Hill the Right Fit

If you get past the fact that George Hill grew up in Indianapolis, starred at both Broad Ripple High School and IUPUI, you may notice that he's a pretty good basketball player. The three-year veteran was considered to be the heir apparent to Tony Parker as the franchise point guard for the Spurs, and carved out an important role with a San Antonio team that annually contends for NBA Championships.

I don't view the Hill-to-Pacers trade based on who George Hill is, or where he's from. It's solely based on the player he is: a pretty good one. It's nice to see an Indy kid play for the hometown Pacers, but even if Hill was from Topeka and starred at UMKC, I'd still think this was a good trade for the Blue and Gold.

This year's mediocre Draft was crapshoot. Generally, teams who pick in the middle of the First Round are unable to land a top-end prospect. The Pacers turned that 15th overall pick (and the 42nd selection plus Erazen Lorbek) into a guy that's going to come in immediately and push Darren Collison at the point, and potentially end up as the starting two-guard. The worst-case scenario for George Hill is that the Pacers will have a terrific sixth man. The worst-case scenario for Kawhi Leonard, Marshon Brooks, Chris Singleton or any of the other players the Pacers could've had at #15? Probably worse. That's not to say those players don't have the potential to become good or even great NBA players - they do - but you can only collect so many young players with potential.

The Pacers have plenty of potential, what they needed was a young player that has already proven that he belongs. Hill should bring a winning mentality from one of the great organizations in the NBA, and some much-needed leadership in what has at times been a fractured Pacers locker room.

Grim Reality

After the Bruins' 4-0 Game 7 win over Vancouver to clinch the Stanley Cup the other night, I've been wrestling with the realization that Boston is the new Best Sports City in America. In fact, it's barely an argument even worth having. All four of Boston's major pro sports teams have won championships since 2004. They have seven total titles in the span of the last decade. Compare that success to the other cities nationwide that have 3-4 pro sports teams.

New York
- Yankees have won 27 World Series championships, with five coming in the last fifteen years
- Giants are near the top of the list with three all-time Super Bowl wins, and the Islanders dynasty netted them four Cup Titles
- Long droughts – the Rangers have one Stanley Cup in the last 70 years (1994), the Jets have one Super Bowl in 43 years (1968), the Mets have just one World Series in the past 40 years (1986), and the Knicks haven’t won an NBA Title in almost 40 years (1973)

Chicago
- the Bulls won six titles in the 90s, but those are the only NBA Championships of their 45-year history
- the Cubs and White Sox have combined to win one World Series Championship in the last 91 years
- the Bears have only won one Super Bowl (1985), and the Blackhawks have one Stanley Cup in the last 50 years (2010)

Dallas
- after the Mavericks won their first title in their existence, and the Rangers went to the World Series, they’re in the conversation
- Cowboys have the second most Super Bowl titles (5), and are tied for the most appearances in the big game (8)
- the Stars have only been in Dallas since 1993, but they do have a Stanley Cup title (1999), and have won seven Division Championships

Other cities with 3-4 major sports teams that don’t qualify: Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, Miami, Oakland, Denver, Washington, Tampa Bay, St. Louis

Other cities with 3-4 major sports teams that REALLY don't qualify: Cleveland, Seattle