I just finished reading the sensational and hilarious The Book of Basketball by "The Sports Guy", Bill Simmons (my full review of the book can be found here).

Naturally, The Book of Basketball discusses the legacies of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and of course, Larry Bird (Simmons' idol), but what does it say about the greatest Indiana Pacer of all-time, Reggie Miller?

Find out after the jump!

The Indiana Pacers are racking up losses faster than I can post about them.

Yesterday, the Pacers completed their 3-game road trip with a 120-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls.  Today, they went home and lost to the Bucks, 112-110.

Really no point in acting surprised, is there?  The Pacers have fallen to 19-39! Nineteen wins and thirty-nine losses!

And to cap it off, AJ Price is still not playing, and TJ Ford is playing more minutes.  Ford actually started in the back court today with Earl Watson.  Talk about a shit sandwich.

Record: 19-37.  Games remaining: 24.  Record required in final 24 games to make playoffs (projected): 21-3.  Probability of making playoffs: 0.0%.

Okay, we've gotten that out of the way, let's turn to the most pertinent question for the Pacers right now.  Why not play second-round pick, rookie AJ Price?  Let him run the team?  Into the ground, if he's capable.  It's not like the team can fall much further.

Price is no savior for the Pacers, but he has potential.  When was the last time the Pacers had a second round pick that actually showed any potential?  Why keep playing horrible TJ Ford and hopeless Earl Watson?

Of all the stupid things Jim O'Brien has done this season - from the million different line ups, developing poor defensive mentality, to giving up big leads and allowing big leads in the first quarter - his refusal to play AJ Price at this point of the season is the most inexecusable.

Let the kid show what he's got.  Please.

For more on this (including statistical analysis of the 3 PGs), click here.

When Danny Granger skipped the game for "personal reasons", some were actually optimistic about the Pacers' chances against the Dallas Mavericks.

Seriously, the period when Granger was out with that foot injury should have told us otherwise.  Even if Granger was playing, the Pacers never looked like they were going to win this one.

The Mavs prevailed easily, 91-82, dropping Indiana to 19-37.  The worst part of it all?  Only 2 Pacers scored in double figures.  TJ Ford with 14 (3 of 11 from the field), and Troy Murphy with 10 (5 of 15).  As a team, the Pacers shot 37%.  Sad.

Granger's personal reasons were unspecified.  Perhaps he simply had enough of this crappy team?

AJ Price still didn't see any playing time.

Feels like forever since Danny Granger had a superb game.  And it feels almost as long since the Pacers won a game.

Both happened when the Pacers played the Rockets in Houston last night.

Granger had 36 points (on 12-17 shooting) and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot as the Pacers rallied from an 11-point half-time deficit to overcome the new-look Rockets, 125-115.

TJ Ford played well off with bench with 23 points, but the man took 19 shots!!  That's more than anyone else on the team.  Wake up, Jim O'Brien.  The Pacers aren't going to make the playoffs (19-36).  Stop playing a guy you banished to the end of the bench instead of a promising young rookie (AJ Price, remember him?)!