A franchise in search of a franchise player

My relationship with the Indiana Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal has had more ups and downs than a Spanish soap opera. When he came to the Pacers in exchange for Dale Davis, I was ticked. When he started swatting shots as if they were gnats, I was excited. And now I'd trade him for a box of Special K and a couple of otters holding hands.

So why the change of heart?

Dale was one of my favorite players - a blue collar, hard-working guy who did the dirty work, cleaning up rebounds and creating second-chance opportunities for the team's scorers. So trading him for a young, unproven guy who skipped college and rode the bench for a few years didn't seem right.

Well, I was wrong.

O'Neal turned out to be a shot-blocking, rebounding, scoring machine. His Awesomeness, Reggie Miller, even appointed him the team's leader and face of the franchise after Miller retired in 2005. He seemed to fill the role, making five All-Star teams and averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.

I embraced him as the team's saviour who would finally lead us to an NBA title. I mean, if Reggie said he could do it, then J.O. was ready to be the next Bill Russell.

But for whatever reason, O'Neal just hasn't worked out. It's nothing personal; he's a good guy who contributes to the community, stayed humble and has always been a nice guy.

But, as they say, nice guys finish last. Or, in the case of the Pacers, ninth in the conference and out of the playoff picture for the first time in a decade.

O'Neal was supposed to be the team's vocal and emotional leader after Reggie left. He's been about as vocal as Helen Keller - except when he was whining about losing or complaining to the refs.

He's played well, but the team hasn't. Our record has gotten worse each of the last four years, and, along the way, something else happened.

Fans stopped caring. Conseco Fieldhouse was half-empty during games. No one wore Pacers jerseys around town. And along the way, the Colts became the No. 1 team in town. In Indiana - the biggest basketball state in the country - a football team became the main draw.

Someone has to take the fall for it. Coach Rick Carlisle already did when he was fired - but that's not enough. The roster's already been blown up: Only five players (O'Neal, Danny Granger, Jeff Foster, Jamaal Tinsley and David Harrison) from the end of the 2006 season are still on the team.

But it's not enough. The Pacers need to start over around Granger and Harrison. You can't do that with $18 million going to O'Neal each of the next three seasons.

So, just three seasons after I was ready to annoint him the next Reggie, I'm ready to trade him for a washed-up druggie and a young guy whose career average is 5 points per game.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. And apathy about basketball in the land of John Wooden, Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson is as desperate as it gets.

So farewell, J.O. Bring on the Special K.