Indiana Pacers Rumors: Larry Bird Wants Paul George To Change Positions For NBA Season

Indiana Pacers rumors have Larry Bird trying to convince Paul George to shift positions. The Pacers could have George playing at power forward for the 2015-16 NBA season if Bird has his way. A report from ESPN late Tuesday (July 14) confirms that the team’s President of Basketball Operations has already set his plan in motion. As for the method he is using by taking it to the press, that might be something NBA analysts question a bit later. Bird had a lot to say about the star player of the Pacers and his short-term future.

“I’m not going to get into a battle about where Paul George will play. He’s a basketball player, and we can put him anywhere out there.”

“He don’t [coach Frank Vogel] make the decisions around here. But I did it, and I loved it after I did it. I know what it did for my career and coming off this injury, I think it would be a good thing because he can still guard some threes, but he doesn’t have to do it all the time.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, other Indiana Pacers rumors from the NBA offseason addressed adding pieces to the roster. The team traded for Chase Budinger, signed Rodney Stuckey to a three-year contract, and brought in Monta Ellis to add a lot of offense. The team also traded away center Roy Hibbert to save a lot of money, which will likely give Ian Mahinmi a big increase in minutes.

As for why Larry Bird wants the Pacers to shift Paul George to power forward, part of the reasoning stems from David West opting out of his contract. West decided to sign with the San Antonio Spurs for far less money during the NBA offseason, leaving a gaping hole in the low post. As a report from Sports Illustrated pointed out, West left $12.6 million on the table to sign for basically league minimum wage down in Texas. Now a big challenge has been presented to George as he is asked to lead the team by example.

On offense, George should have a much easier time scoring, but it is on defense where his job becomes a lot tougher. He will have to be down in the low post against a lot of guys bigger than him who might be on the court just to rebound and create space for other players. That includes Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder. These Indiana Pacers rumors are likely to come up again if George comments publicly about them, which is an expectation after the tone that Larry Bird used in his statements.

[Image Source: Andy Lyons/Getty Images]