<p>Indianapolis might be the king of short-lived slogans when it comes to its professional sports teams.</p>
<p>Where once we were “Chuckstrong,” the Indiana Pacers countered with “Blue Collar, Gold Swagger.”</p>
<p>The latter was catchy. Creative. A nice play off of the team’s colors.</p>
<p>Speaking of the Pacers, do those seasons featuring Roy Hibbert’s leverage in the post, David West’s toughness in the paint and Lance’s irritating persona seem long, long ago?</p>
<p>They weren’t.</p>
<p>It was just two years ago. Time apparently doesn’t fly when you’re incredibly average, which, unfortunately, the Pacers are after trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014.</p>
<p>Now we’re a No. 7 seed in a not-so-great conference. An eliminated No. 7 seed, at that.</p>
<p>Almost faceless in the NBA’s vast landscape.</p>
<p>Blame for this franchise’s rapid tumble toward mediocrity is three-pronged — Larry Bird’s decision-making regarding personnel, coach Frank Vogel’s decision-making regarding substitution patterns and the ghastly leg injury that sidelined Paul George for the entire 2014-15 season.</p>
<p>George can’t do anything about his misfortune. It’s sports. It happens.</p>
<p>As for the other two, a coin-flip might be required to figure out who is more responsible.</p>
<p>Bird’s legend as one of professional basketball’s greatest players is especially noticeable in this, his home state. Watch sometime how many autographs Bird scratches — left-handed, no less — the next time the Pacers play a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.</p>
<p>Hoosiers relate to Bird. They love him.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this doesn’t assure him status as one of the league’s great administrators any more than it did Isiah Thomas, Elgin Baylor or Joe Dumars.</p>
<p>I like Bird a great deal and would be sad to see him go. But maybe it’s time.</p>
<p>Now take the above paragraph and insert Vogel’s name.</p>
<p>Indiana’s collapse in a Game 5 playoff loss at Toronto recently might undo all the good Vogel has done since taking over for the fired Jim O’Brien 44 games into the 2010-11 regular season.</p>
<p>Vogel’s record is 250-181. A lot of franchises would love to have him.</p>
<p>Maybe Indiana still is one of them.</p>
<p>We’ll see.</p>
<p>Regardless of who is coaching the team in 2016-17, this off-season is crucial in once again making the Pacers a viable Eastern Conference contender.</p>
<p>The prospect of two tremendous building blocks in George, who turned 26 on Monday, and rookie forward/center Myles Turner, all of 20, hopefully can lure in free agent talent during the months ahead.</p>
<p>I like what Monta Ellis brought to the backcourt in his first season in town (he signed a four-year deal worth $44 million last July), especially late in the season when the team benefited from his points as well as his leadership.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, hometown favorite George Hill is unspectacularly efficient in his backcourt role. Solomon Hill enjoyed his best season.</p>
<p>Pretty much everyone else is tradeable.</p>
<p>Don’t expect much when the annual NBA Draft takes place on June 23, either. As a playoff team, Indiana will end up selecting some player who is labeled as a “project” or “possible contributor down the road.”</p>
<p>Should Vogel not return, I’m guessing former Pacers guard and Golden State head coach Mark Jackson will get an interview.</p>
<p>It’s all up to Bird. That is, if he’s back.</p>