I wrote the other day that many players and NBA executives were having difficulty embracing the new NCAA rule that is making student-athletes declare for the NBA Draft a month earlier than usual this year. The less time for players to make conclusive decisions (along with the prospect of a lockout next summer) is causing a lot of congestion in the draft database. Some see it as being less time to evaluate more players and, therefore, teams will make less informed decisions in late-June.

But, Bruno found us somebody who is quite happy with the new rule -- Indiana Pacers team president Larry Bird.

Bruno spoke to Bird about the topic in his latest NBA FanVoice blog post. The rule, which requires college players to declare their eligibility by 5 p.m. today, has been criticized, but Bird isn't buying it. Bird told Bruno the following:

"Everybody's opinions are different on it. I like it because you find out who's in and who's out right away. Then you can get down to your business. You don't have a lot of time to bring these guys in but at the 10th pick we'll be able to see everybody we want to see. I know people are complaining about it but that's just me. If you bring in 15 guys and 10 of them go back and pull out of the draft, you're wasting your time. I want to know who's in and who's out."

The NBA pre-draft camp will be in Chicago from May 19-21, while the Pacers are expected to win the NBA Lottery on May 18th (go ahead and rub that Reggie Miller bobblehead for good luck).

More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

The ESPN czar of the NBA mock draft has released his first mocking, and it comes as no surprise that Chad Ford already thinks very lowly of the Indiana Pacers' fake pick-up. In his ESPN Insider post, Ford sends the blue and gold Ekpe Udoh at the No. 10 slot. The 6-foot-10 power forward from Baylor is also the Pacers' pick in the Draft Express.com early release and he appears to be hanging around the No. 10-15 range in most of the mock drafts that I've seen.

Ford, spewing the sentiments of many Pacers fans, does not find this pick very appetizing for the Pacers. Ford put it bluntly writing:

"Barring a lottery miracle, the Pacers are screwed. A month ago, they were looking at possibly drafting No. 4 and adding a building block next to Danny Granger. But a late-season run dropped them all the way to 10th and ended any realistic chance they'll get a star. Udoh, however, would fit a need as an athletic shot-blocker who can run the floor."

Udoh apparently doesn't hold the same stature as a DeMarcus Cousins, who went at the previously mentioned No. 4 slot in Ford's draft. Ford has Ed Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Greg Monroe going directly in front of the Pacers' pick, followed by Daniel Orton and Patrick Patterson in the 11th and 12th spots, respectively.

God knows that Ford's list will go through several incarnations between now and July, but it's interesting to get an early take on what he sees coming in this draft. I still contend that the Pacers need to just win the Lottery and leave us out of this mess. But then we wouldn't need all these mock drafts, and I wouldn't have anything to post before dawn every morning.

More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

The time is ticking to Saturday's deadline when many of the 103 early entry candidates for the NBA Draft must decide whether they want to stick around by signing an agent or start their next summer semester of college.

The next few days should be full of players committing and dropping from the draft. Of course, simple math dictates that many of the candidates should head back to school as the draft consists of only 60 picks. But that isn't stopping many players including Butler's Gordon Hayward, who is reportedly hitting the draft with an announcement Friday, or the plethora of other candidates who are making news at their respective campuses this week. The early entry list isn't losing too many players who are wanting to go back to school, at least not yet. As of last night, ESPN's list has only three players listed as "officially" backing out of the draft. Many players are utilizing the full amount of time by waiting until the last second to sign an agent or to opt out.

This year's very, very early deadline to sign an agent is causing some concern for NBA teams as the draft becomes more congested and there is less time to evaluate players. In the past, players had until 10 days before the draft to make a decision, but the NCAA developed the new deadline as college teams found the indecision-making troublesome for coaches trying to recruit. International players still have until June 14 to make a decision.

Sports Illustrated reported that "of the 74 players who came out early last April, 35 returned to school for another year" during the 2009-10 season. "With the new rules, people have to adjust a little bit because your exposure is less and it may be put more weight on the overall body of work," an Eastern Conference executive told SI. Add to that the threat of a lockout and less money, and this year's draft could be a free-for-all. Now would be a good time for the Pacers to just win the lottery and not even mess with this thing. Let's make it happen Mr. Stern.

Lots of links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

You'd think the team that would be changing coaches within the Central Division would be the one that hasn't been to the playoffs for four years, saw its worst season in 20 years, and is on the verge of financial disaster. But the Indiana Pacers are sticking behind coach Jim O'Brien, while the Chicago Bulls will be dumping their coach in an announcement expected at noon today, according to ESPN.

Despite leading the Bulls to the playoffs two straight seasons, the Bulls had a much publicized tussle with their coach Vinny Del Negro, and with the possibility of landing a big-name free agent in the offseason, the Bulls are hoping to land a much bigger name and reputation to man their bench next season. Del Negro had one year remaining on his contract. Huh, so does another coach in this general vicinity of the world.

The names to replace Del Negro and bring the Bulls back to glory are coming in from every direction. Some blogs are making big cases for John Calipari to skip out on Kentucky and make the move to coach Derrick Rose. Other candidates seem more reasonable as the usual suspects from this offseason's coaching carousel (Doug Collins, Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott, Avery Johnson) are also making the rounds with Collins considered a heavy favorite. ESPN even mentioned Phil Jackson as being very possible if the Bulls land a major free agent.

Del Negro has received support lately from people on the tube (notably Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley), but it wasn't enough. Reports now surfacing say the Bulls wanted him out during the Christmas holidays, but after the team won nine of 11 games during January, the Bulls stuck with him until the end of the season. Del Negro needed a miracle to keep his job.

So Del Negro is gone. O'Brien is still here. Gotta love it. More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Mike Dunleavy's massive paychecks that he receives from the Indiana Pacers are slowly dwindling.

He'll be looking for a new deal exactly one year from now, and based on his recent play, Dunleavy will be left with a massive pay cut as teams hold off from paying big bucks for a 29-year-old (he'll be 30 in September) swingman who averages less than 10 points per game and can't overcome injuries that have dismantled his past two seasons with the Pacers. He'll make $10.6 million from the blue and gold this season. Unless a miracle happens, he won't touch that number next year.

The Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells has some quotes and thoughts today from Dunleavy on his summer preparation for a bounce-back year. He's played in only 85 games in the past two seasons, and his upcoming ninth season in the league is going to be one of his most important.

Continue reading this post »

If you want to get a sense of how unready players on the Indiana Pacers are for a run/stint/smell of the playoffs, just take a look at Marquis Daniels and his playing time with the Boston Celtics.

After averaging more than 31 minutes per game last season for the blue and gold, Daniels has been an overall disappointment for the Celtics after they swiped him away from the Pacers in the offseason for less money, more winning and, presumably, similar playing time. In the Celts' opening-round series with the Heat, Daniels played a total of only six minutes as he fought for court time behind Tony Allen and Michael Finley.

Boston, which dropped Game 1 against the Cavaliers on Saturday, entered the series hoping to utilize Daniels more often as a defensive stop-gap against LeBron James. In other words, he's another body that should capably act as a fouling mechanism. But he only saw two minutes on the court Saturday, which is probably a good sign of how "utilized" he's going to be in this series. Daniels is still not 100 percent healed from the thumb injury that kept him sidelined for three months this season, and he's trying hard to embrace his cheerleading role in the playoffs.

"It's still not definite that my time is here,'' Daniels told the Boston Globe. "But you just have to stay upbeat and just be a professional about it, whether if it's Tony or Mike [Finley] or Ray or Paul or whoever. You just have to try to be there for the team.''

So does averaging 31 mpg for the Pacers really translate to a 12th man role on a playoff-ready team? Maybe Daniels isn't a good indication because of injuries or laziness, but it is a reminder of how many the Pacers need upgrades at every position before we ever see a first-round matchup with another team again.

Austin Croshere, watch your back. Anyone associated with the 2000 Indiana Pacers needs fair warning that the axe is coming down.

One of the best fan favorites to ever don a Pacers' blue and gold uniform was shown the door this week, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. Sam Perkins, who returned to the team's front office in 2008, will not continue his role of vice president of player relations for the organization any longer. Wells reports that Pacers Sports and Entertainment President Jim Morris fired Perkins, better known as Big Smooth, during a lunch meeting at a downtown restaurant Friday, but the firing would have taken place immediately following the season had Perkins not gone on vacation. Well, that was nice of the Pacers to at least wait to kill a man's career.

The firing at least shows the Pacers are willing to fire its employees despite recent concerns that the team had lost that asset due to the team's backing of coach Jim O'Brien. But, alas, Big Smooooooooth is no more at Conseco.

More thoughts and links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Even though you suffered through another losing season, there were 32 times when you saw a "W" added the Indiana Pacers record this year. Not all of them mattered (any of them in April), but if you had to choose, which win would you remember from this season 25 years from now? None? Well, pick one anyway.

I've listed five that caught my eye. So add a vote and check out the videos and recaps after the jump to refresh your memory. I'm sure you'll have other games that you want to add so feel free to drop a comment about your favorite.

Continue reading this post »

He's the first-round draft pick that haunts Larry Bird's dreams. And he continues to fall further and further away from any type of NBA future.

Indiana Pacers team president Larry Bird admitted during his end of the year press conference that drafting Shawne Williams with the 17th pick in the 2006 draft was a "mistake" and that he won't ever do it again. Good news for Pacers fans. But Williams is still in the news as one of the team's most wasteful draft picks of the decades, and maybe more.

Williams pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor drug offenses on Friday morning, according to the Memphis Commercial Apeal. He plead guilty to possession and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance, the pain reliever and cough suppressant hydrocodone. He was placed on judicial diversion, which is a special form of probation in which a defendant's record can be cleared by good behavior for a specified period and meeting other conditions of the court, until Oct. 1. The 24-year-old Williams was one of 24 defendants indicted in January in a seven-month police narcotics investigation called "Operation Lockdown." No doubt a defensive operation that coach Jim O'Brien should study.

More after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

He was lured away from the Indiana Pacers for less money and promised playing time on a winning team. He got the winning part, but an injury and lowered production numbers has meant Marquis Daniels is on the outside looking in during the Boston Celtics playoff run.

It's not a surprise to Pacers fans that the Celtics saw Daniels sit in street clothes for nearly 30 games this season. We saw that for three straight years. For two of those years, Daniels played less than 54 games and routinely missed games for minuscule injuries. But when the Celtics signed him this past summer, the team was hoping that injuries were part of the past, and that he could provide some athleticism and defense to an aging team.

After playing through the first month of the season, Daniels needed thumb surgery which quickly wiped out December and January. Daniels came back with steady playing time, fluctuating between 22-30 minutes per game but his production began dropping in March and he fell out of favor with coach Doc Rivers. He only played more than 15 minutes in three of his final 12 games. 

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald wrote this about Daniels as the season ended: "Thumb surgery wiped out most of the first half for this talented swingman, known for doing all of the little things, and defending his position tautly. One problem: Daniels hasn't displayed any of those qualities on a consistent basis since returning to the lineup. Indeed, he has been so inconsistent and tentative.. Though these things can change from game to game in the playoffs, Daniels is currently on the outside looking in at the playoff rotation."

Links and more on Daniels after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

For the Indiana Pacers it comes down to simple economics: would you rather spend $15 million a year to operate Conseco Fieldhouse, or pay nearly $150 million to the city for breaking your contract and moving to another city? If only it were that easy to answer.

The Indianapolis Business Journal interviewed local lawyer Paul Ogden about his examination of the contract between the team and the city of Indianapolis. Let's just say it's very complicated. And that's a giant understatement since Ogden admitted that's it taken him more than two years just to interpret the paragraph regarding its termination. Although he didn't find anything that would lead to a Major League scenario, Ogden tallied up the provisions and found the Pacers would be on the hook for around $147 million total if they broke the lease and loaded up the Mayflower trucks for another town.

It's a very complicated structure of penalties that combine to make that big number, and I'll let you read the article instead of me reciting them here. Ogden also states that another penalty kicks in after 2010 that would result in the Pacers paying upwards to $234 million. The CIB disagrees with Ogden over his mathematical skills (Hey, CIB! Whose side are  you on?), so the contract appears to be as clear as dirt.

Lots of information in that article so I recommend the read. Check out other related links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

All it takes is a team threat, a losing season and press conference by a living legend and the Indiana Pacers are finally back on the front pages again.

After several months spent in the purgatory of a losing season in the doldrums of Winter, the Pacers have sprung back into the public's mind this week as the 32-50 season ended, the team threatened to move to another city and then Larry Bird held a press conference yesterday to let everyone know that everything is just fine in PacerLand. It was the typical Frank Drebin "Nothing to see here" approach that Bird has taken for the past year. If you missed the press conference, Tom did a great job of summarizing the main points here.

I was particularly happy with Bird calling out Brandon Rush. After praising the work ethic of Danny Granger as the epitome of summer work ethic, Bird immediately turned to Rush and criticized him as someone who has a lot of work to do and someone they have to keep an eye on to make sure he does it.

I also enjoyed Indy Star columnist Bob Kravitz mentioning Shawne Williams twice (Kravitz may have a Ray Finkle-esque room set aside in his house for his anti-Shawne Williams memorabilia) and that Bird recognized this team would never contend anywhere without another Granger or two.

Well the Pacers are relevant again in Indianapolis at least for today. Lots of links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

The trauma of another losing Indiana Pacers season is over. And the final script wrote itself.

Led by a sporadic offensive shooting performance, the Pacers built a 14-point lead (75-61 with 2:54 left in the third quarter) to casually blow it in the fourth stanza, allowing the Wizards back into a game that should have been over with eight minutes to go. Instead, we had a game on our hands, and it was up to the Pacers whether it was going to end the season with a series-sweep against the Wiz or a season-finale loss.

After scoring a career-high 29 points in his hometown, Roy Hibbert looked poised to be the Pacers' hero. Instead coach Jim O'Brien shelved him, opting for perimeter shooting to help the team hold onto its lead. Curiously, the perimeter shooting Pacers were an unhealthy 3-of-22 (13.6%) from 3-point land this evening, yet it seemed logical to rely on those shots with the game on the line. Well, logical may be the wrong word.

Obviously, it didn't stop the Wiz from taking a one-point lead 1:47 left and after the Pacers scored only six points in seven minutes as shots never connected in the net (including a Gordon Hayward-esque Mike Dunleavy 3-pointer with 28.9 seconds to go), the blue and gold had one final chance. So with 3.1 seconds remaining, the ball went to Danny Granger and his wide open 15-footer on the right wing rattled in-and-out of the basket.

The Pacers lose 98-97. End of game. End of season. More after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

As several of us Pacers fans watched and blogged during last night's win against the Nets, we were wondering why Dahntay Jones has been so in-and-out of coach Jim O'Brien's rotation this season. He plays good defense, usually plays hard and when he's on his A game, he can become a catalyst for a win.

But he's never been fully utilized by O'Brien. Jones hadn't played in four of the previous seven games prior to Saturday. After averaging nearly 35 minutes per game in November and December, Jones has rarely played more than 25 minutes in games during March and April. So what's the deal? Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star had the scoop this morning.

For all of Jones' positive qualities, there is one part of his game that is severely lacking -- 3-point shooting. And it's lacking enough that O'Brien feels it makes him nearly obsolete on the court. Jones, who scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 31 minutes last night, is only 4-of-32 from beyond-the-arc this season. O'Brien told Wells that he'd much rather have a shooter spacing the court than what Jones brings to the table, which is slashing and cutting to the basket.

"Let me answer it this way: I like to space the court," O'Brien told Wells. "I think if we were to get a point guard that can really space the court, shoot the 3, I think you can get away with having a wing that doesn't space the court. He is a good player; he's good to have on our basketball team. I think we've had a lot of success recently because we've become a real tough team to guard when we space the court."

As Wells said, it looks as though Jones better spend his offseason working on his outside game. Jones said after last night that he's going to continue doing what he's good at, which is driving to the basket and making plays. But that's not good enough for O'Brien. Jones' up-and-down relationship with his coach will continue until he can drop a few daggers once in a blue moon.

More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

It doesn't matter who the opponent is anymore, the Indiana Pacers have their number.

With the season nearly over with only two games remaining, the blue and gold are one of the NBA's hottest teams as they toppled the league's best team (Cavaliers) on Friday and turned right around and staged a throttling comeback to knock off basketball's lousiest franchise (Nets) on Saturday with a 115-102 win at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Not that any of this means anything. For instance, the Cavs sat LeBron James and rested in every facet of the game. But the Pacers have now won 10 of their past 12 games, rolling through playoff-bound teams and dominating teams we all thought they should have been beating early on this season. On Saturday, the Pacers even staged a huge second-half to thwart a Nets team that had actually won five of its last nine games, an incredible feat for a team that now holds a 12-68 record.

Again, not that it means anything, but the Pacers showed some steadfast heart and effort on the tail end of a back-to-back Saturday. After playing sheepish in the first half and allowing New Jersey to shoot better than 65 percent from the field, Indiana finally clamped down on defense and fell behind a scoring barrage from Troy Murphy to regain control of a fast-paced game. Yeah, that's not a lie. Again, it doesn't mean anything, but it's not often that Murphy scores 14 points in one quarter (the third stanza) to propel the Pacers to a 32-19 third-quarter advantage, effectively erasing their 12-point first half deficit.

"We didn't play well defensively the entire game," said Murphy, who finished with 25 points. "We hit our shots in the third quarter, and that was the difference. We are spacing the floor and hitting key shots much better now. That wasn't happening early in the year and resulted in some losses for us. If you space the court and you don't hit shots, it really doesn't work."

For more on this game, check out the jump.

Continue reading this post »

He started as the backup PA announcer for the Indiana Pacers in 1968, one year after the team joined the ABA. Then, when the team transitioned to the NBA in 1976, Reb Porter was asked to become the full-time voice for the home team by Nancy Leonard (Slick's wife). He hasn't stopped ever since.

After years of hearing his voice echoing through the hallowed halls of Market Square Arena and Conseco Fieldhouse, Porter will end his run as the Pacers PA man on Monday night. It will be his final night after 42 years with the organization. He will not be announcing tonight's game against the Nets.

The Pacers announced that Porter will be retiring during the latest episode of Pacers Crate starring Bruno, Mark Boyle, Chris Denari and Porter. He will be sharing some of his favorite moments during his time with the Pacers with those in attendance to the game on Monday. On the Pacers Crate, Porter talks about his favorite announcing quips ("It's Milllleeeerrrrr Tiiiiimmmeee) and why he came up with the infamous "two minutes, two-ahhhh" (because someone told him in the 1980's that he had to start telling the fans when two minutes remained).

There's no earth-shattering news here and everything is very low-key, just as Porter has been in the PA chair. He always excelled at being conservative as a PA announcer, using his patented quotes when necessary and never over-doing it like many modern announcers tend to do in other stadiums. He really was just what Indiana basketball fans wanted. From his growling of "R" in Reggie Miller's name to the "R" in Danny Granger, Porter will always be remembered for being a special announcer during some special years in Pacers history. When I remember Porter, I'll always think of a packed, sweltering MSA in the mid-90's as the fans waved towels while the IndyCar bounced off the arena's walls and Porter helped make the place tick like a time bomb.

Michael Grady will be taking over the PA duties next year. Porter's only advice to the newcomer was more of a sincere directive -- never use his favorite phrase. The "two minutes, two-ahh" will be retired on Monday night along with the man who will be forever linked to making it part of Pacers history.

Continue reading this post »

Herb Simon doesn't know where the rumors started, he just knows they're wrong.

Despite his franchise -- the Indiana Pacers -- losing millions of dollars while suffering through yet another losing season, the Pacers owner said he has no intentions of selling or moving the team. Simon said, "There was an article in Forbes -- and I don't know where it came from -- but there's been no talk with anyone about selling this team. I'll continue to own this team."

In an interview with Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Simon touches on subjects involving team president Larry Bird (he's staying as long as he wants), coach Jim O'Brien (he's staying as long as Bird wants) and why the team will never tank at the end of the season (that's not what the fans want). Although Simon has made an effort since the Brawl to be more involved with the team and how the front office operates, the interview shows that Simon still has absolute trust in Bird and how he's running the franchise, and he'll take a backseat in order to show his support. His trust continues despite the fact that the blue and gold's "gross is down like half of what it was when we were winning," Simon said. "We have a lot of room to improve."

Simon also feels good about the Pacers' draft position despite dropping nearly eight spots in the past three weeks. He cites Reggie Miller and Danny Granger as lower picks who worked out extremely well for the Pacers. Some call that luck and could show Simon a list of 30 lower draft picks who didn't work out in Indiana. But Simon is steadfast in his belief that the Pacers should not, and will not, ever tank a season for a draft pick.

Simon said, "That doesn't feel good and it's not the right way to do it. The fans who come out every game expect us to do our best and try our best and play our best. That's what this franchise stands for."

Check out more links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

It's all about the Butler Bulldogs in Indianapolis this Easter Sunday. But maybe you can make some room for an Indiana Pacers nightcap tonight.

As Butler waits for one more day in the limelight during tomorrow night's NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game against Duke, the Pacers will pit Blue Devils versus Blue Devils in tonight's Indy matchup with the Rockets. The game places Duke alums Mike Dunleavy, Josh McRoberts and Dahntay Jones against Houston's Shane Battier. Unfortunately, no Butler alums will take the court, but just think of how many more people the Fieldhouse would draw if Bobby Plump was signed to a 10-day contract with the blue and gold.

Hopefully Larry Bird has enjoyed watching Butler this weekend. Hopefully he's extrapolated the concept that defense counts for something in the game of basketball. Hopefully he sees that a 33-year-old coach understands this concept and always has, while the guy kneeling on towel near his team's bench has never, and will never, grasp the concept that defense matters. Hard work on BOTH ends of the floor matters. It's great watching Butler. We fans actually enjoy watching great defense. It's hard not to watch Butler and think of how the Pacers could be playing.

Oh well, back to celebrating the Bulldogs and a few Pacers links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Jermaine O'Neal is about to get his feet wet.

The currently injured Miami Heat center and former Indiana Pacers money-sucking contract will be testing the free agent waters this summer. His seven-year, $126-million contract that the Pacers gave him in 2003 is finally done this season. Obviously, money is not an issue.

He's looking for a championship contender, some place where he can sign a four or five-year-deal where he can finish out his career. "I'm looking forward to it because basically it's the stretch run for me," O'Neal said. "I don't plan on playing past the next four or five years. I definitely want to make a decision and put myself in the best position to compete for a championship."

Now hitting the ripe age of 31 years old, O'Neal will get his first chance at becoming a free agent during his career. O'Neal let it known yesterday that in 2003, when O'Neal would have been a free agent with the Pacers, the center didn't bother looking around the rest of the league as he opted to land the big money deal with the blue and gold. O'Neal said that only the Spurs offered a deal to O'Neal that summer.

O'Neal missed his third game in a row with a hyperextended right knee, sitting on the sidelines of the Fieldhouse while watching teammate Dwyane Wade destroy the Pacers last night. He is averaging 13.8 points and 7.1 rebounds this season.

Check out some links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Maybe this is the distraction we've all been waiting for to help the Indiana Pacers finally tank at the end of the season. But, in typical Pacers fashion, this will probably only motivate them even more to win tonight against the playoff-bound Miami Heat.

It's all about the Final Four team Duke Blue Devils at the Fieldhouse right now -- at least for three Pacers players. Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones and Josh McRoberts are the party hosts for all things Duke this weekend in Indy. The three former Duke stars will be in the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium, while also becoming the go-to guys for post-game parties and their homes will also host a plethora of fellow Duke alumni. If you're a Duke-hater, stay away from these guys.

Other Duke brethren making the trip to join the three Pacers in their special seating section include at least Shane Battier and several other players are expected join. The Pacers have the benefit of being in Indy all weekend as they play host to the Heat tonight and the Rockets on Sunday.

Dunleavy told the IndyStar the following: "All the teams are playing really well, but I think it would really be exciting for the city and the NCAA to have a team like Butler in the finals against Duke. It couldn't have turned out better. It's a real exciting weekend for Duke, obviously, but for me, I'm real excited. We'll have a bunch of the old Duke guys sitting in the same section."

More links after the jump including another interview with Larry Bird and some previews of tonight's game.

Continue reading this post »

This probably wasn't even a discussion one month ago for the Indiana Pacers. And maybe that dictates the final answer. But Earl Watson's late-season push as the team's prominent point guard will force the team to make another difficult decision with the PG spot this summer.

Watson, who signed a one-year contract last summer, could either stay or go with the Pacers this summer. Last summer, the Pacers let Jarrett Jack go to free agency and found Watson as a replacement.

As Bruno reported in his Caught in Web, Watson has been very consistent of late by getting comfortable with teammates as he's helped lead the push from a top-four lottery pick to the back of lottery contention. During the four-game winning streak, Watson has averaged 9.0 points and 9.8 assists with an assist:turnover ratio of 5.6. Bruno also reported that Watson has seemingly become a mentor for the young players such as Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush and Josh McRoberts. Coach Jim O'Brien couldn't hold back his appreciation for the point guard.

"I love his leadership," O'Brien said. "He's a guy that I certainly would value being in this franchise for a long time. He's been a very consistent performer for us and I certainly hope that we would consider having him in a Pacer uniform next year. We know we have T.J. under contract and we're going to have A.J. under contract. A lot depends upon the draft and what Larry (Bird) can do from the standpoint of personnel changes this summer. But Earl is certainly my kind of guy and I would love to have the opportunity to coach him again."

Of course, if the Pacers win the John Wall Sweepstakes (let us pray) then we won't even have this discussion. The fact that it took five months for Watson to come around is a red flag, along with the fact that his return would probably continue to stunt the growth of rookie A.J. Price, who needs as many minutes as possible.

Watson told Bruno that he's not thinking about next year, which fits right in with the Pacers selfish philosophy of late -- not caring about the future, only about winning now. Sounds like a perfect fit. More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Josh McRoberts was seemingly "relevant" during last night's win against the Wizards, although I wouldn't expect coach Jim O'Brien to acknowledge it.

When it was announced at Conseco "Reggie Miller" Fieldhouse that McRoberts was starting last night, my cousin and I were jubilant. This is what we came to see. Despite it meaning that the Pacers were going to fall further behind in the lottery chase (which there was no way in hell they could have lost that game if they tried), McRoberts exceeded even our expectations for his energy, efficiency and fun during the win.

In 30 minutes of play, McBob's scored 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting, grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and blocked two shots. It was his third start of the season, which resulted from Roy Hibbert sitting last night out due to injury.

"I found out at about 4:30 (p.m.) that I was going to get the start," McRoberts told the Indianapolis Star. "Coach told me to be ready to take shots when they were available. I'm definitely not Roy. I think I can do other things to help the team, so I tried to do that."

McRoberts was there in the midst of every offensive rebound as he crashed the boards with controlled energy and prowess. Each time he entered or exited the game, he received a rousing applause from the crowd and, therefore, each time he was in the game, the crowd was a little louder than when he wasn't. Between McRoberts and Hibbert, who is one of the best cheerleader's on the bench in NBA history, they made the blow-out, ugly game fun to watch. Oh, and what did O'Brien think of McRoberts' play this time around?

"(McRoberts) got us off to a very good start," O'Brien said. "I was happy with how he played (Wednesday)."

Well, it's better than nothing from our esteemed coach. I'll take it. More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

It's become a crazy season for the Indiana Pacers. For five months, the team teetered on the brink of self-annihilation, slowly sinking to become one of the bottom four teams in the league as players, fans and coaches (especially coaches) wondered what the hell was going on with this team.

As the Pacers wrapped up their fourth win in five games last night against the Pistons, the confusion continues, now in a different direction. Why are they winning now? Don't they don't know it doesn't matter? Depending on tonight's results throughout the NBA, the Pacers could be eliminated from playoff contention after their game against the Wizards tonight. We shouldn't even be talking about playoff elimination at this point. This is the time for the John Wall Sweepstakes! But as Danny Granger regains last season's form, Brandon Rush drops the psycho act, Roy Hibbert avoids foul trouble and T.J. Ford sits on the bench, the Pacers are winning. Just a little late.

Troy Murphy tried to clear things up, only to make things even more befuddled. Murphy said, "There are some things you just can't understand. You can't understand the pyramids, the Kennedy assassination and the 2009-2010 Indiana Pacers." That sums it up.

What I do understand is that the Pacers are finally playing with a little chip on their collective shoulders as they've become recommitted to defense while taking advantage of the opposition's trend to "overlook" their game against the blue and gold. Granger actually becoming efficient on offense again as changed everything as well. Coach Jim O'Brien reiterated again Tuesday that he won't play players based on preparing for next year. It's still only about winning.

"We get paid to win," O'Brien said. "I'll play the guys I think give us the best chance of winning. Flat out and simple. There won't be any deviating from that."

More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Ron Artest and Ben Wallace are rolling in their graves. Wait, they're still alive? The former bruising defenders of the Pacers and Pistons (actually, Wallace still uses up cap space on Detroit's bench) are a distant memory of what occurred in the Palace on Tuesday.

Defense was left at the ticket gates as the two Central Division bottom-feeders chose a fast-paced style that still didn't result in many points. After the Pacers raced out to an early lead, the blue and gold held off two minor Pistons' comebacks behind the offense of Danny Granger and Brandon Rush. Ultimately, it was the Pacers who put forth a strong mental and physical effort in the second half as the blue and gold secured a 98-83 win.

The victory moved the Pacers one game behind the Sixers for the No. 8 lottery spot (before all games ended Tuesday). It also snapped a nine-game road losing streak.

Despite the lax in defense (particularly in the first half from both squads), the Pistons couldn't hit a broadside of a barn despite wide open lanes and easy cuts to the basket. Detroit made only 36 percent of their 84 field goal attempts, while the Pacers were much more efficient in their drives to the rim, nailing 43 percent of their shots. Granger won the battle of the night, out-willing and out-producing a hard-nosed Tayshaun Prince, who had to be the only Pistons player who looked at this game as having any meaning. Granger stuck it in Prince's grill all night, cut around him without the ball and provided a tone that ran into his teammates. Granger tallied 32 points (five 3-pointers), five rebounds and four assists.

But an even bigger performance came from Rush, who crushed Richard Hamilton on both ends of the court. Rush hounded Hamilton early and it took Rip completely out of the game. Hamilton made only 3-of-12 shots, while Rush was as proficient as he's ever been on the offensive side. He only took nine shots, but made seven of them along with five free throws for 20 points. It was a great performance for Rush, who continues to impress in the final month of the season while facing psychological difficulties during the first five months of play. Great to have him back.

More on how this game rolled after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

This Indiana Pacers team has been a lot of things this season: depressed, underachievers, injured, offensive and defensive nightmares, etc. But now this team can add a "never-give-up" attitude to its list of attributes

As the Pacers rolled through the Thunder on Sunday, the blue and gold were led by fantastic play on both sides of the ball. Danny Granger, who came back early from a head injury to continue improving with teammates, led the team with a team-high 32 points and seven rebounds while shutting down Thunder star Kevin Durant (16 points). Now, another injured starter is set to return early to join the "let's kill our lottery hopes and future tour" as early as tomorrow.

"I'm making good progress and we'll see how it goes over the next few days," T.J. Ford said. "I'm feeling better each day."

Ford, who re-injured his groin 10 days ago, is completing on-the-court work and he's hopeful that he can return to the Pacers' bench in their matchup with Central Division bottom-feeder Pistons on Tuesday. He could also wait to return against another lottery-bound foe (Wizards) on Wednesday. Ford could either flow seamlessly into a thriving, fast-paced Pacers offense that is showing flashbacks to last year, or he could disrupt the cutting and movement that Earl Watson has developed so well in the past week.

Watson had eight assists and no turnovers in 29 minutes against the Thunder, giving him a total of 19 assists and only two turnovers in the past two games. Ford will also take away important minutes from rookie A.J. Price, who played 19 minutes yesterday.

Some links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Danny Granger's head injury is gone and passed, and the Indiana Pacers star is ready to finish out the season.

After missing just one game after taking an inadvertent elbow to his cheek during Tuesday's win at Charlotte, Granger returned last night to play 39 minutes, scoring 29 points, dishing six assists and nabbing three steals in a 106-102 win over the Pistons.

With the playoffs out-of-sight for the Pacers, it was thought that the team might shut their star down for a few weeks in order to help him rest and get completely healthy. But Granger isn't ready to quit yet. He wants to finish the season improving with his teammates.

"It's not my nature to sit out," Granger told the Indianapolis Star. "I think every game we play from here on out -- even though we're not making the playoffs -- it's a time to get better as individuals and as a team. You can only do that by playing, and if I'm healthy, I'm going to play."

When Granger suffered the injury he looked as though he had been shot on the court. After stumbling from baseline-to-baseline, he finally collapsed near the Pacers' bench where he was finally stood up and taken back to the locker room.

"I've been hit in the head a bunch of times but not to where I was all disoriented," Granger said. "I was aware what was going on somewhat. I started walking and tried to straighten up, but it wasn't happening. I was sore in the face. I thought I had fractured a bone in my face, but it was all good. Thank goodness there wasn't anything wrong with my eye."

More links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

While NBA teams have mastered the art of tanking their season away in hopes of landing better odds in the upcoming NBA draft lottery, the Indiana Pacers want nothing to do with it. Only 14 games remain before the Pacers get sent on vacation to watch the Playoffs from a seaside bed in the Caribbean. But that's not changing their attitude about winning.

Bruno reported yesterday that not only is coach Jim O'Brien set on winning as many as games as possible during the last few weeks of the season, but the players (especially the young ones) are determined to show they're better than how they've looked this season.

Jim O'Brien said, "I think it's important that this group grow as a unit and there's nothing like ending the season feeling like you're improving as a group, that there's hope going into next year that you can sustain winning. So I think it's very important that we win. If people that are paid to win basketball games think about anything else but winning basketball games, it would show a tremendous lack of integrity, so we don't deal with that. Our guys are into trying to win basketball games."

The basketball gods have a funny way of doing things. In an effort to keep the team out of the John Wall Sweepstakes once-and-for-all, Indiana's remaining schedule is easier than cake. Home is where the heart is and the Pacers will get 10 of their final 14 in the Fieldhouse. They'll play the likes of Detroit (twice), Washington (twice), New York, Sacramento and New Jersey.

Second-year center Roy Hibbert added that he was concerned only about creating chemistry and productivity with his teammates during the final weeks to help carryover to the summer and next season. "We're players and obviously we have pride and confidence in ourselves," Hibbert said. "Our record doesn't show it but we definitely want to win for ourselves. Whatever new pieces come in, you don't want to have that bad taste in your mouth to carry over into next year. So going off on a good note and winning, hopefully we can build off of that with the new people coming in next year."

Hopefully the basketball gods shine down upon us for having such great hearts for winning with pride, and give us a high lottery pick for the effort. Praying might help. Some more links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

There was something that happened during last night's 99-94 loss to Cleveland that was very exciting -- the rise (and fall) of the young guns.

Three players who could possibly be a big part of the future of the Indiana Pacers came alive during the fourth quarter to push the Cavaliers to the limit, ultimately unleashing LeBron James in all his glory before succumbing to defeat. The play of Brandon Rush, A.J. Price and Roy Hibbert during a stretch that erased an 18-point deficit to climb back within one point of tying the game with four minutes remaining was what we've all been waiting for of late. The youngin's were finally unleashed.

Of course, if you tuned into SportsCenter this morning, you just got the sense that Rush was made a fool last night. As the lead story this morning, the "James vs. Rush" matchup played Rush as the court jester compared to James' knight in shining armor. But before King James reigned down Hell upon the Pacers in the final three minutes, Rush and company put together a fantastic run. The three combined for 17 points in a 22-5 run that cut the Cavs' lead to 88-87, and they finished with 23 of the team's 29 fourth-quarter points. 

Coach Jim O'Brien was impressed: "They knew we were calling their number a lot. And, they have confidence in their ability to score and the more their confidence builds, the better NBA players they will be. It's good to have young guys that are constantly improving."

A couple of factors helped the kids along. Despite getting in foul trouble early, Hibbert came back to do a lot of damage against a Shaquille O'Neal-less Cavs squad. He also scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the first quarter. Rush and Price did a lot of their damage when Cleveland had mailed in the fourth quarter, hoping to coast to a Central Division title. Still, the heart was there to comeback and they came very, very close to putting the Pacers on an actual winning streak. Rush said it best: "We're going to be playing together for the next couple of years, and it's definitely a good sign that we played pretty well against a great team. A.J. (Price) played good and Roy (Hibbert) played good, so it's definitely a good look for us in the future."

Check out the jump for links to last night's loss.

Continue reading this post »

What is Indiana Pacers coach Jim O'Brien thinking?

The man has trouble winning, and he has trouble losing. With the Pacers on threshold of NBA lottery heaven, O'Brien's squad shut down the streaking Bobcats on Tuesday for a rare win, and then nearly followed the gutsy performance with an encore presentation in Cleveland on Wednesday. It took an MVP performance in the final three minutes from LeBron James to keep the Pacers from shooting themselves in the foot again.

After the Pacers clawed back from an 18-point deficit to start the fourth quarter, the blue and gold's youth movement came to fruition against one of the best teams in the league. Behind stellar play from rookie A.J. Price, Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert, Indiana (which was playing without injured star Danny Granger) pulled within one point of tying the game with 4:37 left in the fourth stanza. It was mind-twisting, tug-of-war for a Pacers fan. Do you want LeBron and Co. to destroy the Pacers in order to put them back in their rightful spot in the top four of the lottery, or wouldn't it be sweet to see the young core players knock off the mighty Cavaliers? The question didn't linger for long.

James had six points, two blocks, two steals and an assist in the final four minutes to seal the deal for a Cavs' 99-94 win, which clinched the Cavs the Central Division title.

One of LeBron's thundering blocks came on poor Brandon Rush. The second-year guard was given the assignment of dealing with LeBron during the fourth quarter. Rush performed admirably, but when LeBron turned it on in the final four minutes, Rush was burnt to a crisp. The block on Rush came right when the Pacers were within one of taking the lead and the play the Pacers ran came directly out of a timeout. Rush tried taking it to the hole but LeBron jumped from what seemed like the opposite 3-point line to smash the ball off the glass. The resulting turnover led to an Anderson Varejao bucket, followed by another Pacers turnover that then blessed James with an alley-oop dunk. The ship was sunk.

Overall, the Pacers were in this game for three of the four quarters, and they even looked good doing it. A fun-filled 11-0 run in the second quarter gave the Pacers an early lead and some confidence. But it was that characteristic third-quarter blemish that did the team in again. Starting at the end of the second, LeBron and co. rattled off a 20-2 run that ultimately led to a 31-17 third-quarter advantage. It set the stage for the miraculous comeback by the Pacers' young guys, but the Cavs showed their true colors during that run.

In the end, Pacers fans got the best of both worlds in this one. The team fought hard, led by three promising young guys at the forefront. And, ultimately, the loss helped them creep closer back to one of those top lottery spots. Check out more thoughts and observations after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

It appears the injury Danny Granger suffered during Tuesday's win against Charlotte isn't as bad as it looked.

The Indiana Pacers announced this morning that Granger was immediately taken to the Methodist Hospital last night for examination. He had a CT scan of his head and neck and the results were negative. He was released following the examination. The Pacers also noted that he will seek further examination from team physicians. He is still set to miss tonight's game in Cleveland.

After suffering a blow to his upper right cheek late in the fourth quarter, Granger was barely able to make it off the court with help of teammates and coaches. The Indiana Pacers star looked dazed and confused after falling to the floor next to the bench while waiting for assistance to the locker room. No word yet on when he might return to the Pacers lineup.