Do you remember what Paul George was like before his gruesome injury? Do you remember the 2013 playoffs, when he showed everyone how much better he was than supposed MVP candidate Carmelo Anthony? Do you remember how he accepted and met the challenge of defending LeBron James in those Pacers-Heat playoff wars? And how much respect James had for him? Well, Paul George isn’t that player anymore. He’s better. [Read more…]
Following a re-branding of the Pacers, the roster is littered with exciting wings that suggest a fast-paced, small-ball approach is on the horizon. Given the level of talent that the team possesses, the Pacers will be exciting to watch this season. [Read more…]
By far the most significant of tonight’s three NBA games is a must-win for Indiana, at home against the Wizards. Boston has clinched a postseason spot but the Pacers are still in a battle with Brooklyn to determine the eighth team in the East. [Read more…]
It’s not the greatest Saturday night in NBA history. There are six games, involving many tired teams, with some coaches resting their stars for the upcoming playoff grind and others — their seasons effectively over — experimenting with lineup combinations and evaluating players for the future. [Read more…]
My advice here is always free, and last night it wasn’t worth it. Who can predict a scoreless game for DeMar DeRozan (groin) or a 27-point night from Marreese Speights without Marty McFly’s sports book from the future? [Read more…]
Although the departure of Lance Stephenson has been seen as a crucial loss for the Indiana Pacers, the team was prepared to move forward without him. Was the five-year, $44 million deal scoffed at by Stephenson more of a calculated play by Larry Bird and the front office than an irreversible blunder? The takeaway from Stephenson’s departure was the team believing, to a certain degree, that Lance was a bigger factor in Indiana’s dysfunctional quasi-collapse following last season’s All-Star break than Paul
Four players – three of them future Hall of Famers – took pay cuts of a staggering eight figures this offseason. Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Paul Pierce all took salary slashes of more than $10 million to extend their careers with contending teams. They head the list of the top 10 individual pay cuts this summer. Our list uses exact salary figures from last season. In some cases, this season’s figures are averages of multi-year deals received by players. For example,
Have the Indiana Pacers already gone as far as they can go with this roster? It’s a question overlooked with all the big moves being made this offseason in the Eastern Conference, and the Central Division in particular. A quick synopsis, for those who watched the World Cup and forgot about basketball since the Finals ended: Cleveland signed LeBron James, drafted Andrew Wiggins and could trade Wiggins to Minnesota in a blockbuster deal for Kevin Love. Chicago got rid of Carlos Boozer and