chemistry together,” George said. “But I didn’t want to make the decision for him…”

“Stuckey is going to be a player that changes his whole career around. He’s a system guy that fits right into what we do. He plays defense, he knows how to play the pick-and-roll. Stuckey is going to step right into [Stephenson’s] role.”

It wasn’t all roses with Indiana and Stephenson, of course. The on- and off- court chemistry issues that plagued the Pacers during their downward spiral last season had as much or more to do with Lance than any other player on the roster. Stephenson’s penchant for stopping the ball on offense often doomed a naturally stagnant Indy team, Roy Hibbert’s “selfish dudes” line was surely aimed his direction, and his general ear-blowing antics no doubt wore thin on the Pacers.

So there’s certainly a trade-off with regard to Stephenson’s absence. Unless George makes enough progress that his play early last season becomes the new normal, though, losing Lance is still a net negative. George, however, plans to do just that.

“The eyes are on me this year,” George said. “I’ve got a lot of pressure and I’m coming into this year ready to live up to that pressure.”

Where will the Pacers rank in the East this season?

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