Doyel: Negative reaction to Hibbert's return doesn't help Pacers

In another city, this would get ugly. Bigger cities, meaner ones, would turn on Roy Hibbert for daring to fulfill the contract given to him by the local NBA franchise. Imagine this story in Philadelphia or Boston. Or New York.

We're not there, we're here. And here in Indianapolis, well, ahem. This is embarrassing.

Because apparently, we've turned on Roy Hibbert.

This started long before Monday, when Hibbert opted into the final year of his $58 million max contract with the Pacers, a four-year deal he signed in July 2012 — a deal from Portland that was matched by the Pacers, keep in mind — when he was coming off the best season of his career.

That 2011-12 season, Hibbert averaged 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds and two blocked shots. He made 49.7 percent of his field goal attempts. He was even better in the playoffs, averaging a double-double with 3.1 blocks per game. He was 25 years old and improving every year. How high was his ceiling? The Pacers wanted to find out. They matched the four-year max contract, with the final season of that contract completely up to Roy. He could opt out and become a free agent, or he could opt in and play the 2015-16 season with the Pacers.

Along the way, Hibbert regressed and then fell apart. His performance in the 2014 playoffs was Bad News Bears bad. He couldn't make a shot, couldn't catch the ball, couldn't do anything. He has improved from that nadir (10.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 blocks, 44.6 percent from the field this past season) but not enough. He's not worth $15.5 million in 2015-16. I mean, not even close.

On Monday, Hibbert opted in.

What will you do about it, Indianapolis? Let me tell you what some of you — some of us — have done already:

We have embarrassed ourselves.

This started on Wednesday, the day before the 2015 NBA Draft, when power forward David West did something shocking and said no to $12.6 million that was rightfully his. To collect, all West had to do was opt in for the final year of the three-year, $36.6 million contract he signed after the 2012-13 season. A few months shy of 35, and a few years past his prime, David West last week did the unthinkable.

He left $12.6 million on the table.

And that was a very good thing for the Indiana Pacers. It means the Pacers can be active participants in free agency, pursuing not merely a roster-filler, but a difference-maker.

West opted out, and the imagination started to run wild. What if Roy Hibbert, owed even more money, also did the unthinkable and opted out? That would free up more than $27 million the Pacers had long assumed would be given to two of the most overpaid players in the NBA. The only thing better than David West leaving? Roy Hibbert leaving. The only thing better than Hibbert leaving? Hibbert and West leaving.

Some of you — some of us, here in Indianapolis — turned that dream into a nightmare.

Understand, this isn't happening in another city, where we could read about it and feel better about ourselves. Least we're not those jackals, right?

No, this is our city. This is us.

Is this us?

Every now and then, you get the chance to decide who you want to be. A woman's car breaks down beside the road. You're heading to work. You see the car. You drive past the car.

Maybe that wasn't you last week.

But it was me.

I saw her on Madison Avenue, thought about stopping, wanted to stop, didn't stop. Did I mention it was raining?

In my meager, meager defense I did turn around about a mile later, cursing myself for being such a %$*%, but by the time I got back to the woman's car, another driver — a better person — had pulled over. She was in good hands, no thanks to me.

What kind of hands are we going to give Roy Hibbert?

He's one of us, remember. He's that car on the side of the road. Broken down. Needing a hand.

You can make this better for Roy Hibbert, or you can make this worse. I've seen people make it worse, in bigger cities. Meaner cities. Don't get lost in the comparison, please, but focus instead on the outcome. In 2006 Alex Rodriguez — this was years before he was outed as a liar and a cheat — was slumping for the New York Yankees. He couldn't hit, and at home they turned on him. They were booing A-Rod so mercilessly that he continued to slump at the plate, and then he lost his ability to field. He was throwing balls all over the place, everywhere but to first, and by the end of that season he was batting eighth in a playoff game. He's a head case, and the home crowd made it worse.

How does that help the home crowd? They wanted to win in New York, I assume. You want to win here in Indianapolis, I imagine. Do you think winning becomes easier if Roy Hibbert, fragile head case that he is, feels under attack every time he turns on his computer? Every time he misses a shot? Every time he walks onto the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse?

These are things to think about as you consider the upcoming season, most likely the last season you'll have Roy Hibbert to kick around.

Are you going to kick him around?

Is that who you want to be?

Is that going to help?

Find Star columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar or at www.facebook.com/gregg.doyel