Indiana Pacers Blog – Page 13 – NBA Blog

Pacers rest starters in preseason game vs Grizzlies

Preseason is a time to get loose. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting on the Pacers, who clearly don’t want their starters to overexert themselves as the season approaches:

The Indiana Pacers rested their projected starting unit in Saturday’s preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies, which gave free agent addition Tyreke Evans a chance to demonstrate his skills in a 109-104 overtime loss.

“He’s trying to work out some kinks,” coach Nate McMillan said of Evans, who didn’t play in the 110-100 win over Houston in the preseason opener due to a sprained ankle. “He missed the first game and we wanted to give him some minutes tonight. It’s obvious that his conditioning is not there so he has to continue to work himself into shape.”

Evans had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against the Grizzlies, who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Evans was also returning to Memphis after playing there last season and he spent his only college season at the University of Memphis.

The Pacers are one of the East team’s i’ll be keeping an eye on this season, as they have a chance to keep rising above what many non-Indiana fans would expect.

Pacers keeping eye on waiver wire

Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting on the Pacers, who are open to adding another player this season, and not just somebody brought in only to be said goodbye to once training camp wraps up:

Training camp doesn’t start until Tuesday but the Pacers already find themselves with an unexpected open roster spot after C.J. Wilcox went down with an Achilles tear during a workout at the team’s facility.

Wilcox, a 6-5 shooting guard taken in the first round by the L.A. Clippers in 2014, was on partially guaranteed two-way contract. Edmond Sumner is the Pacers’ other two-way player…

“What we’re going to be doing is watching the waiver wire,” Pacers president Kevin Pritchard said.

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Pacers sign Omari Johnson, Ben Moore and Elijah Stewart; C.J. Wilcox out for season

The Indiana Pacers have signed free agents Omari Johnson, Ben Moore and Elijah Stewart to contracts.

The players are likely just training camp additions.

Additionally, guard C.J. Wilcox, who was signed to a two-way contract in August, suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during an offseason workout. Wilcox underwent successful surgery to repair the tendon and will miss the entire 2018-19 regular season.

NBA news: Pacers sign coach Nate McMillan to contract extension

The Indiana Pacers have signed head coach Nate McMillan to a multi-year contract extension.

McMillan will enter his third season as Pacers’ coach after serving as the team’s Associate Head Coach for three seasons under Frank Vogel. In his first two seasons, the 54-year-old McMillan has a 90-74 record and helped guide the Pacers to two playoff appearances. Before the 2017-18 season, the Pacers were projected by many to be a lottery team, but ended up one of the biggest surprises in the NBA with a 48-34 record and a No. 5 seed in the East. The Pacers lost to Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but extended the Cavaliers in a closely-contested seven-game series. McMillan finished sixth in Coach of the Year balloting.

“I’m really proud of what Nate and our coaching staff have done,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “Nate is very deserving of this extension. We have a wonderful culture and he has been a big part of implementing that culture. He’s dedicated leader, a very good coach and we’re lucky to have him here with the Pacers.”

“I’m very appreciative of Kevin and Mr. Simon (team owner, Herb Simon) for this show of faith in what we are doing,” said McMillan. “Going back two years ago when I was hired, the trust Larry (Bird) and Mr. Simon had in myself and my staff meant a lot. Now with this extension, it’s an affirmation of what we all – front office, coaches, players, staff – are trying to accomplish.”

Myles Turner changes diet, takes up yoga

Young Pacers center Myles Turner put up modest stats last season — 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game — but that was in just 28.2 minutes per outing. He’ll be worth watching this season, both in terms of his level of play as well as how many minutes the team gives him. Those things are related, of course. Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram with more on Turner:

He’s changed his diet. He’s picked up yoga. Oh, and the NBA’s Eastern Conference doesn’t have LeBron James in it anymore.

“The East is open,” Turner said. “It’s going to be competitive. We’ve got a lot of good acquisitions in the off-season — our bench got stronger and we have high hopes for ourselves.”

The Pacers fell to James and the Cavaliers in seven games in the opening round of the playoffs last season, but have bolstered their roster by signing players such as Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott and Kyle O’Quinn and drafting Aaron Holiday.

“Guys see an opportunity and everybody is going to try and seize it,” Turner said.

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Pacers sign C.J. Wilcox to two-way contract

The Indiana Pacers signed C.J. Wilcox to a two-way contract today.

Wilcox, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard, was originally selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 28th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2017-18 season, and averaged 10.4 points per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League. Wilcox last appeared in the NBA with the Orlando Magic during the 2016-17 season and has averaged 2.0 points per game over three NBA seasons with the Clippers and Magic.

Wilcox appeared in all five games for the Pacers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in July. He averaged 9.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from three-point range.

Pacers sign Kyle O`Quinn

The Indiana Pacers have signed free agent forward/center Kyle O’Quinn.

The deal is reportedly just a one-year, $4.5 million contract.

The Pacers’ frontcourt rotation currently revolves around Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young and Domantas Sabonis. There is no dominant star among that group, though Turner and Sabonis have potential and are considered team building blocks. Quinn will likely be used as support for that mix of talent.

O’Quinn set new career highs during the 2017-18 season as he averaged 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game for the New York Knicks. He spent the last three seasons with New York and averaged 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds over 221 games. O’Quinn was originally selected with the 49th overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, and has averaged 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds over six NBA seasons with New York and Orlando.

“We talk about our culture here and Kyle fits it perfectly,” said Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “Not only is he a good, solid player, he’s an outstanding person who will help us on the floor and in the locker room. When I met with him last week I was very impressed with his professionalism and thrilled with his desire to be a part of what we are building here.”

Pacers sign Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott

The Indiana Pacers have signed free agent guard Tyreke Evans and free agent forward Doug McDermott to contracts.

A 6-6 guard, Evans was the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, and was named NBA Rookie of the Year after the 2009-10 season. He spent last season with the Memphis Grizzlies and averaged 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 52 games. Through nine NBA seasons with Sacramento, New Orleans and Memphis, Evans has recorded career averages of 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

McDermott, a 6-8 forward, was named Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year his senior season at Creighton University before he was selected 11th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2014 NBA Draft. He spent the 2017-18 season with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, and averaged 7.8 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting a career-high 42.6 percent from three-point range over 81 games. Over his four NBA seasons, McDermott has averaged 7.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game and shot 40.3 percent from three-point range over 264 career games for the Bulls, Thunder, Knicks and Mavericks.

“The upside for us with Doug and Tyreke for our team at this time is obvious: they both can score,” said President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “In Doug’s case, we were looking for elite shooting, but we were also impressed with how he moves without the ball and his spot-up shooting. With Tyreke, we thought we needed a secondary ball-handler to not only compliment Victor, but he can turn it downhill and make plays for others. We think both are very solid basketball players. They know the game, they know what they need to work on and based on our conversations with them, they will fit in well with what we established here last year: players who want to win, players who are good teammates, players who will do what it takes to get better, both individually and for the team.”

Lakers fall to Pacers, 110-100

The Lakers aren’t going to make the playoffs, but they’ve been a very solid team since the All-Star break, especially for a team built for the future. Here’s the Daily Breeze reporting on last night’s loss to the Pacers:

The injury bump has given way to the injury slump.

When first the Lakers had to respond to injuries to Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, they did so admirably. They won games against the Miami Heat – the night Ingram went down – and San Antonio and Denver, all likely playoff teams. But gradually, the strain on the few healthy, remaining players has taken a toll too great to overcome, a fact forcefully punctuated by Monday’s 110-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Luke Walton has seen it before. Lived it.

“Looking back to when I played,” Walton said, “If Kobe (Bryant) or someone like that, Lamar (Odom), was out, we’d all pick it up. But after three or four games, all those things that really good players make look easy, start to get a lot more difficult.”

Against the Pacers, the mundane was maddening. Passes sailed out of bounds and uncontested jumpers missed. The three starters in the Lakers’ frontcourt combined for 71 points, but their guards struggled.

Pacers sign Trevor Booker

The Indiana Pacers signed veteran free agent Trevor Booker today.

Booker, a 6-8, 228-pound forward, is in his eighth season in the NBA. Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010 (first round, 23rd overall) out of Clemson University, Booker was traded to the Washington Wizards on draft night and spent four seasons with the Wizards before signing with the Utah Jazz in July 2014. Most recently, Booker signed with the Brooklyn Nets in July 2016 before being traded to Philadelphia on Dec. 7, 2017. He was waived by the 76ers on March 1.

“As we head into this final stretch of the season Trevor will add to the depth of our roster,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “Not only is he a solid player and a solid team player, his character fits with our team and what we are trying to accomplish.”

Booker has career averages of 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. For the 2017-18 season, he is averaging 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds over 51 games.

Booker will wear jersey #20 and is expected to be in uniform with the Pacers when they face the Milwaukee Bucks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday.