Why the Pacers should rebuild in the wake of Paul George's injury

All it took was one mistimed jump to cripple Indiana's championship aspirations.

It's hard to understate Paul George's importance to the Pacers. He is the rare two-way superstar, able to commandeer an offense while also playing air-tight perimeter defense. Larry Bird and the Pacers locked him into a maximum deal last offseason for a reason - the 24-year-old is the team's franchise player.

And the team, as presently constructed, had a great run. In keeping together a tight-knit unit of George Hill, Lance Stephenson, George, David West and Roy Hibbert, the team built a passable offense to complement a stalwart defense. The Pacers' championship formula might have failed, but their undeniable chemistry did yield two consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference final.

But the 2014-15 team is a shell of its former self, even beyond George's horrific leg injury.

Hibbert imploded toward the end of last season, his All-Star-level performance inexplicably tumbling off a cliff. Hill's development tailed off, leaving him a sure-handed but otherwise run-of-the-mill combo guard. Stephenson left significantly more money on the table for greener pastures in Charlotte, and West will be 34 when next season tips off.

What's worse, the Pacers spent most of their future assets in largely failed attempts to bolster their bench. They committed multi-year deals to respectable spare parts in C.J. Miles, Chris Copeland and Ian Mahinmi, but those moves failed to push the team over the top. Neither did an ill-conceived deal for veteran big man Luis Scola, a move that cost the Pacers a useful wing player in Gerald Green, a promising rookie in Miles Plumlee and a first-round pick.

Now the Pacers will most likely lose their superstar for the entire 2014-15 season, while attempting to compete in a conference that features revamped squads in Cleveland and Chicago. It's a fool's folly. Indiana might even struggle to make the postseason, let alone contend for a ring. 

It's time to rebuild.

That starts with swapping useful veterans like Hill and West for young assets and expiring deals, while letting the deals of Scola and Copeland expire. This would open up max cap room for 2015-16, when George is slated to return. There's a case to be made for Hibbert's exit as well, although it's unwise to sell low on a center in a league devoid of true rim-protectors.

Gutting the team of useful players also carries the added benefit of inflating the club's draft stock. The Pacers own all their picks going forward, and a lottery pick should net a useful player - either on its own, or via trade.

Tearing down a near-championship contender would be a bitter pill to swallow, but Indiana's core will still include a budding star in George, a reputable coach in Frank Vogel and a lucrative draft pick and cap room. The tools for a successful rebuild are there.

The Pacers and George were dealt a significant blow, knocking out the remnants of a fading contender. The rebuilding process will surely be painful, but it's a necessary step in the road to recovery.