SBNation.com User Blog: captain flitzy

Entering Year 3

captain flitzy — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:45:18 -0000

RIght now we are officially entering year 3 of Danny's prime. I am not here to offer some crazy trade scenario, or layout how we can get Chris Paul, Dirk, and Al Jefferson for TJ Ford and Dunleavy. I'm just throwing it out there that peoples primes dont last very long, and 3 years in Danny has not had any shred of help. We got an absolute STEAL with Danny in the draft, and it will be a shame if we don't surround him with anyone to help us compete.

The best parallel I can think of right now is Pierce. For years and years and yearssss, Pierce had no help. Boston was an absolute joke, while everyone knew Pierce was legit. He had Antoine Walker who was a stat guy (Murphy) but not REAL help, and look where it got them. Pierce played for 10 years before the stroke of God gave them a legitimate team. Danny is heading down that same path now, and it is tough to watch. With Indiana not being half the market Boston is, it is hard to imagine that same type of circumstance occurring where Danny gets immediate Hall of Fame type help. Before 2008, Pierce was known as a good player, but now a great player. It is going to be insanely tough watching Danny struggle on 3035 win teams for another 5 years. Lets get this man some help!

Beginning of the End?

captain flitzy — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:42:57 -0000

Everyone obviously saw Lebron going to Miami, and I might be overreacting, but I thought about it a week ago and wanted to put this out there.

With this super team coming along for AT LEAST the next 5 years, what does this do to a small market team like our beloved Pacers? Unlike most businesses, a monopoly is NOT forbidden in the NBA. The Celtics had a very similar strategy 3 years back, and all they did was make it to the finals twice and the semis once. They dominated at the end of their primes. With 3 stars, 2 of them super, all joining during their prime, how bad is this for Indiana?

Let's just assume that Miami does what everyone is expecting and that is dominate the Eastern Conference and win a few titles, if not more. Other teams with the assets and resources will have to asssemble a team of stars just in order to compete. Indiana has neither. This truly could be the beginning of the end for a few small market teams. Theoretically if the players wanted to, they could all join up on certain teams together and shut these small market teams out completely. The Pacers have had many known financial problems over the last 10 years or so, and not being even comparable to some of these other teams does not help. It puts us further out of the race now. Teams like the Knicks, now the Nets, Lakers, Mavs, Clips etc.. will always be fine. They can spend enough to compete and at least put out a team and bring inrevenue from other areas.

In Indiana, until about 4 years ago, we never had to worry about what it's like to lose, lose alot and lose bad. There was a long stretch where the Pacers had a really really good product on the floor, and never had to worry about getting people to games and assembling an All-Star team to compete. Even transitioning from Reggie, Mark, Rik and the Davis's to Jermaine, Tins, Artest, and Stephen went unbelievably smooth and we always stayed in the playoff race. This meant alot more money and attention for the franchise, in an NBA that wasnt nearly as top-loaded as it is now. We are not that team anymore. The NBA is not the same anymore. I think this hurts Indiana a real lot in the long run, but maybe I am over reacting. What does everyone else think?

-Captain

Pacers in more than the basement of Central

captain flitzy — Sat, 01 May 2010 19:53:04 -0000

[From the Fan Posts, when the captain speaks all should listen. -TL]

I know I haven't posted in a while here, but this hit me the other night while watching the Bucks game. I think everyone is fully aware that Divisions and Division Rivalries in the NBA aren't what they are in the NFL and MLB, but they still mean something. Not too long ago, the Pacers were atop the Central, had national TV exposure (the brawl game was on ESPN), a bright future, and were known as the best (or co-best along with the Pistons) team in the Central.

Look where we are now. The Cavaliers obviously are a title contender with what will be one of the best players of all time. There is nothing to do about that, understood. But last year, you had the pesky Bulls who won over all neutral fans during their incredible series against the Bulls last year. Even though they lost, they gave excitement to their fan base, and although they had no chance to win the title, they gave their fans a team to be proud of. That is why there are no meaningless playoff games. They got a ton of experience and came back this year and brought that excitement into a good series vs Cleveland. They are loaded with a ton of cap space, and two very promising young players.

[From the Fan Posts, when the captain speaks all should listen. -TL]

Now the Bucks are the Bulls of last year. Took a shot (hint hint) on a "troubled" rookie with "potential", and it has paid off 20 fold. They are in a great 7 game series with the hawks, and even if they lose, at least they gave their fans and city a team to enjoy and root for. Hard nosed defense, while missing their best player, is something Indy hasnt seen in God knows how long. They wil go into next year with no championship ring, but the experience and confidence of a young up and coming team. What I wouldn't give to be waiting for a game 7 right now.

The Pistons are probably as bad as the Pacers currently, but they are coming off a run of 8 or 9 years of great basketball. They made some bad free agent signings in Gordon and Villanueva, but guys like Stuckey, Jerebko, Maxiell and Will Bynum can keep their fans happy and something to be excited for.

Than you have our Pacers. I don't want to be the negative guy on them, but the facts are the facts. This is not a very good team. This is not an exciting team. This is not a well coached team, everyone knows this. We have Danny, the blossoming Roy, and than what? The "safe" picks of Hansbrough and Rush? The great expiring contracts of Troy Murphy and Dunleavy in the future? The Pacers could be exactly where the Bucks are this year, and the Bulls were last year. We need a proactive GM who will go take some risks again. We need a coach that will discipline these guys, shake things up, and have them play for SOMETHING even if it is an 8th seed.

I openly say I did not watch nearly as much of this team this year as I had in the past years for certain reasons. I check this site, the stats, the recaps daily all year, and it was easy to tell whats going on. The same frustrations we have had about this team the last 3 years were there again. We are in the bottom of a division playing meaningless basketball all year. I dont know how, but thats got to change soon.

How did we get here?

captain flitzy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:23:12 -0000

I personally think I can sum this up pretty dam quickly. But TrueHoop linked to a website that maps exactly how we got where we are today. Link and my thoughts after the jump. (I always wanted to type that)

http://gmapuploader.com/iframe/x8eS6Jgqyo

Visual view of how we acquired the entire current team, really neat, and they have one for every team.

Here's how I think we got here, couple bullet points.

-Jermaine was a diamond in the rough coming from Portland, and blew up. Than proceeded to take Max Money, and go right on to complain about basically everything. Had some great seasons, but failed to realize by being the max franchise player, the burden to win was on his shoulders. Besides the horrible attitude and health issues, the little fact he ate up an enormous amount of our cap didnt help. During this time, he also became my least favorite Pacer of the last 15 years.

-Ron Artest and Ben Wallace had 45 gallons of extra testosterone, got under each others skin, a teeny tiny little riot between fans and some Pacer players broke out, which led to the departure of Ronnie Boy and Stephen, and ultimately the pacers run as a top 3 East team. Worse, it left us with horrible contracts of Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy. Even worse than that, it led to Dunleavy mustache and Troy's fast break trailing 3s and pump fakes.

-Tinsley, Jermaine, Artest, and Stephen Jackson together gave us wins and a good teams, but too much personality and insnity. This led the Pacers to do the direct opposite, and take on players who for the most part are very bland, sorry.

-Granger was a great pick.

-Reggie left, and took the whole heart and soul of the team with him.

-The end.

-----Captain

If I could turn back the hands of time..

captain flitzy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:32:23 -0000

What would we do in 2008? Im sitting here bored at work the day before Thanksgiving, and thought it would be cool to check out last years draft. Are we happy with the results??? Roy has us all giddy, Rush has been both sides of the coin, and Bayless (our original pick) hasnt done a darn thing. Heck , Portland brought in Andre Miller this year to put in over him, lacking depth at the PG. But being that PG is our most needed position, would it have been better to keep him? Check it out

Here are the results from NBA.com for the draft last year. Looking back on it, I think it is safe to say Roy was an absolute steal! Not even close. If they redrafted, starting from Chicago, I'd say from what we have seen so far, he goes in the top 10. It is tough to find a young, coachable, talented, legit center, and this year it seems we really have found it.

Now on to the Rush pick. I would still take Rush over Bayless. I think Rush becomes a solid Defender, 3rd option type guy a year or two from now, while Bayless is still struggling to get PT. Going back, if we had that pick again I would obviosly take Roy there, but for everyone else after, I think the only players I would have rather drafted at this point are Anthony Randolph - definitely (who is probably just going to be a complete animal once Don Nelson is let go), MAAAAYBBBEEE think about Courtney Lee but I'd still rather have Rush, and probably take his college running-mate Mario Chalmers over him for our lack of PG. Chalmers started all 82 games at PG for a playoff team last year, not bad for a rook. All in all, I think Bird did a hell of a Job in this draft looking back a year later, what do you guys think?

1	Chicago Bulls	Derrick Rose, Guard, Memphis
2	Miami Heat	Michael Beasley, Forward, Kansas State
3	Minnesota Timberwolves	O.J. Mayo, Guard, USC (To Memphis)
4	Seattle Supersonics	Russell Westbrook, Guard, UCLA
5	Memphis Grizzlies	Kevin Love, Forward, UCLA (To Minnesota)
6	New York Knicks	Danilo Gallinari, Forward, Italy
7	Los Angeles Clippers	Eric Gordon, Guard, Indiana
8	Milwaukee Bucks	Joe Alexander, Forward, West Virginia
9	Charlotte Bobcats	D.J. Augustin, Guard, Texas
10	New Jersey Nets	Brook Lopez, Center, Stanford
11	Indiana Pacers	Jerryd Bayless, Guard, Arizona
12	Sacramento Kings	Jason Thompson, Forward, Rider
13	Portland Trail Blazers	Brandon Rush, Forward, Kansas
14	Golden State Warriors	Anthony Randolph, Forward, LSU
15	Phoenix Suns (from Atlanta)	Robin Lopez, Forward, Stanford
16	Philadelphia 76ers	Marreese Speights, Forward, Florida
17	Toronto Raptors	Roy Hibbert, Center, Georgetown
18	Washington Wizards	JaVale McGee, Center, Nevada
19	Cleveland Cavaliers	J.J. Hickson, Forward, N.C. State
20	Charlotte Bobcats (from Denver)	Alexis Ajinca, Center, France
21	New Jersey Nets (from Dallas)	Ryan Anderson, Forward, California
22	Orlando Magic	Courtney Lee, Guard, Western Kentucky
23	Utah Jazz	Kosta Koufos, Center, Ohio State
24	Seattle SuperSonics (from Phoenix)	Serge Ibaka, Forward, Spain
25	Houston Rockets	Nicolas Batum, Forward, France (To Portland)
26	San Antonio Spurs	George Hill, Guard, IUPUI
27	New Orleans	Darrell Arthur, Forward, Kansas (To Memphis via Portland)
28	Memphis Grizzlies (from L.A. Lakers)	Donte Greene, Forward, Syracuse (To Houston)
29	Detroit Pistons	D.J. White, Forward, Indiana (To Seattle)
30	Boston Celtics	J.R. Giddens, Guard, New Mexico


31	Minnesota Timberwolves (from Miami)	Nikola Pekovic, Center, Serbia
32	Seattle Supersonics	Walter Sharpe, Forward, Alabama-Birmingham (To Detroit)
33	Portland Trail Blazers (from Memphis)	Joey Dorsey, Forward, Memphis (To Houston)
34	Minnesota Timberwolves	Mario Chalmers, Guard, Kansas (To Miami)
35	Los Angeles Clippers	DeAndre Jordan, Center, Texas A&M
36	Portland Trail Blazers (from New York)	Omer Asik, Center, Turkey (To Chicago)
37	Milwaukee Bucks	Luc Mbah a Moute, Forward, UCLA
38	Charlotte Bobcats	Kyle Weaver, Guard, Washington State
39	Chicago Bulls	Sonny Weems, Guard, Arkansas (To Denver)
40	New Jersey Nets	Chris Douglas-Roberts, Guard, Memphis
41	Indiana Pacers	Nathan Jawai, Forward, Australia
42	Sacramento Kings (from Atlanta)	Sean Singletary, Guard, Virginia
43	Sacramento Kings	Patrick Ewing Jr., Forward, Georgetown
44	Utah Jazz (from Philadelphia)	Ante Tomic, Center, Croatia
45	San Antonio Spurs (from Toronto)	Goran Dragic, Guard, Slovenia (To Phoenix)
46	Seattle SuperSonics (from Portland)	Trent Plaisted, Forward, BYU (To Detroit)
47	Washington Wizards	Bill Walker, Forward, Kansas State (To Boston)
48	Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland)	Malik Hairston, Guard, Oregon (To San Antonio)
49	Golden State Warriors	Richard Hendrix, Forward, Alabama
50	Seattle SuperSonics (from Denver)	DeVon Hardin, Center, California
51	Dallas Mavericks	Shan Foster, Guard, Vanderbilt
52	Miami Heat (from Orlando)	Darnell Jackson, Forward, Kansas (To Cleveland)
53	Utah Jazz	Tadija Dragicevic, Forward, Serbia
54	Houston Rockets	Maarty Leunen, Forward, Oregon
55	Portland Trail Blazers (from Phoenix)	Mike Taylor, Guard, Idaho Stampede (To L.A. Clippers)
56	Seattle SuperSonics (from New Orleans)	Sasha Kaun, Center, Kansas
57	San Antonio Spurs	James Gist, Forward, Maryland
58	Los Angeles Lakers	Joe Crawford, Guard, Kentucky
59	Detroit Pistons	Deron Washington, Forward, Virginia Tech
60	Boston Celtics	Semih Erden, Center, Turkey

Well lets see...there was this guy..

captain flitzy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:58:24 -0000

than there was him, and that other guy..... Thought this was really cool, test your knowledge of Post-Marino Dolphins QB's. I dont know how many of you guys use this website, but its probably the most addictive site on the internet, to me at least....i know i dont post much, just thought youd all get a kick out of it...peaacee

ps- first and last names

.http://www.sporcle.com/games/simonsp77/dolphins_qbs

How well do YOU know the Pacers???

captain flitzy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:23:00 -0000

This is a website that I am on allllll the time, I dont know if any of you know about it, but it is the biggest time killer of all time. It is sporcle.com.

and to my surprise, today searching through user-created, sports quizzes, here is one on the pacers. I closed it before i looked at my score, but it wasnt great, weirrrdd thinking back to these guys. And do yourselves a favor, browse the site for 10 minutes, youll all love it.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/pitty/pacerpicks

enjoy!

Murphy trade idea..

captain flitzy — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:54:10 -0000

Im not one to htrow out outlandish trade scenarios, but when 3:30 comes it's usually "how can we get rid of Murphy" time. Today I had some time to play with the trade Machine and look at some free agents.

Troy Murphy - 2 years 11 Million to the Clippers

for

Marcus Camby - 1 year 9 Million

Why the Clippers do it - They have a ton of big guys, and Kaman coming back healthy and signed to a long deal. DeAndre Jordan coming into his own, and Cambys contact is up this year. Murphy will bring that versatile guy to the team that they could use. They have a solid point, solid big man, and a good young 2, Murph could flip around and actually help what looks to be a decent team on paper.

Why the Pacers do it. - Mainly to get out of Murphys contract. Basically gaining one year off of it. But it also gives us a solid big guy down low for Hibbert and Hansbrough to learn from. Also, give Danny some help, some assurance that they are trying to give him talent, not hoping guys have career years. Throw that in with maybe throwing in, and I know this is nuts, Marbury as a Free Agent Pickup (I can already see the negative comments, Im just throwing it out there). That would be a fun, reallll competitive lineup.

Morning Fodder

captain flitzy — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:07:05 -0000

Bets, anyone, bets??? Official odds asof 7/15 for rookie of the year

Latest Odds	Odds
Blake Griffin	3.25
Tyreke Evans	5
Stephen Curry	6.5
James Harden	10
Jonny Flynn	12
Gerald Henderson	12
Ricky Rubio	12
DeMar DeRozan	17
Tyler Hansbrough	17
Hasheem Thabeet	18
Jordan Hill	21
James Johnson	21
Jeff Teague	21
Earl Clark	21
DeJuan Blair	26
Terrence Williams	26
Toney Douglas	26
Sam Young	31
Wayne Ellington	31
Jrue Holiday	31
DeMarre Carroll	41
Brandon Jennings	41
Austin Daye	41

From ESPN Team Ranker

captain flitzy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:36:44 -0000

The results are in from ESPN's ridiculous team ranker...just putting it out there for those who dont have Insider.

Last Year's Rank: 112
Title Track: 111
Ownership: 92
Coaching: 104
Players: 94
Fan Relations: 114
Affordability: 58
Stadium Experience: 70
Bang for the Buck: 70

The Pacers finished at exactly the lottery-bound 36–46 they posted in 2007-08, so how did they jump in our Standings? Well, this year's whole may not have been any better, but fans liked the parts a lot more. Team brass jettisoned dour franchise face Jermaine O'Neal and gave up on Shawne Williams' potential after one too many run-ins with the local law. Larry Legend was even willing to risk the wrath of the Players' Association to keep Jamaal Tinsley indefinitely separated from the squad. (Tinsley didn't even get a page in the team media guide.) None of the subtractions added even one victory, but they squelched the appearance of an inmate-run asylum. The Pacers also get points for $8 parking at Conseco Fieldhouse (second lowest in the league), a sweet deal in harsh times. Overall, attendance jumped from an atrocious 67% of capacity in 2007-08 to 77%, and if the Pacers can get Danny Granger to help down low, that number will surely continue to rise. The Pacers are hoping that the more things stay the same, the more they will change.

And your 2009-2010 Starting Point Guard is.....

captain flitzy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:13:38 -0000

Alright, Draft Day is right around the corner, and it is safe to say Indy has more than a few question marks going into the season. Point guard and Power Forward seem to be the 2 biggest holes on the team and the positions most speculated about. I have my own opinions on who and what we should do, what does everyone else think? Who do YOU want to see bringing the ball up with the Pacers down 1 and 10 seconds left next year?

Poll

Who do you want as the starting point guard for the 2009-2010 season?

Jarret Jack - resign him and move him to the point

44 votes

TJ Ford - give him a second chance

33 votes

Ricky Rubio - move up in the draft and give him the keys to the team

9 votes

Ty Lawson - High on some kind of Hollinger list, champion who improves all through college

6 votes

Tyreke Evans - move up in draft/hope he falls to us

7 votes

Brandon Jennings - that year in Europe will make him a star

14 votes

Jamal Tinsley - I just threw up on my keyboard

5 votes

(Inset veteran guard) - make some trades and get an established guard in the league

4 votes

122 votes | Poll has closed

Cheating?

captain flitzy — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:00:37 -0000

Am I the only one who feels like I am cheating on my girlfriend while I am falling in love watching this Bulls team? It was not too long ago (about 2 months or so), that the Bulls were about equals of the Pacers, with a decently bright future, but not much else. Now here they are with a great (?) point guard, scorers (Gordon and Salmons), Athletic (smart and not smart) big men, passing big men, defenders, shot blockers, and like Cornrows said recently, moving a notch up in the Central standings for years to come.

Checking in with John Henson-from slamonline.com

captain flitzy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:18:44 -0000

http://slamonline.com/online/college-hs/high-school/2009/04/henson/

John Henson checks in with his online diary of coming to NY on www.slamonline.com

Some things I learned:

-He's not sure if he took a bus to NY in 7th grade

-He's gonna be more like Brandan Wright than Sean May

-There is abolutely no way he plays out his whole career at UNC, he will be 100% rented till whenever the NBA comes a calling

http://slamonline.com/online/college-hs/high-school/2009/04/henson/

John Henson checks in with his online diary of coming to NY on www.slamonline.com

Some things I learned:

-He's not sure if he took a bus to NY in 7th grade

-He's gonna be more like Brandan Wright than Sean May

-There is abolutely no way he plays out his whole career at UNC, he will be 100% rented till whenever the NBA comes a calling

McDonalds All-American Game

captain flitzy — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:04:40 -0000

I will start out by saying I wish Mason Plumlee, going to Duke, was heading to Chapel Hill. On that note, if I had to choose between him and super-recruit John Henson, give me Henson every single day. I can't wait to see him next year. Last night there were 4 Mcdonalds All-Americans heading to North Carolina.

From Rivals.com:

Henson:

John Henson - 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, three rebounds, two blocks, one assist in 16 minutes

At times Henson was overmatched in the strength department, but he made some impressive plays with his length.

Wear Brothers:

Travis Wear - Six points on 3-for-5 shooting, one rebound, one steal, three assists, one turnover in 11 minutes

Wear had some nice interior passes.

David Wear - Zero points on 0-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 from 3-point range, three rebounds, one assist, one turnover in 14 minutes

Wear struggled to get going offensively.

Strickland:

Dexter Strickland - Two points on 0-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 from 3-point range, 2-for-2 from the line, four rebounds, one assist, one turnover in 15 minutes

Strickland struggled to make an impact in the game.

AlI have to say Henson reminded me alot of Brandan Wright. Long, athletic, and looks really talented. (for the record, Wright would be a senior next year, Jeez). Hensons ranked 6 nationally, Strickland 17, David Wear 68, Travis Wear 69.

From Rivals.com:

Henson:

Wear Brothers:

Travis Wear - Six points on 3-for-5 shooting, one rebound, one steal, three assists, one turnover in 11 minutes

Wear had some nice interior passes.

David Wear - Zero points on 0-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 from 3-point range, three rebounds, one assist, one turnover in 14 minutes

Wear struggled to get going offensively.

Strickland:

Season Finale??

captain flitzy — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:49:39 -0000

I know, literally, after evey game, I change my mind on how I want this season to wind down. After losses, I want to lose every game and get a great draft pick. After wins, I am checking how all the teams between us and the 8th seed did to see what else must be done to make to the playoffs. Just curious as to where everyone stands on where they want the season to go. I bring to you, my first poll.

Poll

How do you prefer the season ends?

Pull a 2008 Miami Heat and openly tank the rest of the season, play the rookies, and pray for the lottery balls

30 votes

Play out the rest of the season, if we makethe playoffs, great...if not, 9th-13th pick is fine again

28 votes

Make the 8 (7?) seed, close our eyes and hope for the best in the playoffs (99 Knicks)

29 votes

87 votes | Poll has closed

Reggie Hall of Famer??

captain flitzy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:43:23 -0000

It makes me sick that this is even a question. I always keep an eye on the website basketball-reference.com, you could sit there for hours looking at cool stuff. The on thing i love looking at is the Hall-of Fame probabilities. Yesterday, one of the writers posted a F.A.Q. he gets about Reggie's Hall of Fame Odds (mathematically speaking). I won't ruin it, read for yourself.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=1008

What do you all think?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=1008

What do you all think?

HoopsHype Love For Danny

captain flitzy — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:35:28 -0000

From HoopsHype.com this morning by Eddie Johnson. Love to see Nique talking about him.

Little Snippet

"I had an interesting conversation with Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins last week about when he felt his game actually took off and he told me when he started using the Old Man Moves to keep his defenders off balance. Most who read this will say, “No way.” But again, I must remind people that the sports programs never showed the basic moves – only spectacular ones – and Wilkins became really unguardable when he slowed down his game and started to play on the floor."

http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2009/01/24/old-man-moves/

From HoopsHype.com this morning by Eddie Johnson. Love to see Nique talking about him.

Little Snippet

http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/johnson/2009/01/24/old-man-moves/

Not the best of news...

captain flitzy — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:13:56 -0000

I know its early and summer league eveything like that...but there's no way that it is exciting to read THIS when checking up on the summer leagues this morning.

via hoopshype.com

Studs: Jerryd Bayless has been the best player to put on a Summer League jersey. He finished with 29 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 8-15 from the field and 13-16 from the line. Bayless is such a skilled offensive player – he’s so versatile, that it’s hard to figure out a way to stop him. His ability to get to the rim will take him far in the NBA.

Studs: Jerryd Bayless is absolutely fantastic out here – he’s making people really wonder how he slid down the draft. With 9 seconds left in regulation, Bayless made an incredibly tough jumper to tie the game on the left side of the basket. Sounds tough enough considering the time circumstances, but what was most impressive was that Bayless was clearly fouled on the play and should have gone to the line as well. Bayless did unfortunately miss the shot with one second left that would have given the Blazers the win

I know Larry's intentions the whole time were to get Rush and they traded back because of saving money and all of that. But this guy had a Pacer hat on during draft night, might be tough to swallow come very soon.

I know its early and summer league eveything like that...but there's no way that it is exciting to read THIS when checking up on the summer leagues this morning.

via hoopshype.com