I'm Not Crying, You're Crying: Myles Turner's Letter To Indiana Is A Must Read For Pacers Fans

Oh, boy. This room must be a little dusty, or my allergies are flaring up, because my eyes are watery as hell. What a read. 

I'm not sure if I want to do tricks on it, or run through a wall for my guy, but I'm ready for whatever at the moment. From shouting out Indianapolis as the basketball capital of the world, to showing the fans love, and talking about how great this current Pacers team is to be a part of, I couldn't get enough of this letter. I'm actually kind of sad he only mentioned legos once and star wars zero times. 

For a guy that has been on the trading block for more than half of his career, it's nice to see that Turner appreciates Indy. There was a rift in the fanbase when the Pacers had the clunky and outdated two tower offense with Sabonis and Turner. You had to pick a side, were you either a Myles believer or a Domantas truther. At the time I was a Domantas truther, I thought he was a better fit. Sabonis was willing to get in the paint and do the dirty work. Now that the team has Haliburton, and Indiana is playing a modern style of basketball, there isn't a better player for this system than Myles turner. From this letter, it seems like Myles would agree. 

I went from 13 ppg to 18 ppg. 33% on threes to 37%. 51% from the field to 55%. And it wasn’t just the numbers — it was so much deeper than that. Like, I don’t know if this will make sense, but it’s the first time where I felt like I had “basketball free will.” I wasn’t just getting told what NOT to do. With Coach and Tyrese, things flowed toward what’s possible. They started to let me engage mentally, not just physically. And when I’m doing that … I feel like I’m who I want to be as a basketball player. 

The basketball stuff in the article is great, but hearing Myles talk about how he dealt with the mental side of basketball and isolating himself was perfect. It's cliche, but professional athletes aren't robots, and it was nice to see Myles talk about the human side of being a ball player. 

The trip down memory lane from the PG years, to the Vic years, to the playoff run last year is a terrific bit of nostalgia that mixes well with the talk of the current day. It sounds like Turner doesn't want to be anywhere other than Indy because this team is a legit team. It's so hard to find chemistry in a locker room. Look at whatever happened in the Paul George / Stephenson / Hibbert fiasco. A group of guys that love basketball and legit want to play together is hard in professional sports with massive checks and even bigger egos. 

Why go somewhere else when you've got what you need right under your nose? PAY THE MAN PACERS' FRONT OFFICE! When Myles plays well, Indiana wins. He's been the X-factor in these playoff runs. Stretch 5's don't grow on trees. People love to bitch about his rebounding, but he's so much more than that. You never know what you've got till it's gone, and hopefully Myles Turner isn't leaving Indiana any time soon.