The Indiana Pacers have struggled since the trade deadline, and rumors are that the trade that sent forward Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers or Evan Turner is blowing up in their face. According to NBA insider Ric Bucher, center Roy Hibbert referred to Turner as being selfish in an indirect way.
With Turner and Lance Stephenson both being in a contract year, Turner reportedly has been taking shots from Stephenson and hasn't been passing the ball.
Team chemistry has suffered since the trade. Granger was a veteran locker room leader for the younger players, despite being on his way out.
That's why a Miami Heat official said they didn't trade Udonis Haslem. In both cases, iit's not about production, but more about team harmony. There were opinions out there that said Turner would make the Pacers a worse team and they might've been spot on with that assessment.
Now the Pacers are trailing the Heat for the East's No. 1 seed after leading them for oh so long.
Indiana had put so much into gaining the best record and top seed in the Eastern Conference this season, and now all of that hard work looks like a distant memory based off their recent play.
They know that with the best record comes home court advantage in the playoffs, something the Pacers would love to have against the Heat.
Instead, they may have to face the same struggles all over again if they were to meet the Heat again in the NBA Playoffs.
