Hoops Hobby

The year is 1997 and the Pacers, through a set of moves, transform from a borderline playoff team into a contender. They reacquire Mark Jackson, hire Larry Bird as head coach, and trade for former All-Star Chris Mullin. In the midst of those moves, they draft Austin Croshere, a forward out of Providence.

In the same vein, basketball cards undergo a series of ‘upgrades’ to shift into what I am going to argue is one of several ‘primes’. 1997 is near or at the beginning of a run of unprecedented sought after inserts and parallels.

I added these rookies for my Pacers rookie year binder in a trade on TCDB. I’m happy to send out cards that don’t fit in my collection for ones that do, especially when I can get a handful of cards at the same time, or more. I’ve got a lot of love for the 1996-97 EX-2000 set, but 1997-98 EX-2001 might be my favorite base set design.

And while I’ve owned several copies of Croshere’s Finest rookie #110, I’d been missing #250. I guess this one has a bit of ‘hulking’ going on, especially on his face, but I’m appreciative to be able to check this one off my list. The refractor versions are still on my want list.

Here’s where the TCDB trades get spicy. Two die-cut inserts from different card manufacturers. Awesome design on the Metal Universe Championship Future Champions, with Croshere being featured in a metal frame.

And the Rookie Discovery II insert just screams 90s, with the background text providing context for the insert set.

Where this Croshere insert really shines, though, is on the card back. It features words from Croshere on playing for Larry Bird. Makes sense that he would be an intimidating coach to play for, especially being new to the league.

In 2005, the Pacers land a steal with Danny Granger at 17 overall in the draft. It’s the first season post-Reggie Miller. Ron Artest is traded during the middle of the season to Peja Stojakovic, and while I vaguely remember the 1st round playoff loss to the Nets, it’s ultimately the beginning of a stretch of mediocre seasons for the Pacers.

This narrative doesn’t necessarily fit for the state of basketball cards. I actually think 2005-06 was a pretty solid year, probably because I was picking up every Danny Granger card I possibly could, even if that meant making trades that were not at all in my favor.

One I never picked up back then was this 2005-06 Upper Deck Exclusives Granger /100. The only thing that can make this rookie card better is adding shiny text and adding some rarity to it. I opened a lot of packs of 2005-06 Upper Deck, mostly of the retail variety, and seeing this Granger brings back fond memories. This one came in a COMC batch and is the only one in this post that wasn’t part of a TCDB trade.

Likewise, I remember when the Pacers drafted Granger in 2005 and being excited about Granger falling to 17.

Another pair of cards of a Pacer #33, and while these may not have the ‘sizzle’ of some of the earlier cards, they are filling gaps in my Myles Turner rookie year collection. I’m a fan of any throwback style card, and the Donruss The Rookies insert set fits the bill there. Donruss has been one of my favorite lower end sets from Panini over the years, partly because it reminds me of Topps/Topps Chrome with its Optic counterpart.

However, the start of the Turner era coincides with a string of first round exits. It’s actually pretty incredible, his rookie season starts a string of five years of consecutive first round playoff losses. That’s not to say it’s Turner’s fault, and some of these teams were fun to watch.

I remember after the Pacers drafting Turner, certain analysts out there being critical of the pick because of how Myles was getting up and down the court, his running style. I mean come on, that sounded silly then and still does. An elite shot blocker and one of the better shooting big men in the league, it’s been fun to cheer for this #33 over the years. I’m glad he’s a Pacer and I wish the trade rumors would settle down. I think after this extension Myles is here to stay for awhile.

All of these cards with the exception of the Granger came from TCDB trades. It’s been a mostly great experience for me over there. It’s been a real positive being able to inventory my collection, and I’ve been able to add some solid cards for the PC as well. Which of these eras have I enjoyed most? I’m going to rank them 2005-06 #1, 1997-98 #2, and 2015-16 #3. A lot of this is because of the nostalgia I have for a time when I was really collecting in high gear, but I’m actually glad to try to catch up on 2015-16 now.