Quick Thoughts on the Pacers’ universe
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
The quintessential dog days of summer run from about July 15 to August 15. On the NBA calendar, the lazy period is pretty much mid-August to late-September. So get ready. The lull is approaching.
The Pacers limited their opponents to 52.4 percent shooting within five feet of the basket last season, easily the top defensive performance in the league in that area. Roy Hibbert said his offseason goal is to improve mobility, but his value lies strongly in his performance as a team defender. Giving up a few clean looks from outside is worth the tradeoff of him shutting things down in-close.
Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star caught up with Lance Stephenson recently and asked him if he’d be content coming off the bench. “Whatever helps the team, that’s what I want to do,” Stephenson said. He can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Taking a slightly reduced role could cost him money. But the maturity he’s displaying should earn it back.
As a rule, players’ field goal percentages are lower coming off the pine. But one of the main complaints with Stephenson last season is that he didn’t draw enough fouls: only 0.20 free throw attempts per field goal attempt. He might be more comfortable and efficient as a reserve with the ball in his hands and not having to spot up. Long-term, he’s probably more of a sixth man than a starter, anyway.
For the first time ever, the Indiana Fever will turn a profit, team president Kelly Krauskopf told the Indianapolis Business Journal. The U.S. Postal Service could not be more envious.
Both shortly before and shortly after Indiana’s trade of Miles Plumlee, the team’s website continued to regurgitate the company line that compares him to Jeff Foster. This annoying little bit of propaganda, designed to sell fans on Plumlee’s selection in the 2012 draft, continues to be an insult to Foster, as if what he accomplished was easy.
During an interview Friday on 1260-WNDE with Jake Query and Derek Schultz, I was asked to give my overall impression of the Pacers’ offseason – and neglected to mention my favorite move of all, the addition of Nate McMillan as associate head coach. His basketball knowledge should be a huge boon.
Behind Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi, there’s no height on the roster – interior height, that is – and so last week’s report that Indiana has interest in Lou Amundson made little sense. Him? Hibbert never gets hurt, but if he did, you’d be a lot better off going small with Scola as a rotation center than the similarly undersized Amundson.
With the latest drug scandal plaguing Major League Baseball, it’s a wonder the NBA hasn’t faced more scrutiny. The league appears set to begin testing players for human growth hormone, a huge step in the right direction. But more can always be done. Less than a dozen players have been suspended under the NBA’s drug-testing policy since its inception in 1999, and it’s hard to imagine many more have not gotten away with using illegal substances. Players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before.
New additions C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland have at least one thing in common: They both toiled in the D-League before being discovered as NBA talent.
George Hill is the most underutilized player on the roster, finishing last season with a team-best 55.8 true shooting percentage.
Hill, Stephenson and Orlando Johnson are scheduled participants in this month’s Knox Indy Pro Am. That’s a cool chance for fans to see them in a more loosely structured environment. Tickets are $20 per night.
It says here that Copeland is recovered from his minor knee surgery before the 76ers hire a head coach. Just kidding. We think.
Former Pacer Anthony Johnson, now a scout with New Orleans, wants to someday be a general manager. Based on his time in Indianapolis, he’d be a positive voice for any organization. What a likable player he was.
The NBA will release the 2013-14 schedule tomorrow evening. As usual, we’ll see a lot of hand-wringing over the number of times the Pacers are on national TV. All that really matters, though, is whether they’re on ABC in June.
