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Pacers Notes: Coaching Search, Oladipo, West

August 31st, 2020 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers intend to be open-minded when it comes to picking their next head coach, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard told reporters on Monday. As Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com writes, Pritchard said the Pacers would consider a college coach or an established veteran, and will focus on candidates who have the ability to connect with young players.

Pritchard said he has solicited advice from former Pacers forward David West, as well as Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard. Indiana’s head of basketball operations added that an ability to put together a reliable group of assistants will also be something the club takes into account.

“We’ve seen some of the hirings over the last few years, and they’re coming from all over the board,” Pritchard said, per Woodyard. “The way I’ve set up this process is, we want to start with a big pool then get down smaller and smaller. I don’t want to rule that out. If there’s an existing coach who has experience, who knows how to build a program, but maybe has a little mark or has something he needs to improve on.

“I believe this, that the head coach is critically important, but nowadays, that second, third and fourth coach almost are more important. So how they build out their structure and their coaching staff is critical.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Pritchard also said today that he wants to hire a head coach who takes a “modern approach” to the game, and suggested that the team won’t be compromised by financial constraints when making a hire (Twitter links via J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star). “He wants this to be a great organization,” Pritchard said of team owner Herb Simon. “If it was just about money, we probably wouldn’t have done what we did (firing Nate McMillan with money left on his contract).”
Pritchard said today that he sensed some “relief” from McMillan when the team informed him of the coaching change, according to Woodyard. “The coaching ranks in the NBA are ever changing, and I give Nate a ton of credit for instilling a hard-nosed tough culture here, and again, I really believe that he’ll get another job and get another job quickly if he wants to,” Pritchard said. “And boy, we would do anything we can to help him do that.” McMillan has said he likely won’t pursue a head coaching job for next season.
Victor Oladipo is entering a contract year in 2020/21, but Pritchard said he doesn’t feel “any rush to make a quick decision” on the two-time All-Star. “It will be up to him,” Pritchard said (Twitter links via J. Michael). “He will have the choice. It’s his first time to have autonomous choice. He can go and do whatever he wants.” There has been speculation that Oladipo could become a trade candidate if the Pacers get the impression he doesn’t want to remain in Indiana beyond 2021.
According to J. Michael (Twitter link), the Pacers have tried repeatedly to get David West to work for them. To date, however, West hasn’t been interested, since he’s involved in a number of enterprises and doesn’t want to commit to a single job.

Details On Traded Draft Picks Protected In 2020

August 28th, 2020 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

When the NBA completed its draft lottery last week, awarding the Timberwolves the No. 1 overall pick, it ensured that the full draft order for 2020 has now been established.

Of the 60 picks in this year’s draft, a total of 28 – nine in the first round and 19 in the second – have been traded from one team to another. However, that number could have been even higher if not for the protections that were applied to several traded picks.

In some cases, those traded draft picks will be rolled over to 2021 with identical protections. In other cases, teams have been awarded a different pick (or two) as a consolation for not receiving the protected 2020 pick. And in a couple instances, the obligation from one team another has simply been extinguished by virtue of this year’s protections.

Here’s a breakdown of the traded draft picks that were protected in 2020 and what will happen with them going forward:

First Round

Cavaliers’ 2020 first-round pick (top-10 protected) to Pelicans

Initially traded to Atlanta for Kyle Korver, the Cavaliers’ top-10 protected 2020 first-round pick was flipped by the Hawks to the Pelicans a year ago when Atlanta moved up to No. 4 to draft De’Andre Hunter.

Because the pick landed at No. 5 this year, the Cavaliers kept it. Instead of owing New Orleans a future first-rounder, Cleveland will send its unprotected 2021 and 2022 second-round picks to the Pelicans.

Jazz’s 2020 first-round pick (1-7 and 15-30 protection) to Grizzlies

Part of the Mike Conley trade, this pick was protected on either end of the first round, since the Jazz didn’t want to give up a high lottery selection, while the Grizzlies preferred not to receive a pick in the 20s. It was protected this year as a result of landing at No. 23.

The Jazz now owe the Grizzlies their 2021 first-round pick, with the same protections (1-7 and 15-30). If it doesn’t land between 8-14 next year, it will become simply top-six protected in 2022.

Warriors’ 2020 first-round pick (top-20 protected) to Nets

It became fairly obvious early in the season that this pick – included as part of the Kevin Durant/D’Angelo Russell sign-and-trade, had no chance of conveying. The Warriors’ first-rounder ended up at No. 2 overall.

The Nets will now have to wait five years to get a pick from the Warriors, who owe Brooklyn their unprotected 2025 second-round pick.

Second Round

Pacers’ 2020 second-round pick (45-60 protected) to Nets

The Nets are still waiting on this pick as a result of a 2016 trade which saw them trade Thaddeus Young for the first-round pick that became Caris LeVert. It was originally supposed to be a 2017 second-rounder, but has been protected since then — it landed at No. 54 this year.

The Pacers now owe the Nets their 2021 second-rounder with the same 45-60 protection. That protection will also apply in 2022. If it still hasn’t changed hands by then, Brooklyn will receive Indiana’s unprotected 2023 second-rounder.

Hawks’ 2020 second-round pick (top-55 protected) to Celtics

The Hawks owed Boston their top-55 protected second-round pick, but never really expected it to be conveyed. It was a placeholder in a 2019 Jabari Bird trade that saw Atlanta acquire some cash. Atlanta’s second-round pick this year is No. 34 and was instead sent to the Sixers, who would have received it if it fell anywhere between 31-55.

The Hawks’ obligation to the Celtics is now extinguished.

Trail Blazers’ 2020 second-round pick (top-55 protected) to Nets

Like the Atlanta/Boston pick, this was a placeholder pick, first traded way back in 2015 from the Trail Blazers to Orlando in exchange for Maurice Harkless. From there, it went to Cleveland in 2016, Atlanta in 2017, and Brooklyn in 2018 as part of the Hawks’ acquisition of Jeremy Lin.

Because the Trail Blazers’ pick, which landed at No. 46, was protected this year, their obligation to the Nets is now extinguished.

McMillan Doesn’t Plan To Pursue Head Coaching Job For 2020/21

August 27th, 2020 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

After being let go by the Pacers this week, veteran NBA coach Nate McMillan tells Bob Kravitz of The Athletic that he doesn’t anticipate seeking out a new head coaching job for the 2020/21 season.

“I’m going to take this year and just look at things,” McMillan said. “A lot has changed, the league and the game have changed, so I’ll take this year and see what happens, but I won’t get back into it this season.”

Several teams – the Bulls, Sixers, Nets, and Pelicans – are currently in the market for a new head coach and it’s possible others will join them as they’re eliminated from the postseason. McMillan’s strong 183-136 (.574) record over the last four seasons in Indiana would make him a viable candidate for some of those openings.

However, McMillan will continue to get paid by the Pacers for the 2020/21 season, so it makes sense that he’d prefer to take a step back and fully consider his options rather than jumping right back onto the coaching carousel.

As for his exit from Indiana, McMillan explained that he and the Pacers agreed to a modest contract extension before the NBA’s restart began in July — that deal was announced in August after rumors surfaced about his job security. When he agreed to the new contract, McMillan expected to have Domantas Sabonis available this summer and was anticipating a first-round series win.

“I thought about it and said, ‘Even though we hadn’t started the playoffs, I really thought at the time we were going to advance,'” McMillan told Kravitz. “I had all my players (except Jeremy Lamb). Domas was there. I always thought Victor (Oladipo) was going to play. We had everybody and I really thought we could get out of the first round. So I signed that extension thinking, ‘OK, next year we’ll be healthy and I’ll give it one more try.’

“And then we get down to the bubble and Domas has his injury and it was like, ‘Ohhhhh-kay,'” McMillan continued. “But I know what I said to myself and told the organization, for me, it was about getting out of the first round, so when the decision was made yesterday, I understood.”

McMillan also responded to criticism about his offensive system, which was viewed by some observers as outdated. The former Pacers coach explained that he wanted to play to the strengths of his roster, which included a pair of big men – Sabonis and Myles Turner – in the starting lineup.

“I would love to run. When I was a player, that’s the way I played,” McMillan told Kravitz. “But personnel dictates your style of play.”

Pacers Notes: McMillan, Oladipo, Turner, Warren

August 26th, 2020 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers fired head coach Nate McMillan today, and sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that McMillan’s apparent resistance to some modern offensive philosophies was a factor in that decision.

As Amick explains, McMillan is a coach with “old-school sensibilities (and) a defense-first approach” whose offense relied more on mid-range shots than three-pointers — the Pacers ranked last in the NBA this season in three-pointers per game. President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard viewed McMillan’s offensive approach as an “inopportune fit,” according to Amick.

Taking that into account, it’s no surprise that Mike D’Antoni was the first head coaching target linked to the Pacers. Amick says he expects Indiana’s next coach to have an offense-first philosophy.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

As Victor Oladipo enters a contract year, his situation is worth monitoring this offseason. Amick wonders if playing for an offense-first coach like D’Antoni might convince Oladipo to remain in Indiana long-term, while Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report says a number of executives around the league believe the two-time All-Star is a candidate to hit the trade block this offseason.
Asked about his future with the Pacers this week, Oladipo said he’s not thinking about that right now and is no rush to make any decisions, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I know what I need to focus on, what I need to do to make sure my knee gets stronger and better and what I need to do to get better as a person and a player,” Oladipo said. “I learned a lot from this year, and I learned a lot from this series, so I just got to continue to keep working.”
Speaking to reporters after the Pacers’ elimination, big man Myles Turner expressed frustration with the team’s fifth consecutive first round exit, writes Bontemps. “At some point, you have to get over the hump, man,” Turner said. “Five years of being in the playoffs, five first-round exits. So me, personally, I take that s–t personally. You gotta find a way.”
Count Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra among those who wasn’t a fan of the Pacers’ decision to fire McMillan. Spoelstra said today that McMillan’s ouster was “totally ridiculous” and was critical of the “media fake extension” that Indiana gave him earlier this month (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald). That contract extension reportedly just added a team option to McMillan’s deal, rather than any guaranteed seasons.
In an Insider article for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks previews the Pacers’ offseason, including looming decisions on Oladipo and T.J. Warren. As Marks observes, Warren will be extension-eligible, but Indiana can’t offer more than $49.3MM over three years.

Pacers Fire Head Coach Nate McMillan

August 26th, 2020 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have relieved Nate McMillan of his head coaching duties, the team announced today in a press release.

“On behalf of the Simon family and the Pacers organization, I’d like to thank Nate for his years with the team,” Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “This was a very hard decision for us to make; but we feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to move in a different direction. Nate and I have been through the good times and the bad times; and it was an honor to work with him for those 11 years (in Indiana and Portland).”

The move comes as a surprise, since the Pacers just signed McMillan to a one-year contract extension earlier this month. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says (via Twitter) that “soft” extension involved a reworking of McMillan’s deal for 2020/21, with a team option added for ’21/22, so it sounds like Indiana didn’t cost itself much money by changing course just two weeks later.

McMillan, 56, guided the Pacers to a 183-136 (.574) record over the last four seasons, earning four consecutive playoff berths during that stretch. Indiana’s 45-28 (.616) mark this season represented the club’s highest winning percentage since 2013/14.

McMillan, who is well-respected around the NBA, had generally been lauded in recent years for maximizing the Pacers’ roster despite losing star forward Paul George – who requested a trade in 2017 – and dealing with a handful of major injuries, including the torn quad tendon that sidelined Victor Oladipo for a full year. The team’s quick playoff exit this season at the hands of the Heat came without injured starters Domantas Sabonis and Jeremy Lamb available.

However, that loss to the Heat represented Indiana’s fourth consecutive first-round exit, and there had been some chatter about a need to modernize the team’s offense, which ranked last in the NBA this season in three-point attempts per game (28.0). In an unusual move, the Pacers mentioned McMillan’s 3-16 postseason record in their announcement on his dismissal today, a signal that his lack of playoff success was a major factor in the club’s decision.

ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy and Zach Lowe noted on a podcast earlier this month that there had been speculation around the league in recent months about McMillan being on the hot seat in Indiana.

The Pacers will begin their search for a new head coach immediately, according to today’s announcement. They’ll be vying with the Nets, Sixers, Bulls, and Pelicans for the top candidates on the market, becoming the sixth team to launch a coaching search in 2020 (the Knicks are the only club to have completed the process so far).

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), current Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni will become an Indiana target if Houston decides to make a coaching change of its own. The Pacers will also explore a pool of candidates they’d consider “program builders,” sources tell Woj (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Domantas Sabonis Returning To Disney World Campus, Not Expected To Play

August 22nd, 2020 at 3:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

All-star forward Domantas Sabonis is scheduled to arrive in Orlando today, tweets Pacers reporter Scott Agness. Coach Nate McMillan confirmed the news this afternoon on the Fox Sports Indiana pre-game show, adding that Sabonis will quarantine “for a few days.”

Sabonis probably hasn’t been involved in any basketball activity over the last six weeks, and sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski he’s not expected to return to the active roster (Twitter link).

Sabonis traveled to the Disney World complex with the team in July, but left shortly after scrimmages began to get treatment for plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The injury was termed “significant” when it was first reported.

The 24-year-old center/power forward is putting up career-best numbers in his fourth NBA season, averaging 18.5 points and 12.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 62 games.

Holiday Hires New Representation Ahead Of Free Agency

August 21st, 2020 at 7:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Free agent Pacers wing Justin Holiday has hired a new agent, Bernie Lee, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Lee also represents Heat swingman (and Holiday’s former Bulls teammate) Jimmy Butler. Holiday signed a one-year, $4.8MM contract with Indiana last summer.

2020 NBA Draft Picks By Team

August 21st, 2020 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to claiming the top three spots in the 2020 NBA draft based on this year’s lottery results, the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Hornets are three of eight teams that will own more than two draft picks this fall.

As our full 2020 draft order shows, the Sixers lead the way with five picks, while the Kings, Pelicans, and Celtics have four apiece. Like Minnesota, Golden State, and Charlotte, the Knicks also hold three selections. On the other end of the spectrum, the Rockets are the only team without a 2020 draft pick.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2020 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers (5): 21, 34, 36, 49, 58
Sacramento Kings (4): 12, 35, 43, 52
New Orleans Pelicans (4): 13, 39, 42, 60
Boston Celtics (4): 14, 26, 30, 47
Minnesota Timberwolves (3): 1, 17, 33
Golden State Warriors (3): 2, 48, 51
Charlotte Hornets (3): 3, 32, 56
New York Knicks (3): 8, 27, 38

Teams with two picks:

Chicago Bulls: 4, 44
Atlanta Hawks: 6, 50
Washington Wizards: 9, 37
San Antonio Spurs: 11, 41
Orlando Magic: 15, 45
Portland Trail Blazers: 16, 46
Dallas Mavericks: 18, 31
Brooklyn Nets: 19, 55
Oklahoma City Thunder: 25, 53
Toronto Raptors: 29, 59

Teams with one pick:

Cleveland Cavaliers: 5
Detroit Pistons: 7
Phoenix Suns: 10
Miami Heat: 20
Denver Nuggets: 22
Utah Jazz: 23
Milwaukee Bucks: 24
Los Angeles Lakers: 28
Memphis Grizzlies: 40
Indiana Pacers: 54
Los Angeles Clippers: 57

Teams with no picks:

Houston Rockets

Victor Oladipo Available For Pacers In Game 2

August 20th, 2020 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has been cleared to play in Game 2 against Miami this afternoon, the club announced today (via Twitter).

Oladipo suffered an injury during the first quarter of Indiana’s Game 1 loss when he was poked in the eye by Heat forward Jae Crowder. Although he briefly stayed in the game, Oladipo soon came out and didn’t return.

Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said after Tuesday’s game that Oladipo’s eye began swelling soon after he took the inadvertent hit from Crowder, and that McMillan never considered putting him back on the court. However, the team also said after the game that tests showed “no immediate concerns,” as Nick Friedell of ESPN details.

With Domantas Sabonis already sidelined due to a foot injury, the Pacers would have faced a significant uphill battle if Oladipo had been forced to miss time as well. They’ll be looking to even up their series with the Heat today.

Injury Notes: Porzingis, Beverley, Oladipo, J. Brown, Westbrook

August 19th, 2020 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis has been upgraded to probable for tonight’s game against the Clippers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. He had been listed as questionable with irritation in his right knee, similar to the condition that forced him to miss 10 games in December and January, adds Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). The ACL tear Porzingis suffered in 2018 was in his left knee.

Dallas may need a huge effort from Porzingis to even up the playoff series. He posted 14 points and six rebounds before being ejected early in the third quarter of Game 1, which may have been the turning point in L.A.’s victory.

There’s more injury news to pass along:

Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is listed as questionable for tonight with a left calf strain that forced him to miss the final five seeding games, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). Beverley was able to play 20 minutes in the series opener, but was limited by foul trouble.
The Pacers have “no immediate concerns” about guard Victor Oladipo, who was poked in the eye during Monday’s game, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Oladipo played just 8:34 in the loss, as the injury happened in the first quarter and coach Nate McMillan never considered putting him back in the game. “It wasn’t an option,” McMillan said. “His vision was really blurry, really couldn’t see out of his eye when we spoke to him at halftime, and he was going to get that checked out.” Oladipo, who is listed as day to day, was able to participate in today’s walkthrough (Twitter link from Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel).
The Celtics are listing Jaylen Brown as probable for today’s game with a right thigh bruise, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Brown suffered the injury in a collision with Sixers center Joel Embiid in the second half of Game 1 and was able to remain in the game.
Rockets guard Russell Westbrook continues to make progress in recovering from a strained quardriceps muscle, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, but coach Mike D’Antoni said he’s still not cleared to take the court and there’s no timetable for him to return. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take,” D’Antoni said. “It’s going to take a little bit. He’s working hard and he’s feeling better every day. The images are looking better. But I think it’s too early to say how many days he’s out. I don’t think anybody knows.”