The Indiana Pacers have some decisions to make as they approach the trade deadline. One of these decisions has already been made as the Pacers re-signed Myles Turner to a 2-year extension. Would you have done the same? What would you do next? You never know how things could end up. The options will branch out in endless possibilities so why don’t you test a few of them out and see what happens? This is Choose Your Own Adventure: 2023 Indiana Pacers Trade Deadline Edition.
You are Kevin Pritchard, president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers. It’s your choice to decide what to do with the roster as the Pacers sit at 24-27 with nine losses in their last 10 games and waiting for soon-to-be-All-Star Tyrese Haliburton to return from injury.
With the trade deadline two weeks away, you have a meeting scheduled with franchise owner Herb Simon to discuss how you’ll be approaching the deadline.
The choices you decide to make will affect the outlook of your franchise for now and years to come. Luck comes into play too; some endings will be more common than others while others will be incredibly rare. Can you get the Pacers to the mountaintop? Start with your first choice below.
Continue your trade deadline adventure by clicking the link of your choice:
Oladipo discussed his breakout season with Indiana, the Pacers series with the Cavs, the Rockets/Warriors looming showdown (Dipo says Warriors in 7) and, in perhaps the most entertaining part of the night, sang a duet with Charles Barkley. The song choice was Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
Disclaimer: None of what you are about to read is real. The quotes are imagined. The scenes are fiction. The characters are real(ish). Welcome to an iPacers tale.
If you missed the first episode:
King Victor, rallying the Pacers of the Round Ball and their fanatics after a mystifying loss against the Celtics of Boston: "This may be my city, but this is our team."https://t.co/AqmXXT0Zb6
THREE DAYS EARLIER INT: LOCKERS OF VISITORS IN THE REALM OF DEER AKA BMO HARRIS BRADLEY CENTER
The Pacers of the Round Ball have just lost their fifth straight game by a final score of 122-101 to the Bucks of Milwaukee. The Pacers sit dejected and in silence, pondering how to fix all that’s gone wrong. King Victor has been gone for a fortnight while tending to a wounded knee and the team has suffered many defeats in his absence.
SIR NATE MCMILLAN, THE KING’S HAND:
We have fallen yet again. What more can be said? We don’t know how to defend our goal, how to attack their basket. We have forgotten who we are.
Disclaimer: None of what you are about to read is real. The quotes are imagined. The scene is fiction. In these dark times after an inexplicable ending resulted in a loss, may this be an escape. Welcome to an iPacers tale.
FADE IN:
INT: THE HOUSE OF BANKERS IN THE PACERS REALM OF LOCKERS
King Victor and The Pacers of the Round Ball gather to discuss the ending of a sudden loss to the Celtics, 112-111, where an errant, foolish pass nearly touched the heavens as the game’s clock wound down and the Celtics of Boston stole the game away.
SIR NATE MCMILLAN, THE KING’S HAND:
We gather here in the city of King Victor of Oladipo, the Pace of Pacedom, the Twice-Traded Now Redeemed, The Future All-Star, The Ruler of the House of Bankers. There are some obvious discussion topics tonight.
Kevin Pritchard has to be feeling pretty good right about now.
The trade that everyone said was terrible over the summer just keeps looking better and better for the Indiana Pacers.
Victor Oladipo looks like a superstar. And the Pacers got Domantas Sabonis, who has looked like another building block for Indiana. The Pacers are incredibly fun and their chemistry is unreal.
What if the NBA Draft’s Green Room this year was filled with all the fictional basketball players that movies and television have given us? Taking the draft order from this year’s draft, here’s how the fictional draft could wind up, but first let’s establish the rules:
1. No fictional players played by real professional players. For the purpose of this draft, players like Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) from He Got Game, Neon Bodeaux (Shaquille O’Neal) from Blue Chips, or even Avon’s ringer from the Game Day episode of The Wire, because the actor played professionally in Europe in real life, are not eligible to be selected.
2. No fictional players that stole the talent of real NBA players or don’t have actual talent of their own. Sorry, nerdlucks from Moron Mountain, Calvin Cambridge from Like Mike, and the kid from Thunderstruck that probably wishes he kept Kevin Durant’s talent now that he’s left OKC.
3. The same actor can only be chosen once. For example, Woody Harrelson can only be chosen for his role as Billy Hoyle from White Men Can’t Jump or Ed Monix from Semi-Pro. Onceone of these players is drafted, the other cannot be selected.
4. Age is not taken into account when picking.
1. Philadelphia 76ers: Thomas “Shep” Sheppard, Above the Rim
Shep scored 38 points (give or take a few as it’s hard to tell whether his feet are behind the 3-point line on many of his shot attempts) and had the game-winning alley-oop assist in the closing minutes of the championship game of the New York City Shoot Out Tournament while wearing a long-sleeve shirt and khakis. This was as impressive and improbable as Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds or Tracy McGrady’s 13 points in 35 seconds. The former high school standout and current security guard showed a smooth stroke on his jump shot and toughness and heart after getting pounded by the opposing team early before dishing the same type of punishment back. While his defensive skills weren’t on display in the championship game besides his game-winning steal, he showed elite man defense in his one-on-one game against high school star Kyle Watson, stripping him three times and blocking his shot. Shep should fit well with Simmons and Embiid and give them a mature leader to go with their talented youth.
Everyone assumed the 76ers traded up to take the guy that was born and raised in West Philadelphia, Will Smith, but his Mom told front office executives that he wouldn’t play for the Sixers because of past trouble in his neighborhood and prefers him to stay close to his Uncle Phil in California.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: Will Smith – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Will’s mom gets her wish as he’s drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. There’s some concern that Smith will struggle in adjusting to playing on a full-size court after playing on an unusually small court and gymnasium, especially for a wealthy private school. Smith showed impressive skills for Bel-Air Academy in his debut by catching and shooting the opening tip and making it from half court. Smith showed a wide array of dunks and flashy shots, but also has the tendency to ignore his teammates and try to do it all on his own. This should improve with the talent surrounding him on an NBA roster as he should be able to trust in his teammates abilities more than he could in his weak supporting cast at Bel-Air Academy.
3. Boston Celtics: Lewis Scott, Celtic Pride
Scott was an incredible player even before he learned how to pass the ball and trust his teammates. Scott was able to get his Utah Jazz team to the NBA Finals against the Celtics and all the way to game 7 before realizing he couldn’t win it all without getting his teammates involved and started passing the ball. The Celtics pick up Scott and long-time fans, part-time kidnappers played by Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd, will be overjoyed that they no longer have to struggle with whether to root for Scott or their beloved Celtics ever again. The Celtics add an NBA Finals MVP that has been a locker room cancer in the past, but those issues seem to be behind him. Scott should also do much better with a coach like Brad Stevens instead of having Shooter McGavin on the sidelines.
4. Phoenix Suns: Billy Hoyle, White Men Can’t Jump
5. Sacramento Kings: Sidney Deane, White Men Can’t Jump
Billy gets eternal bragging rights and more trash-talking material over Sidney by being drafted one spot ahead of him, which I’m sure the players placed a wager on. Hoyle’s question marks involve his athleticism, but with enough adrenaline, even he can dunk. He rises (literally at times) to the occasion when the pressure is high, including his half court hook shot that got Gloria onto Jeopardy. Hoyle’s mastered his jump shot playing outside, so his percentages should rise even higher without having to deal with the wind. The Kings get a playmaking, talented point guard in Sidney Deane, whose ball-handling and ability to finish should give the Kings an immediate starter at point guard. While his jump shot isn’t as good as Hoyle’s, Deane’s shown he can knock down a shot when called upon.
6. Orlando Magic: Sky Davis, Doug
Sky Davis and his hot-selling Air Jets get drafted by the Orlando Magic. He’s the best basketball player in the Doug universe and a class act (not only made Doug feel better about his ordinary shoes, but asked Doug to sign his shoes). You can see him dunking from the free-throw with ease in his Air Jets commercial. The Magic may finally have the star they need to escape the doldrums of the Eastern Conference standings.
One of the ABA’s unsung heroes and the best player on the Flint Tropics (who jacked their uniform design from the Pacers), Clarence Withers was much more than a collection of nicknames: “Jumping” Johnny Johnson, Sugar Dunkerton, Downtown”Funky Stuff” Malone and Coffee Black. Withers was the first player to ever finish an Alley Oop that astonished the crowd and baffled the referee on the legality of the play. He’s loyal to his teammates and after being traded in order to be able to pursue his NBA dreams with the San Antonio Spurs he went back to his struggling team at halftime in order to accomplish their 4th-place goal. Withers adds to a talented young core of Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.
8. New York Knicks: Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man
The Knicks draft Peter Parker, a New York City native, after seeing footage of him dunking well past the free-throw line with incredible hang time that destroyed the backboard. He also showed exceptional grip, but will need to work on dribbling. Perhaps even more incredible though is the lack of much of a response from the witnesses of the event. Every scene in the rest of this movie that took place at the school should have included someone trying to talk to him about that dunk. Why isn’t the basketball coach all over this opportunity? The Knicks may grow frustrated quickly with Parker when he’s forced to miss practices and games often for reasons that he’s unable to share, but they’ve dealt with this type of distraction from Derrick Rose in the past.
9. Dallas Mavericks: Kyle Watson, Above the Rim
Watson earned a scholarship from Georgetown and as a freshman made an immediate impact, making a game-winning buzzer beater for the Hoyas. He’s an offensively gifted player that should challenge Yogi Ferrell and Seth Curry for minutes immediately. Watson at times will pound the rock into the ground for a good 20 seconds before making a move, frustrating his teammates with his selfish style of play. He’ll have to adjust to playing with a shot clock, but he showed the ability to move the ball and be on time and on target with his passes in the Shoot Out tournament once Shep entered the game.
10. Sacramento Kings: Sandford “Sandy” Lyle, Along Came Polly
Kings gonna Kangz. Rumor is that the Kings owner heard “White Chocolate” could make it rain and won’t let the team consider anyone else after they didn’t select Lyle with the team’s first selection.
11. Charlotte Hornets: Marcus Stokes, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Stokes is the second player to be recruited by Georgetown in the last three picks. Stokes went head to head with number two overall selection Smith in a game with a Georgetown scout in attendance and beat Bel-Air Academy after Smith let Stokes drive by him for a game-winning layup. While Smith let Stokes score that final basket, Stokes did plenty of legitimate scoring in this game that showed he’s the real deal.
12. Detroit Pistons: Steve Urkel, Family Matters
Urkel was his high school team’s equipment manager until they were down to only four healthy players and down by 22 points with seven minutes left in the fourth. The coach’s motivation for giving Urkel a chance was to not get fired for having to forfeit, but it paid off big time. Urkel showed that he probably has the best handles of anyone on this list, He also showed outstanding floor vision with some nice assists and the ability to finish inside despite his height. He completed the comeback with a buzzer beating jumper for the win.
13. Denver Nuggets: Tracy Reynolds, Like Mike
Tracy Reynolds is all the Los Angeles Knights had going for them before the Calvin Cambridge phenomenon. His time with Cambridge seems to have brought him some humility, maturity and professionalism. Reynolds joins a crowded group of talented wings on the Nuggets, but as an All-Star caliber player, he should quickly be in the rotation.
14. Miami Heat:Quincy McCall, Love & Basketball
McCall’s love for the game fell apart once he learned that his Clippers star father was not the man he said he was. McCall starred at Crenshaw High before going to USC, but left after just a single season at the college before he was ready. After contemplating retirement after an injury and his marriage to childhood sweetheart Monica Wright, the highly touted prospect has the itch to play again.
15. Portland Trailblazers: John Tucker, John Tucker Must Die
John Tucker successfully made a front flip dunk with ease. I think that’s all that needs to be said here.
16. Chicago Bulls: Scott Howard, Teen Wolf
Howard looks like he’s 5’0″ and weighs 110 pounds, but when the Teen Wolf comes out, he’s nearly unstoppable. Even as his human self, Howard shows surprising playmaking ability and sneaks into passing lanes often for steals. As a werewolf, he destroys opposing defenses with his 50″ vertical and leaves little hope for the other team that they’ll be able to score.
The Bucks go for another home run pick by going with potential like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker with Aomine Daiki. He shows elite rim protection skills repeatedly in this video, seemingly coming from out of nowhere to deny would be finishers. He has a quick first step to blow by opponents, but takes his time reflecting on his moves at times that allows his defenders to catch up and block his shot from behind at times. He’s a crafty finisher around the basket and has an elite fadeaway jumper.
18. Indiana Pacers: Jimmy Chitwood, Hoosiers
Chitwood gets drafted to get his hometown team, the Indiana Pacers, where can continue wearing the Hickory uniform. The Indy Star did an analysis of Chitwood’s scoring in the movie and estimated that he scored an average of 28.6 points per game, which is even more impressive in the lower scoring games of his era. Chitwood gives the Pacers the shooting they need (shot over 81% in Hoosiers), especially if CJ Miles leaves in free agency.
19. Atlanta Hawks: Monica Wright-McCall, Love & Basketball
Monica Wright-McCall fulfills her destiny as she becomes the first woman to play in the NBA. Monica starred at both Crenshaw High and USC before playing overseas and winning championships in Europe. Eventually she was able to join the Los Angeles Sparks once the WNBA was founded. Wright-McCall has an intense work ethic, a terrific jump shot and the will to never give up. A defining moment in her college career as a freshman was a turnover that could have cost her team the game, but she hustled back and took a charge to prevent the potential game-winning basket, earning herself a permanent starting position.
20. Portland Trailblazers: Jim Halpert, The Office
Halpert is one of the best combo guards you’ll find in the paper industry in Pennsylvania. Matched up against rival Roy from the warehouse, Jim showed he was the best player at Dundler Mifflin, impressing Pam in the process. Jim plays with aggression that gets under the skin of opponents, and his tenacity should translate to the defensive end and help the Trailblazer’s struggles on that end of the court as the first guard off the bench.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Motaw, Above the Rim
Motaw’s game is all about intimidation and physicality. While we never see Motaw take a jump shot in Above the Rim, he repeatedly got to the rim for a dunk throughout the Shoot Out Tournament. Motaw gives the Thunder another enforcer to go with Steven Adams and a perimeter defender to go with Andre Roberson. Potential NBA MVP Russel Westbrook will be excited to have Motaw on his team as he’s been seen in the past wearing his jersey. The biggest question for Motaw is whether or not he’ll be able to leave his past life and Birdie behind for his shot in the NBA.
22. Brooklyn Nets: Justin Bieber, Atlanta
We saw Bieber play in an Atlanta celebrity charity event and his skills were apparent. While he got into the head of Atlanta rapper Paper Boi, he let it effect his game as well. If nothing else, the Nets should get a boost in attendance of teenage girls and get a youthful prospect that may develop into more in the future.
23. Toronto Raptors: Brian Flanagan, Cocktail
Flanagan hits seven consecutive 3-pointers in Cocktail including one hook shot and one shooting backwards. Flanagan’s height is somewhat of a concern, but players like Isaiah Thomas, Nate Robinson and J.J. Barea have all found success despite their height in the NBA. We don’t know much else about Flanagan’s game, but at minimum he provides shooting for the Raptors and has the ability to throw an accurate, fundamentally sound chest pass.
24. Utah Jazz: Paul Crewe, The Longest Yard
Crewe’s sport of choice is football, but he showed his skills in a one-on-one game in an attempt to recruit more players to the prison’s football team for their game against the guards. Crewe nearly wins the game despite his opponent, Deacon Moss, intentionally fouling him throughout the game and the onlookers occasionally stepping in to block Crewe’s shot attempts as well. Crewe’s toughness and shooting ability could make for an apt replacement for Joe Ingles if he gets an offer the as a RFA the Jazz are unable to match.
25. Orlando Magic: Chip Douglas, The Cable Guy
Douglas is still raw, referring to the game as “roundball,” but he shows potential as a lethal screener and rebounder. His game is all heart and hustle with very little skill, but he’s a perfect fit for the smashmouth basketball that Magic coach Frank Vogel loves.
With their third pick in the round, the Trailblazers take a draft-and-stash player that they hope will continue to develop. Chiranjeevi becomes the first Indian player to be selected in the first round. You (literally) won’t believe what he’s able to do with the ball.
27. Brooklyn Nets: Air Bud, Air Bud
Air Bud will likely struggle against the taller players of the NBA compared to playing with and against 12-year-old children, but this is more of a publicity stunt for the struggling Nets that could help ticket sales during their rebuilding process.
28. Los Angeles Lakers: Lola Bunny, Space Jam
The second straight animal to be chosen in the draft. Lola Bunny was created to play basketball. Easily the Tune Squad’s second-best player, Lola scored only eight points but was clearly underutilized by Michael Jordan. If the Lakers can figure out how to get the player she becomes when she’s called “doll” on every play, the Lakers found a steal at the end of the first round. Jack Nicholson would probably be willing to call her doll before every home game.
29. San Antonio Spurs: David 8, Prometheus
David 8, an android, hit a hook shot from 3-point range while riding a bicycle in Prometheus, and the Spurs have had previous success working with androids (Kawhi Leonard), so this should be a perfect fit with Popovich and the Spurs.
30. Utah Jazz: Kevin Malone, The Office
While he was not chosen for the office vs. warehouse basketball game, Malone showed his skills making 14 consecutive shots after the game was over while still wearing his suit. This is like the story of the ball rolling over to Larry Bird during a Pacers practice and him draining 15 consecutive jump shots with rolled up sleeves and dress shoes before just walking away like it was no big deal. I’m not saying Malone is Bird, but Michael Scott had an actual secret weapon all along and it wasn’t Stanley Hudson.
Talk about a steal: You can trade me CASH for one of these. 👀👀👀
Each shirt also comes with a complimentary early second-round draft choice while supplies last.
The NBA awards (minus the All-NBA teams, cross your fingers for Paul George) will not be announced until later this month (Update: George did not make an All-NBA team) during the NBA Awards Show, but we can discuss our Pacers season awards right now! The iPacers writers have each weighed in on categories ranging from MVP (not named Paul) to Best Play for the 2016-17 season that just wrapped up for the Blue and Gold.
After the season we just endured, a little positive reminiscing is good for the heart. Let’s think of the good times like Paul George’s play from March through the playoffs, Reborn Ready, Thad Young and GR3’s game winners, and the games that Monta didn’t start. Here’s our awards for the 2016-2017 season.
MVP (not named Paul George):
Derek Kramer: Second-year big man Myles Turner gets my vote. The Pacers outscored opponents by 3 points per 100 possessions with Myles Turner on the court, but were outscored by 5.9 points per 100 possessions with Turner on the bench. The Pacers were 8.9 points per 100 possessions better with Turner on the court than off. That 8.9 point differential is surpassed only by Paul George’s mark of 10.9. The Pacers were a mess defensively all season, but Myles Turner was still a force as a rim protector. While Turner still has plenty of room to grow on both ends (especially in the weight room), he’s already the Pacers 2nd most valuable player. While his offensive role strangely declined over the second-half of the season, hopefully McMillan will look to turn him loose next year instead of wanting him to “distribute the ball more.”
Joe Betz: Thaddeus Young. Look no further than his time missed due to his wrist injury and the way the Pacers played toward the end of the season as his wrist began to fully heal.
Alexander Grant: Jeff Teague. Playing for his hometown team, he averaged a career high in assists at 7.8 per game, and he also played in ALL 82 games. He has stated he’d like to stay in Indiana so hopefully the business side of the game allows it.
Ross Blauvelt: Thad Young. Glue guy. Without him due to injury the team slid. Just does it all for this team. Not flashy, but gets it done.
Most Improved Player:
Joe Betz: Myles Turner. He improved in several areas, taking a nice second year bump. The third year leap is needed for the Pacers to compete, however.
Alexander Grant: Glenn Robinson III. He proved to be a nice rotational piece with a decent jumper. His trajectory as a player is clearly trending up, and winning the 2017 Slam Dunk Contest put the Pacers in a favorable national spotlight. He can be a foundational player for the franchise in the foreseeable future.
Derek Kramer: This article from the Bleacher Report gave Myles Turner the title for the entire league as the Most Improved Player based on the metrics of RPM and NBA Math’s TPA, since I already talked Turner up in the previous award section, I’ll let that article do the talking for me here. GR3 with an easy second place. Third place goes to Rakeem Christmas for showing he can potentially be an NBA player for that brief stretch after the All-Star break. You could even argue Paul George with his career highs in scoring and in most shooting categories.
Ross Blauvelt: This one was tough. Either Glenn Robinson III or Myles Turner for me. Have to go GR3. Myles had an amazing start and did progress on year one but regressed in some ways as well. Year 3 will be interesting. Glenn went from end of the bench to major rotation/energy player down the stretch. Oh and Dunk Champion doesn’t hurt.
Best New Addition:
Joe Betz: I give this to Teague. It would be Thaddeus’s to win here if he hadn’t missed time. Teague’s durability was huge.
Alexander Grant: Jeff Teague. Hopefully he doesn’t leave Indiana, but as an unrestricted Free Agent he will undoubtedly command more than his current $8M/year price tag. Larry Bird tried to get an extension formalized after trading for Teague, so the interest to stay in “Naptown” appears to be mutual.
Derek Kramer: There are only two choices here: Thad Young or Jeff Teague. Without Thad Young’s wrist injury this would have been much tougher, but the kid from Indianapolis wins this one. Teague had a career year as he heads into free agency.
Ross Blauvelt: Jeff Teague. Starting PG, floor leader. In trading Off for Def in a way in giving up GHill, Jeff produced. Please come back.
Comeback Player of the Year:
Joe Betz: Lance. ‘Nuff said.
Alexander Grant: Lance Stephenson. The way Stephenson played to end the regular season, along with being stellar in the playoffs makes this category easy. I can’t help but wonder as a Pacers fan “what could’ve been” if Born Ready was signed earlier in the season.
Derek Kramer: It took a combination of three injuries and a weird contract quirk to get Lance Stephenson back to the Pacers. Stephenson looked poised to have a consistent role on the Pelicans before his injury forced the Pelicans to waive him due to other injuries, then he sprained his ankle while with the Timberwolves as they decided to move on from him once his 10-day contract expired. Meanwhile in Indiana, Rodney Stuckey suffered another injury that would keep him out for the remainder of the year and because the Pacers could eliminate his player option by waiving him before the end of the season, they decided to move on. All the stars finally aligned for the return of Born Ready, and it was glorious.
Best Game:
Derek Kramer: One of my favorite games this year was the first game against the Oklahoma City Westbrook and friends. No Paul George that night, but so many Pacers stepped up to win a tight game on the road against a good western conference team. Jeff Teague scored 30 points on just 16 shots with 9 assists, while Russell Westbrook had his typical 30-point triple double, but needed 34 shots to get his 30+ that night. The Pacers meanwhile put up a triple double-double as a team: Thaddeus Young had 20 and 10, Myles Turner had 15 and 10, and Glenn Robinson III stepped into the starting lineup and put up 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Joe Betz: Final Raptors game at home. Huge comeback + Lance’s first game back in the Fieldhouse + salty Raptors = happiness. Plus, it was PG13 bobblehead night.
Alexander Grant: There are a lot of games to choose from but I’m probably going against the grain here and choosing the double-OT contest versus the Cavaliers on April 2nd. It was a disappointing end result, however the game showed the Pacers can compete. Couple this OT thriller with the playoff matchups, the Pacers showed the were not going to back down from the LeBron-led champs. The games came down to the wire each time, and they showed there is hope for Indy fans.
Ross Blauvelt: In a loss, it has to be the OT loss to the Cavs. PG vs LBJ. Epic. In a win, first game of the season vs the Mavericks. Showed what Myles’ potential is as he opened the season with 31 points and 16 rebounds.
Best Pass:
Joe Betz: Anytime Monta Ellis successfully moved the ball from his hands to another player.
Best Play:
Alexander Grant: There are multiple candidates for this category. Thaddeus Young had a couple dunks, and Myles Turner can certainly make some stellar defensive plays. However, the game-winning three pointer by GRIII at the Atlanta Hawks on March 5th takes the cake.
Derek Kramer: I was so moved by the game-winning 3-pointer by Glenn Robinson III against the Hawks that I was compelled to write a poem. So, I think I’m obligated to go with that one, even if I’m not a good poet.
Ross Blauvelt: GR3’s game-winning 3 vs the Hawks. His star continues to rise. If it wasn’t that: Then it was up to Thad’s dunk on Terrence Jones or PG’s dunk on Clint Capela. Or better yet, the entire 1st half of Game 3 vs the Cavs! (Editor’s Note: Now, I’m depressed again.)
Most Surprising:
Joe Betz: Nate McMillan’s decision making. From starting Monta Ellis to consistently playing lineups that he knew weren’t working and so much in between, it was a rough first year for McMillan.
Derek Kramer: The Pacers inability to defeat terrible teams. The Pacers lost far too many games this season that should have been won and winning just two of the following games against bottom feeders of the league would have put the Pacers in the 5th-seed this season: Nets, Knicks [twice], Pelicans, Sixers, Suns and Mavericks. Inconsistency was a major issue for the Pacers this season.
Causes of death for 16-17 Pacers: 1) Bird 2) McMillan 3) Inconsistency 4) Thad Young's wrist 5) LeBron Jameshttps://t.co/icNnb0UJ9j
Alexander Grant: This Pacers team beat some pretty good Western Conference teams. Granted they only played two matchups apiece, the Pacers did not lose to the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, or Oklahoma City Thunder. Definitely surprised me.
Ross Blauvelt: Hiring of Nate. Bird wanted the team to play faster and with a new voice. So they hire Nate McMillan who’s been on the sidelines as an assistant for years and one of the slowest pace coaches on record. Huh?
Most Disappointing:
Joe Betz: Team award. This team had the opportunity to be a top 4 seed, but PG didn’t truly play like an All-Star until after the break, the offense and defense were like shambling Frankenstein monsters, and Al Jefferson’s ankle exploded.
Alexander Grant: The signing of Al Jefferson, and to see him not log a single minute of playing time in the playoffs. He was a horrible fit with the team, and I’m still wondering why the deal happened in the first place. The NBA today is spread out and three pointer happy. Larry Bird knows this and still signed the flat-footed Jefferson. He is a throwback player that should not be on the roster.
Ross Blauvelt: This team. On paper before the season most fans were super excited at the Pacers chances. With some thinking the #2/3 in the East was in the cards. Then the team was so up and down barely squeaking into the playoffs. Honorable Mention to how poorly Monta Ellis and Al Jefferson played at times.
Derek Kramer: I was a lot more hopeful in Al Jefferson. It was very discouraging to hear Kevin Pritchard say that he thought Big Al was out of shape all season and that was partly why he struggled this year. Not all of the issues were his fault as the roster and coaching didn’t allow him to often be in an advantageous situation with a lack of shooting surrounding him and his paint space being eaten away by Lavoy Allen or Kevin Seraphin for much of the year. Perhaps most disappointing though was his effort on defense. I didn’t expect Al to be good at defense, but so many times he would lazily foul a guard with his arms as he sped past him instead of trying to contest a shot at the rim. Monta Ellis’s rapid decline this season gets second, but his fit with Teague was an obvious issue in the summer.
Please Come Back Award:
Joe Betz: Jeff Teague. Teague’s personality is a bit strange, but he loves Indianapolis, is a top 10 PG talent, and attacks the basket. That’s all I’ve ever wanted…
Alexander Grant: Jeff Teague. He is about to assess his market value and I hope the Pacers can pay him. Not only because he had a career year and is a hometown guy; Teague makes the roster more attractive for potential Free Agents (Paul Millsap?!).
Derek Kramer: Paul George will be the obvious answer here next season when he hits free agency if he doesn’t sign an extension this off-season. Teague is the obvious choice this year, but CJ Miles may be as important as bringing Teague back. The Pacers are already thin on shooting with 3J, and after shooting 41% from deep this year he’s in line for a pay raise. He’s been a selfless teammate the last two years as he volunteered to play power forward two years ago and never cared whether he started or came off the bench. The Pacers had a top-5 lineup in the NBA with CJ Miles playing with the starters this season, and they’d do well to keep that unit intact coming into next season.
Ross Blauvelt: Jeff Teague.Outside of the obvious who else would play point guard next year if he’s not brought back (Lance?, Joe Young?!), Jeff played exceptional when the ball was in his hands. Yes, the Pacers give up some defense with him on the floor but his offense at times makes up for that.
All that remained was a shade less than two minutes (two-ahh)
With the Pacers down six, how could they get back in it?
It seemed another 4th-quarter collapse was inevitable
Paul George, suddenly normal after being impeccable
After 10 minutes of the fourth, the Pacers had merely 9 points
McMillan called a timeout and said stop stinking up the joint
Terrible cliche, yes, but it seems it was effective
As the former Hawk especially seemed determined to not be rejected
Teague quickly drove through the lane and cut the Hawk lead to four
And the Pacers defense would stiffen and allow Atlanta no more
Paul Millsap missed but the Hawks got the rebound
But the kid from Indianapolis wouldn’t let down his hometown
On a switch, he ripped the ball away from Millsap
And after PG missed a three, CJ added two with a tap
Indiana suddenly down two with 33 seconds to go
My heart wanted to believe, but my head still said no
The Hawks milked the clock, but their dagger missed its mark
And with 8 seconds left, Teague grabbed the ball on the arc
Without calling timeout, he pushed the ball up ahead
Where he found Paul George trailing, “I’m open” he said
George drove through the lane but many Hawks converged
So he dished the ball out to CJ who quickly moved it to Third
The Slam Dunk Champ was wide open with the clock ticking down
No bigger fan than his father looking on in the crowd
The ball floated and spun straight through the net
GR3 gave the Pacers the lead with .6 seconds left
The Hawks missed their desperate shot at the end.
97-96. The Pacers. Win.
This list will be constantly updated after every Pacers game to show the most recent members list of the Myles High Club (every player Myles Turner has blocked so far). It’s an exclusive group filled with All-Stars, MVPs, and even some of his current teammates.
Turner currently sits 4th in all-time blocks on the Pacers leaderboard with 1,001 blocks. The following lists include his 55 playoff blocks as well.
iPacers 