Larry Bird has long held an affinity for playmaking guards. Perhaps this goes back to the late 1990s when he coached a fantastic Indiana team that really had one basic weakness — they lacked a creator on the perimeter. Fans of those Pacers teams remember agonizing over the team’s collective inability, outside of a young Jalen Rose, to create their own shot.
In 2012, Bird reportedly fired former Pacers executive David Morway for failing to complete deals involving O.J. Mayo and Jamal Crawford. Over the past two offseasons, Bird has brought in both Rodney Stuckey and Monta Ellis, two guys with overlapping skill sets that (theoretically) can create their own shots.