As good as that deal with Charlotte looked, maybe it didn't work out for a reason.
Various media reports suggested the Bobcats offered D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson and Nazr Mohammed to the Pacers for T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush but the deal fell through before Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline.
It would've been exactly the kind of deal the Pacers need to make, acquiring premium young talent as well as a solid veteran with one season remaining on his contract. It's no doubt the kind of deal they will pursue this summer when more teams have more flexibility to make moves and the Pacers' handful of quality players with expiring contracts will become even more enticing.
Then again, there's the whole Henderson-Tyler Hansbrough thing.
Flash back to March 4, 2007.
North Carolina leads Duke 84-72 in the closing seconds. Though the game is clearly decided, both coaches have their starters on the floor. It is, after all, Duke vs, UNC.
Hansbrough rebounds a missed free throw and prepares to go back up for a putback. But Henderson comes soaring into the lane to try to block the shot instead hits Hansbrough in the nose with his elbow on the follow-through.
Hansbrough hits the floor, stays down for a few seconds and rises with blood streaming from his nose and his eyes wide with emotion. He starts toward Henderson but is restrained by a teammate and instead heads straight to the locker room for treatment.
Henderson is ejected and suspended for one game. Hansbrough has to wear a face mask to protect his broken nose (though he discards it at halftime of the Michigan State game in the second round of the NCAA tournament).
The incident sparked as much debate as any in college basketball in the past few years. Was the blow intentional? Were the coaches at fault for leaving their best players in the floor? Should Hansbrough have passed the ball out to let the clock expire instead of going up for a shot?
If the two had become teammates with the Pacers, their relationship would've been the subject of more scrutiny than Branjelina or Bennifer.
Who knows? It may yet, if the teams opt to re-visit the discussions this summer.
As challenging as Hansbrough's rookie year has been, at least he's taken advantage of ample opportunity to learn how to get along with former Blue Devils.
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