Reggie: DON’T DO IT!

Dear Uncle Reggie,\nFirst off, let me tell you that I have been a Pacers fan my whole life, and you were drafted the year I was born. You are a legend, my hero and the face of Indiana basketball. Your number hangs in the rafters of Conseco Fieldhouse next to some American Basketball Association legends, and if you ask anyone to name the best Indiana Pacer, most people will say Reggie Miller.\nYou prided yourself on being a team player and a hard worker. You were never the most talented player on the floor, or even in your family, yet you shined brighter than most on the hardwood.\nAlso, you never sold out for a championship ring. You had a title shot in 2000 and then had a chance to join the Lakers’ all-star squad of Kobe, Shaq, the Mailman and the Glove. Add Uncle Reg to that mix, and that team wins the title no matter who is on the bench. \nBut instead of selling out, you stuck with the Pacers organization. You agreed to lead the new wave of degenerates and ended up in the infamous brawl, multiple nightclub incidents and a series of mediocre seasons with early playoff exits. \nYou retired as one of the few people to stick with one team in an era when most players play for at least three teams during their career. You never sold out your team for a cheap ring and you deserve a ring more than any of these alleged comeback kids.\nWith all that in mind, I still must say this: DO NOT SELL OUT NOW.\nYou will tarnish your legacy. You will be doing exactly what you prided yourself on not doing.\nAmerica and the world may support your comeback. But I can tell you that most, if not all, true Pacers fans do not support you flirting with the idea, especially me. I will be the first to boo you if you come back to Indiana wearing a green number 31. \nIt pains me to think about it, but I cannot support you wearing a different jersey. Not now. Not after I have already coped with you retiring and moved on to watch Larry Bird’s compilation of rejects play for the top pick in the 2008 draft.\nNot only are you selling out, but you are also selling out to an option that hasn’t been your best offer. I would have supported you if you sold out to that Lakers team and maybe even to last year’s 62-win Dallas Mavericks team that made you an offer mid-year. But the Celtics?\nThat trio will NOT win a championship with or without you. Will they be good? Yes. Will they win the East? Probably. But they are not good enough to win a title.\nEveryone’s hopped on their bandwagon because they have some good talent on paper, but they don’t have a team. They have three good players, a mix of National Basketball Development League All-Stars and Doc Rivers calling the shots. That is not a championship combination. They will not win next year.\nAnd why quit your TNT job? You are great at it. You have a great personality for TV and know the game of basketball. You have been a joy to watch analyze games on the tube. \nIf you want to wear a green tie on TV and write the number 31 on it, I will fully support that idea.\nBut I have to keep telling you to stay retired. Don’t do it for me, for your fans or for anyone else that has cheered and booed you for your glorious 18-season career. Do it for yourself. \nYour legacy will hold strong with or without a ring on your finger. \nWhy sell out now? \nSincerely,\nA loyal 20-year Pacers fan.\nMike Abrams