Category: Indiana Pacers Blog

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Pacers having rebounding problems

Here’s the Indianapolis Star with some insight on the Pacers, whose lack of size is probably hurting their ability to rebound the ball:

Roy Hibbert, David West, Andrew Bynum. None of those Indiana Pacers’ trees of yesteryear will come striding through the Bankers Life Fieldhouse doors anytime soon — at least not in a Pacers uniform.

But the truth is any one of them could help this team in one of their biggest areas of need: rebounding.

Entering Friday, the Pacers are 23rd in the league in total rebounding — averaging 42.3 per game — and have been out-worked on the glass in 10 of 12 games. That’s led to a differential of minus-4.7 per contest, the fourth lowest ratio in the league.

It should not come as much of a surprise to the Pacers or their fans that Indiana has struggled to pull down missed shots. With team President Larry Bird’s offseason emphasis on making this team a sleeker, faster unit, the roster was hit with an almost inevitable consequence.

Players got small. According to FiveThirtyEight.com, the Pacers entered the season the third-shortest team in the league.

Pacers sign Ben Bentil

Pacers sign Ben Bentil

The Indiana Pacers have signed 6-9 free agent forward Ben Bentil to a contract.

Bentil, who played collegiately at Providence, was a second-round pick (51st overall) of the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft.

The Pacers this season are built around guards Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey, forwards Paul George and Thaddeus Young, and centers Myles Turner and Al Jefferson. George is the big star of the group.

Pacers sign Kevin Seraphin and Nick Zeisloft

pacers

The Pacers signed veteran free agent forward/center Kevin Seraphin and rookie guard Nick Zeisloft today.

The 26-year-old Seraphin, 6-10, 278, was a first-round pick (17th overall) of the Chicago Bulls in the 2010 NBA Draft. Born in Cayenne, French Guiana, France, Seraphin was traded to Washington in July, 2010, and played with the Wizards for five seasons before playing with the New York Knicks last season. He has career averages of 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Zeisloft, 6-4, 185, played last season at Indiana where he averaged 6.5 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

Pacers sign Julyan Stone and Alex Poythress

Pacers sign Julyan Stone and Alex Poythress

The Pacers signed Julyan Stone and Alex Poythress today.

Stone is a 6-6 guard that is a three-year veteran of the NBA, spending time with both the Denver Nuggets and the Toronto Raptors. He has NBA career averages of 1.3 points and 1.1 assists per game. He also played in the D-League, where he averaged 4.7 points and 4.3 assists per game. He played collegiately at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

Alex Poythress is a 6-8 forward from the University of Kentucky. Heplayed four seasons for the Wildcats and in his senior year he averaged 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds. He also played for the Orlando Magic this past summer in Summer League.

Pacers sign Aaron Brooks

Pacers sign Aaron Brooks

The Pacers have signed veteran free agent point guard Aaron Brooks to a contract.

With Jeff Teague and Monta Ellis as the likely starters in the Pacers’ backcourt, and Rodney Stuckey usually getting big minutes off the bench, Brooks’ role will likely be minimal.

The 6-foot, 161-pound Brooks is an eight-year NBA veteran who has played with Houston, Phoenix, Sacramento, Denver and Chicago. He was a first-round pick (26th overall) of the Rockets in 2007 after playing collegiately at Oregon. Over his NBA career, he has averaged 10.7 points and 3.2 assists with his best season in 2009-10 when he averaged 19.6 points and 5.3 assists with Houston. In 2010, he was the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

“Aaron is a proven point guard in the NBA,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He can create and shoot the three. He’s another scorer for our second unit who plays at a high level at both ends of the court.”

Pacers sign Al Jefferson

Pacers sign Al Jefferson

The Indiana Pacers have signed veteran free agent center Al Jefferson to a multi-year contract.

Jefferson’s deal is reportedly a $30 million dollar contract over three years.

This will be an interesting fit, as the Pacers were looking to play more up-tempo basketball, while Jefferson is best when the offense gets slowed down and he’s able to operate in the post.

The 6-10, 289-pound Jefferson spent the last three seasons of his 12-year NBA career with Charlotte. Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2004 (first round, 15th overall) out of Prentiss (Mississippi) High School, Jefferson was with Boston three seasons before being traded to Minnesota. He spent three years there before being traded to Utah, where he played for three seasons. He then signed as a free agent with Charlotte in 2013.

“We want to welcome Al to the Indiana Pacers,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “Al is a good, solid, veteran player. We know what he brings to our team, scoring, rebounding and he’s a handful down in the post. Not only do we think he’ll help us a lot on the court, we think he will be a good mentor for Myles Turner. He’s a proven player in this league and we are very confident he will help us in many ways.”

Jefferson has career averages of 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He averaged a career best of 23.1 in points in 2008-09 and a career best 11.1 rebounds in 2007-08. In 2014, he was a third team All-NBA selection.

Mavericks trade Jeremy Evans to Pacers

Mavericks trade Jeremy Evans to Pacers

The Dallas Mavericks have acquired the rights to center Stanko Barać from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for forward Jeremy Evans, the rights to guard-forward Emir Preldžić and cash considerations.

The 28-year-old Evans is a six-year veteran who was with Utah his first five seasons and the Mavericks last season. He has career averages of 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds and was the 2012 NBA Slam Dunk champion. The 6-9, 200-pound Evans played collegiately at Western Kentucky and was the 55th overall pick (second round) by Utah in the 2007 NBA Draft.
“Jeremy is big and athletic,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “We’re anxious to get him here to put him through our strength and conditioning program. We know he’ll be a good fit with the players we have.”

Evans (6-9, 200) was signed as a free agent by Dallas on July 31, 2015.

Barać (7-1, 280) is a Croatian center who last played for Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano (Italy), averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17 games. He helped Olimpia win the Italian Cup in 2016. Barać has also played professionally in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, Turkey and Croatia.

Preldžić (6-9, 220) last played for Darüşşafaka Spor Kulübü (Turkey) and averaged 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 31 games.

Three team trade sends Jeff Teague to Pacers, George Hill to Jazz

jeff teague

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired the draft rights to Taurean Prince, the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, from the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team trade, it was announced today by General Manager Wes Wilcox. As part of the deal, the Hawks will send guard Jeff Teague to Indiana and the Jazz will receive guard George Hill from the Pacers.

“Taurean has many of the qualities that we value in our program…we are excited to add his competitiveness, toughness, versatility, and desire to improve,” Wilcox said. “We would also like to thank Coach Scott Drew and Baylor Basketball for their help throughout the scouting process. Taurean is eager to get started and we look forward to beginning his development with our coaches and athletic performance team.”

“I would like to thank Jeff for his seven years with the organization, and our three years together,” said Hawks President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. “Jeff developed into a key contributor and played an integral role in the team’s recent success. We wish him well in the next chapter of his career.”

Prince, a four-year letterman at Baylor, averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 games as a senior while garnering First Team All-Big 12 honors. The 6’8 forward was also named Second Team All-Big 12 as junior as well as the league’s Sixth Man of the Year after recording 13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists in 33 contests. Prince owns career averages of 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .460 from the field, .376 from three-point range and .718 from the free throw line in 129 games.

Teague, an Indianapolis native, comes to the Pacers from the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-way trade. The Pacers send guard George Hill to Utah and the Jazz send the 12th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, Baylor’s Taurean Prince, to Atlanta. Young was acquired from Brooklyn in exchange for the Pacers’ first-round pick (20th overall) in the June draft, Michigan’s Caris LeVert.

“We want to thank George for his five seasons with us,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He’s a great guy who did a lot for the community. We wish him nothing but the best. With Jeff, we think he brings something we haven’t had in a true point guard. We think he fits in with what we’re trying to do. He has speed, the ability to create for others and he can score. We look forward to working with him.

“Thaddeus is a long, athletic power forward who can defend multiple positions. He was a 15-point scorer last year and averaged nine rebounds a game. We think he’s a good fit between Myles (Turner) and Paul (George).”

Teague, 28, grew up in Indianapolis (Pike High School), played collegiately at Wake Forest and was a first-round pick (19th overall) of the Hawks in 2009. In seven seasons with Atlanta, Teague averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 assists. Last season, he averaged 15.7 points and 5.9 assists per game. In 2015, he was named to the NBA All-Star team.

Hill (6-3, 188, IUPUI) appeared in 74 games (73 starts) for the Pacers this season, averaging 12.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting a career-high .408 (128-314) from three-point range in 34.1 minutes of action. Hill’s seventh-seeded Pacers then pushed second-seed Toronto to seven games as he averaged 13.6 points on .481 (13-27) three-point shooting.

Originally selected in the first round (26th overall selection) of the 2008 NBA Draft by San Antonio, the 30-year-old guard has appeared in 550 career games (325 starts) over eight seasons with San Antonio and Indiana, and owns career averages of 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists and .376 three-point shooting in 28.8 minutes. His teams have made the playoffs in seven of his eight seasons and he has appeared in a total of 75 playoffs games (64 starts) averaging 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and a .371 three-point percentage. Hill helped the Indiana Pacers to two straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014.

Prior to the NBA, the Indianapolis native played four seasons at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (2004-08) where he was named The Summit League Player of the Year (2008) and All-Summit League First Team twice (2006, 2008). For his collegiate career, Hill appeared in 94 games and averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 33.4 minutes.

He will wear uniform #3 for the Jazz.