Indiana Pacers Blog – Page 21 – NBA Blog

Pacers re-sign Rodney Stuckey

The Indiana Pacers have re-signed veteran free agent guard Rodney Stuckey to a contract.

“I felt all along it was important to re-sign Rodney,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He proved to us last year how much he could help. He’s a pro and a good teammate. We’re really happy to have him back. He added a lot to our team, on and off the court.”

Stuckey, a 6-5, 205-pound guard played the 2014-15 NBA season with the Pacers and averaged 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 71 games. Prior to that he played seven seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He was a No. 1 pick of the Pistons (15th overall) in the 2007 NBA Draft after playing collegiately at Eastern Washington. While with the Pistons, Stuckey had a career average of 13.4 points per game with a career high 16.6 average in 2009-10. He made the NBA’s All-Rookie second team after the 2007-08 season.

Pacers sign Jordan Hill

The Indiana Pacers have signed free agent Jordan Hill to a contract.

“We’re happy to have Jordan as part of our team,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He brings size and energy to our front court and we look forward to see how he plays an up-tempo game. We know he can rebound and score points for us and we look forward to having him.”

Hill, a 6-10, 235-pound forward/center out of the University of Arizona is a six-year veteran in the NBA. He was drafted by the New York Knicks with the eighth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft; and was traded to the Houston Rockets in February 2010. He was acquired by the L.A. Lakers in June 2012 and spent three seasons with the Lakers. He has career averages of 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Last season with the Lakers, he appeared in 70 games and averaged 12.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. He also recorded a career-best 22 double-doubles last season, matching the number of double-doubles he had in his first five NBA seasons (259 games) combined.

Pacers sign scoring guard Monta Ellis

The Indiana Pacers have officially added a mountain of backcourt scoring.

The team announced Tuesday they have signed veteran free agent Monta Ellis to a contract.

According to the Associated Press, it is a four-year, $44 million deal, with a player option for the final year.

“He’ll be a great addition to our team,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “And he fits our needs for how we want to play. We’re excited to have him. He adds another veteran in our lineup and we think he’ll be a great fit, complementing George Hill in the back court.”

Ellis, named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2006-07 season, is a 10-year NBA veteran, having played for the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and most recently, the Dallas Mavericks. The 6-3, 185-pound guard attended Lanier High School in Mississippi and was drafted by Golden State in the Second Round of the 2005 Draft with the 40th overall pick. He has career averages of 19.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals in 678 games.

“We’re thrilled to have Monta Ellis with the Pacers,” said Pacers Head Coach Frank Vogel. “He’s proven to be one of the league’s most prolific scorers year in and year out and his game fits perfectly with the style we’re going to implement going forward.”

Pacers sign rookie Myles Turner

The Indiana Pacers announced Monday they have signed first-round draft pick Myles Turner to a contract. Turner was the 11th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

All first round draft picks are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming they wish to come to the league right away. So, this signing is standard and was expected.

Turner, a 6-11, 240-pound forward/center, played collegiately at Texas, averaging 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game.

The 2015 Big 12 Freshman of the Year recently played for the Pacers’ summer league team in Orlando where in three games he was the Pacers’ second-leading scorer at 18.7 ppg. Along with teammate Joe Young, he was named to NBA TV’s All-Tournament Team.

Timberwolves trade Chase Budinger to Pacers

Timberwolves trade Chase Budinger to Pacers

The Indiana Pacers announced Sunday they have acquired forward Chase Budinger from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for forward Damjan Rudez.

Budinger, 6-7, 218, has six seasons of NBA experience. He was originally drafted by Detroit in the second round (44th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. He was traded on draft night to Houston where he played three seasons before being traded to Minnesota in 2012. He has averaged 8.5 points per game in his NBA career.

“We’re very glad to have Chase,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He’s a guy we think will fit in our rotation. He can shoot and drive to the basket, which works with how we want to play. Damjan was a special guy. He was great to have as part of our team. He will be missed by all.”

Rudez, 29, played one season with the Pacers averaging 4.8 points on 45.2% shooting, including a 40.6% mark from the three-point line. The 6-10 Croatia native played in 68 contests, registering 15.4 minutes per game. The Pacers signed Rudez as a free agent on July 11, 2014. Prior to coming to the NBA, Rudez played parts of eight seasons internationally in Spain, Croatia and Slovenia.

Pacers trade Roy Hibbert to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers yesterday acquired center Roy Hibbert in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, it was announced by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. In exchange the Pacers will receive a future second round pick.

In other words, the Pacers basically said, “here, take Hibbert.”

“We’re happy to add a veteran big man to the roster,” said Kupchak. “Roy is a proven All-Star center that will help improve our front line. In addition he is a consummate professional and we look forward to having him on the team.”

Hibbert is very effective on defense. Offensively, he is limited.

“I’d like to thank Roy for all his contributions during his time in Indiana,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He was a two-time NBA All-Star, and we appreciate everything he did for our franchise both on and off the court.”

A seven-year NBA veteran and two-time All-Star (2012 and 2014), Hibbert appeared in 76 games (all starts) with the Pacers last season, averaging 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25.3 minutes.

Originally selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 17th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Queens, New York native was acquired by the Pacers shortly before his rookie campaign and has appeared in 533 career games (492 starts) with Indiana, averaging 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 25.9 minutes. In 2014, Hibbert was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team after he finished the season ranked fourth in the NBA with 182 blocks (2.25 per game). The 7’2” center out of Georgetown has appeared and started in 54 postseason games averaging 12.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in 31.6 minutes.

Pacers will keep Rodney Stuckey

Here’s the Indianapolis Star with an update on guard Rodney Stuckey:

The Indiana Pacers continued shaping their roster on Sunday by working a deal with in-house free agent Rodney Stuckey.

The team and Stuckey have agreed on a three-year deal worth $21 million with a player option the third year, according to his agent.

Stuckey, 29, had a career year in his first season with the Pacers. Though Stuckey started 36 games, he found his niche as the Pacers’ high-scoring sixth man in averaging 12.6 points on 44 percent from the field, the highest shooting mark of his eight seasons.

Pacers, Monta Ellis agree to deal

Pacers, Monta Ellis agree to deal

The Indiana Pacers are about to add a lot of scoring to their backcourt. Will it be efficient scoring? We’ll see. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting:

Free agent guard Monta Ellis and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a four-year deal worth $44 million on Thursday, a league source confirmed.

The deal also gives Ellis, 29, a player option in the fourth year, the source confirmed. Chris Broussard of ESPN was first to report the agreement. The Pacers reportedly beat out several other teams interested in Ellis, who has averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists over his 10-year career…

On Wednesday, Ellis and his wife arrived in Indianapolis and later in the night, met with Pacers executives Larry Bird, Kevin Pritchard and head coach Frank Vogel.

Paul George return date: Tomorrow!

Paul George return date: Tomorrow!

The Indiana Pacers announced Saturday that All-Star guard Paul George would be available to play Sunday when the Pacers host the Miami Heat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (6:00 p.m.).

George has missed the entire season after breaking his right leg during an intra-squad exhibition game at Las Vegas last August while practicing with Team USA as it prepared for the World Cup of basketball competition.

“The recovery has been a long process and this is another step in the process,” said George, a two-time NBA All-Star and the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2012-13. “I thank everyone, my family, friends, doctors, our training staff, coaches, the entire Pacers’ family for their support and encouragement. I’m excited, but at the same time I’m aware I’m still in a rehab stage and will continue to work to get back to full strength.”

“We’re happy to have Paul back in uniform, and this is just another step in his rehabilitation from the injury,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He has worked hard to get to this point and still has work to do, but it’s a positive step toward what we hope will be a full recovery at some point. His minutes will be limited in games he plays as we evaluate his progress moving forward.”

Paul George may return soon for Pacers

Paul George may return soon for Pacers

The 30-38 Indiana Pacers could receive a big boost in the very near future. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The Indiana Pacers are targeting the next week for Paul George’s season debut, multiple sources told ESPN.com.

The team was considering bringing back George as early as Saturday’s home game against the Nets, but after the Pacers fell to the Cavs 95-92 on Friday night, coach Frank Vogel said George would not face Brooklyn.

A Pacers official said the team plans to update George’s status Monday.

The Pacers repeatedly have refrained from publicly putting a timetable on George as he’s progressed in his long recovery from a broken leg suffered in a Team USA intrasquad scrimmage in August.