It’s a bad time to be associated with the Indiana Pacers. They’ve lost five of fix, fallen out of East’s playoff spots for at least a bit, and got called out by franchise star and subject of trade rumors Paul George last week for having “no winning pride.” You know things are bad when the Chicago Bulls look competent and drama-free by comparison.

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Or maybe we outsiders have it all wrong. The Pacers made news this week when they signed Lance Stephenson, former standout and LeBron James pest during the team’s best years during the early part of this decade, to a three-year deal worth $12 million. Stephenson has failed to stick with six teams since leaving Indianapolis for the Charlotte Hornets in free agency in 2014 and played just six games apiece for the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves this season, but the 26-year-old could still contribute as a playmaker off the bench. As Pacers team president Larry Bird sees it, the man they call “Born Ready” could recapture what made him a difference-maker with the only team that’s ever really figured him out.

It’s not clear if fans feel the same way. Yet that uncertainty has not kept Stephenson from expecting a legend’s welcome when he plays his first game back at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors. In fact, he thinks it will be like Michael Jordan’s return from retirement (via SB Nation):

It’s difficult to know if Lance is being serious here, in part because he’s historically been so unpredictable and goofy on the court. Anyone who thinks it’s worthwhile to blow in LeBron’s ear during a playoff game is going to be hard to read. (On the other hand, Jordan’s return did take place at the Pacers’ Market Square Arena, so maybe Stephenson was just using it as a point of comparison.)

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For the sake of argument, let’s take Stephenson literally. Is it really so bad if he means that his return will matter this much to Pacers fans? Outside of the fact that he’s probably wrong, this is exactly the kind of positivity and outside-the-box thinking the increasingly moribund Pacers need right now? In a perfect world, the game-changing losing would be attended by stable leadership. But anything’s better than what’s been happening for Indiana over the last few weeks.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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