Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

The Pacers Won The Paul George Trade (Too)

November 2nd, 2017 at 5:40pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pacers won the Paul George trade, even if the Thunder happened to win it as well, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star writes. The scribe, who memorably critiqued Indiana’s handling of the George saga prior to the deal, says that he didn’t initially appreciate Kevin Pritchard‘s haul for their disgruntled star.

While it seems likely that Victor Oladipo won’t end up averaging the 23.8 points per game he’s averaged through eight games so far this season, he’s a more valuable player than what he came across as during his lone season with the Thunder. It’s reasonable to expect the Pacers two-guard to continue to post a scoring average in excess of the 17.9 points per game he posted in his career-high season with the desolate 2014/15 Magic.

Of course the component that makes or breaks the deal will be Domantas Sabonis. Fortunately for the Pacers, the 21-year-old big man has looked excellent averaging 13.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in just 27.1 minutes.

Doyel compliments Pritchard for winning a trade that seemed unwinnable, considering the lack of leverage the Pacers were left with after George’s agent leaked that George wanted out.

Stephenson's Confidence Remains High

October 29th, 2017 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers swingman Lance Stephenson hasn’t lost confidence despite a terrible start to the new season, relays Mark Montieth of NBA.com. In a reserve role for the high-scoring Pacers, Stephenson is averaging 6.2 points per game and shooting just 27% from the field, 13% from 3-point range and 38.5% from the free throw line. “I’m going to keep shooting,” said Stephenson, who came back to Indiana late last season after spending time with the Hornets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans and Timberwolves. “My confidence is never going to go down. In practice I don’t miss, so it’s probably just mental. A lot of rushed shots. Just stay poised and don’t get out of it. Bring it every game. I haven’t lost my confidence at all.”
When Myles Turner returns from the concussion that has sidelined him since opening night, Pacers coach Nate McMillan is considering using him together with Domantas Sabonis, Montieth writes in the same story. The move would put the team’s two best rebounders on the court at the same time. “It gives us some size, it gives us some versatility,” McMillan said. “We’re big, but we still have the speed and athleticism to defend and run our sets. “I look forward to getting to that as much as possible.”

Darren Collison's Improvement Enables Fast Pace

October 27th, 2017 at 8:01pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pacers have jumped out of the gates with one of the league’s fastest-paced and most potent offenses. Much of that is thanks to their newly acquired point guard, Darren Collison, Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star writes. The guard has taken a substantial leap forward since his last tenure with the franchise.

“I’m a much better player than I was in the past,” the Pacers guard said. “I know the game a little better. I’m more mature. I don’t think I’ve lost a step, but I’m not as fast as I used to be. But my basketball IQ is at higher level than it ever has been.”

In five games with the Pacers so far this season, Collison has averaged 15.6 points and 8.4 assists per game. Indiana, as a team, has averaged 114.0 points per game, the fourth-highest total in the NBA.

Paul George On Leaving Indy; Victor Oladipo Thrives

October 26th, 2017 at 4:14pm CST by Austin Kent

While Pacers fans didn’t get a revenge win over Paul George‘s Thunder, they did gain some insight into the All-Star’s decision to force his way out of Indiana. Scott Horner of The Indianapolis Star curated a handful of interviews that George has given since his departure.

In other interviews, George seems to question the promotional strategy the Pacers’ have used regarding his pending return to Indiana in December, while also throwing shade at the team for how they traded Danny Granger to the Sixers back in 2014.

The Pacers have been more than satisfied with what they’ve gotten out of Victor Oladipo so far this season, Clifton Brown of The Indianapolis Star writes. “I like his pace,” head coach Nate McMillan said after the team’s loss to Paul George‘s Thunder. “He’s doing a good job of not forcing the issue. His shot selection has been better. He’s knocking down shots and in a pretty good rhythm, and we try to go to him as much as possible, because he was the one guy with the hot hand. He’s just playing with a nice pace.”

Pacers Notes: Young, Sabonis, Turner, Future

October 21st, 2017 at 12:04pm CST by marksuleymanov

While many saw the Thunder’s acquisition of Paul George for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo as a heist for the ages, Pacers forward Thaddeus Young has a differing viewpoint, Jim Ayello of The Indianapolis Star writes.

Sabonis posted 16 points on perfect 7-for-7 shooting in Wednesday’s season-opener against the Nets. Indiana defeated Brooklyn 140-131 and Young — after watching Sabonis’ performance — feels the team made out well in the trade.

“Honestly,” Young said, “I think we stole him from them.”

Sabonis, selected 11th overall by the Magic last season, was acquired by the Thunder in a draft night deal with Orlando. He did not see as much improvement as he would have liked last season, averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 81 games. However, playing for the rebuilding Pacers will give him that opportunity. Whether or not Sabonis can have a George-like impact on Indiana remains to be seen.

Check out other news surrounding the Pacers:

Pacers center Myles Turner has been diagnosed with a concussion, the team announced. He missed yesterday’s game against the Trail Blazers and will miss tonight’s contest in Miami against the Heat.
Pacers owner Herb Simon discussed a succession plan for the team once he is no longer in charge of the team, Gregg Doyle of The Indianapolis Star writes. Simon’s 53-year-old son, Steve, is likely to take over the team. He also spoke in-depth about the future of the team, including his thoughts on Paul George’s departure.

Pacers Look To Up Tempo With New Backcourt

October 19th, 2017 at 4:28pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pacers have made a concerted effort to play a faster tempo and managed to do just that thanks to their new-look backcourt spearheaded by Victor Oladipo. As Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes, Indiana managed to up their pace eventually outrunning their opening day opponent altogether.

While Oladipo led the squad in scoring with 22 points in Indiana’s first game, he wasn’t the only guard to post an impressive stat line. Veteran Darren Collison added 21 and 11 of his own while reserve guard Cory Joseph – plucked from the Raptors this offseason – put in 11 points and 4 assists of his own for the victorious Pacers.

“[Pacers coach] Nate MacMillan’s done an unbelievable job of letting us take the onus as point guards and kind of let us run the show,” Collison said. “He was a point guard himself. He knows what it’s like to let us see the game, instead of micromanaging every single play. If we can play like that, call a guard game, play with one another, we’ll be alright.”

Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 19th, 2017 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

For the first time, NBA teams are permitted to carry up to 17 players this season. In addition to carrying up to 15 players to the NBA roster, teams can add two more players on two-way contracts. The rule changes related to roster sizes have allowed teams to maintain a little extra flexibility, and many clubs are taking advantage of that added flexibility to open the season, carrying the full 17 players.

Several teams still have open roster spots though, affording those clubs a different kind of flexibility. A team carrying only 14 NBA players, for instance, has the opportunity to sign a free agent or add a player in a trade at any time without waiving anyone, all the while avoiding paying for a 15th man who almost certainly won’t see much playing time.

With the help of our roster count page and our two-way contract tracker, here’s a breakdown of the teams that have at least one open NBA or two-way spot on their rosters:

Teams carrying just 14 NBA contracts:

Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers

It makes sense that a few of these teams would avoid carrying a 15th man to open the season. The Rockets, Thunder, and Trail Blazers are all taxpayers, and teams like the Clippers and Hornets are close enough to the tax threshold that avoiding a 15th salary is logical. Among these clubs, the Celtics seem like perhaps the best bet to fill their final roster opening soon, now that the team has likely lost Gordon Hayward for the season.

Teams carrying just one two-way contract:

Atlanta Hawks
Houston Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers don’t currently have a G League affiliate of their own, but the other five teams on this list do, so that’s probably not the reason Portland has waited to fill its second two-way slot. In all likelihood, these six teams will add a second two-way player in time for G League training camps, which open next week. The season tips off on November 3.

Life After Paul George Begins

October 15th, 2017 at 7:29pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pacers will have their work cut out for them adapting to a new life without Paul George but it will be interesting to see whether their first year starts off promising or discouraging, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes. The scribe notes that there’s a palpable enthusiasm in the team’s locker room but their will be plenty of questions to answer when the season begins.

Pacers Waive Jarrod Uthoff

October 15th, 2017 at 12:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite being at the roster limit, the Pacers made another move today, waiving forward Jarrod Uthoff, the team announced on its website.

Indiana signed the 24-year-old forward just before the start of camp. He appeared to have won a roster spot on Saturday when the Pacers waived three other camp invitees. The team now how 14 players on its roster, along with Alex Poythress and Edmond Sumner on two-way contracts.

Uthoff played briefly for the Mavericks last season after signing with the team in March. He appeared in nine games, averaging 4.4 points in nearly 13 minutes per night. He was traded in June to the Rockets, who waived him in late July before a $200K guarantee kicked in.

His returning rights in the G League are held by the Pacers’ affiliate in Fort Wayne, tweets Chris Reichert of 2 Ways and 10 Days, so he may be headed there if he clears waivers.

Pacers Waive Three Players

October 14th, 2017 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

A busy Saturday on the NBA transactions wire continues, with the Pacers announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived training camp invitees DeQuan Jones, Trey McKinney-Jones, and Ben Moore.

The series of roster moves for the Pacers should set up the club for the regular season, barring any further transactions. Indiana is currently carrying the maximum 17 players — 15 on NBA contracts and two on two-way deals.

With no additional cuts necessary, two players without fully guaranteed contracts – Jarrod Uthoff and Damien Wilkins – appears poised to open the season with the Pacers.

As for the three players who are now on waivers, McKinney-Jones is a veteran of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and seems like a good bet to return to the Pacers’ G League squad. Moore may also end up there as an affiliate player, but it’s not clear if Jones will land in Fort Wayne — he previously played for the Reno Bighorns in the G League, and I believe Reno still holds his returning rights.