Pacers’ Boss Herb Simon Is Not Ready to Give Up

INDIANAPOLIS —  Another disappointing season for the Indiana Pacers, saddled with the NBA’s worst record, has not diminished co-owner Herb Simon’s belief in patience.

“At this point we are not going to make any drastic changes,” said Simon, who shares ownership of the team with his brother Mel. “If I knew the right step, I would take it.”

The Pacers have had four straight losing campaigns and are off to a poor start this season.

Indiana has lost twice after holding 20-point leads and dropped several close games with mistakes in the final moments. The Pacers also scored just 64 points in a game, the lowest total since a shot clock was implemented.

Simon has vowed not to fire Coach George Irvine or President Bob Salyers, refusing to panic as the Pacers often have.

“I’m disturbed with our lack of effort,” Irvine said. “I don’t understand. We’re not doing the things you must do to win in the NBA. This team needs to start believing it can win.”

Irvine blames much of the team’s troubles on a lack of leadership and strong performance under late-game pressure.

“I’d like to find somebody who can shoot the ball in the fourth quarter,” he said. “It comes down to the same thing night after night.”

No one filled the void created by the loss of Clark Kellogg with an early-season knee injury. The team’s former scoring and rebound leader missed 40 days because of arthroscopic surgery.

“We haven’t been playing as well as we could but there has been improvement,” center Steve Stipanovich said. “The more you play, the more you see where you can improve. We’re making the adjustments.”

Despite the poor performance, Irvine has not given up.

“I’m a long way from a sense of futility,” he said. “We play basketball too well when we play together.”