LOL, if you knew anything about basketball you would know the Pacers are hardly the worst time in the league. There are tons of teams with worse records and worse situations. The worst team in the league is reserved for the Knicks for at least another 5 years.

Alright, you may have thought you were on a roll with all these posts but this one is pretty much lame. You got to put a little more effort into making posts...don't just create a topic for any thing in your head.

The NBA is a bunch of thugs?...But the NFL is the league where the players are actually shooting at people (Marvin?) and getting banned from the league (PacMan). How soon we forget Doss shot up a club in Dayton, while a Colt...or when Rhoades got caught drunk driving as a Colt?

Give the NBA a break...this was the best year the NBA has had in ages...very competitive basketball and some great stars are emerging. The Pacers should be really fun to watch this year, and I expect them to be back in the playoffs.

Yeah, hardly. There is a LOT of hate for the Pacers these days, and much of it is deserved, but I don't think lumping them all in the same category is really very productive, and it's really just piling on when they're down.

It is definitely NOT about records or scores. Yes, the NFL has their share of Thugs too. However, in the overall picture the NBA is the worst major sports organization when it comes to players breaking the rules.

It is about character, class, love of the game and integrity. Does the NBA have players who exemplify these traits? Sure they do. But I am at a loss to name more than a handful.

The fact is, NBA players are in it for the money more than anything else. I am not against a guy making a buck, but if you are going to play a game for a living and, in turn, become a role model, whether you like it or not, then you need to act in a certain way. NBA players tend to go the opposite way.

Instead of showing class and acting truly grateful for what they have been given, by God and the NBA, they run around acting like a bunch of gangstas! The level of self-entitlement in these players is almost beyond belief.

The bottom line is this: the players need to quit looking at the scoreboard and the bottom line as the only two reasons for the game to exist. Instead, let's see some real heart, some real class and some real thankfulness that they never had to become accountants or ditch diggers in order to pay the bills.

Trade em away Larry - Trade em away!

FROM WTHR-13 NEWS

My point about these guys appears to be holding true. Is Williams a thug? A wannabe thug? Or just stupid? Go to WTHR and read this article - that way you can look at the comment thread. I am not alone in my thoughts about the Pacers and the NBA......

Pacers' Williams involved in Carmel traffic stop

Updated: July 19, 2008 07:34 PM EDT

Video Gallery

Friend of Pacer arrested 2:11

Shawne Williams

Darrell Smith, Jr.

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Cat Andersen/Eyewitness News

Carmel - Police in Hamilton County made a traffic stop Friday on a car driven by a much-maligned Pacers player.

Shawne Williams was behind the wheel when police stopped him for window tinting and a seatbelt violation on 96th Street. During the stop, a police dog sniffed out marijuana, leading to the arrest of a passenger, 21-year-old Darrell Smith, Jr. of Memphis, Tennessee.

While Smith was taken to the Hamilton County Jail for possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana, Williams was not arrested or cited.

It wasn't the first run-in with police for Williams and his associates. Last September, he was arrested with a passenger, Gary Bohanon of Tennessee, when a traffic stop uncovered marijuana and a stolen handgun in Williams' SUV.

"I got to watch who I hang with," Williams said after that arrest.

Less than six months later, Bohanon was arrested again, this time near Williams' home on the north side, while driving Williams' truck. At that time, Bohanon was wanted for a murder in Tennessee. Williams was not arrested in connection with the Tennessee homicide, but the association was enough for Pacers president Larry Bird to make a statement.

"We've got to be very clear about this. We don't want our players hanging around with murderers," Bird said in February of this year. "It's time to grow up, it's time to be a man. You said you were going to just make sure these people don't come around."

Last month, before the NBA Draft, Bird again referenced Williams, warning that character counts.

"They're on thin ice. I've had enough," he said.

The Pacers issued a statement late Saturday, in light of the latest incident involving Williams.

"While Shawne Williams was not involved in any arrest or any criminal wrongdoing, we are extremely upset and hugely disappointed he once again has put himself in a position that jeopardizes Shawne's future as a member of the Indiana Pacers," Bird said in the statement. "I plan to meet with Shawne as soon as possible to discuss this further."

"Shawne Williams was not involved in any arrest or any criminal wrongdoing."

Is reading not your strong point? The guy didn't do anything wrong, but hang out with a dumb friend. I know many of us could be caught in similar situations. You saw the article and jumped to conclusions to try and prove a point. Doesn't make the guy a thug for having dumb friends.

It isn't that we all couldn't be called guilty when it comes to hanging out with the wrong people. It is a point however that these idiots don't seem to realize that they are going to be held to a higher standard of accountability when they become NBA players. I'm all for giving a guy a chance, but that guy needs to be smart enough to know when to give up on all his old/bad behavior and become a stand-up member of a professional team.

I'm sure I don't really need to argue this point. Larry Bird will do my talking for me.

LOL, Pacers are BY FAR, not the worst basketball team in the league, talent or character wise. Marijuana is & has been a commonality in the league(as well as the NFL) for years. It's not that big of a deal typically, although in this particular case it seems to be since it seems to be a recurring theme. Smoke yo weed at home before you go out. I'd imagine most would rather have him hammer down drunk, since it is legal. But when is the last time you recall a bad &/or tragic accident because the driver was too 'baked' on weed. From the Onion News archives, it appears the most common malady from smoking weed is an increased waistline, a propensity to couch surf watching bad movies, & orange fingers.

Personally, I think the Pacers are going to have a much-improved record next season. I'll go out on a limb and predict 47-35.

Let's look at next fall's projected starting lineup:

PG -- TJ Ford

SG -- Mike Dunleavy

SF -- Danny Granger

PF -- Probably Troy Murphy

C -- Probably Jeff Foster to start, with Roy Hibbert eventually taking over

And then Brandon Rush, Jarett Jack, Rasho Nesterovic, Travis Diener and Marquis Daniels coming off the bench.

That's a pretty dang good rotation, with three All-Star caliber players and solid supporting/backup guys.

I certainly hope their record improves. Moreso, I hope the character of the players improves. Until then, count me out. Note to Larry Bird-let me know when you get your house in order, until then, count me out. Trade em away Larry - Trade em away!

Um... you do know that Donnie Walsh works for the Knicks now, right? So he's not going to be putting the Pacers' house together any time in the near future.

Sorry - meant to say Larry Bird. Old habits die hard.

You can cast aspersions at me all you want. Sticks and stones and all that....It doesn't change the facts.

consider yourself counted out, especially since you obviously don't pay much attention to the Pacers happenings, 'he of stellar, near perfect character'! Also, I'll forward your 'Knick Message' to Donnie @ MSG.

ummm....what facts are you referring to now?

OK, let's climb off the OP's back now. He has an opinion and he's entitled to it. Though I disagree with him, I'll say that the Pacers organization has given a lot of fans reason to doubt them in recent years, and the same goes for the players' off-court behavior.

OK. Climbing off now. I'm just hoping the Pacers are headed back in the right direction, which I think they are.

Thank you for that. I will concede that they may not be the worst team in the NBA. But you have to admit, some of the crap that goes on is almost beyond belief. I guess what really wrankles me about it is the apparent powerlessness of the GM to get these guys to straighten up and fly right. Where has all their common sense gone? You are an NBA star getting paid big bucks and you choose to hang around with people that can get you in trouble for things like weapons violations, drugs and outstanding murder warrants?

Hello! You better wake up son, your NBA hoop dreams are about to go up in flames.

Regarding the crap, it does always seems to be the same 'usual suspects' pulling the BS as well. Totally agree on the 'powerlessness'(or lack of SACK) by the GM. Larry, Look down, realize that 'there is a pair there' & DROP THE HAMMER!

I like the direction they have gone in the last couple months, if Tins and Wiliams are on the outs then they have got rid of nearly every player from 4 years ago and somehow have a chance to compete. Winning cures everything, let's see if they can win. I will certainly give them a chance.