Indiana Pacers Blog – Page 47 – NBA Blog

Mike Dunleavy Jr to join Bucks

League sources indicated Thursday the Milwaukee Bucks will sign guard-forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. when contracts can officially be offered to free agents Friday.

The deal is expected to be for two years and in the $7.5 million range, meaning the Bucks are using some of their mid-level exception on the veteran, who is an unrestricted free agent.

Dunleavy averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 61 games with the Indiana Pacers last season

The 6-foot-9 Dunleavy played the last 4 1/2 seasons with the Pacers after beginning his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors.

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

T.J. Ford will sign with Spurs

After agreeing to sign a contract with the Spurs that will make him Tony Parker’s primary backup at the point guard position, former University of Texas star T.J. Ford said he was anxious to open training camp with the Spurs on Friday.

“I can’t wait to get there,” he said from his home in Houston.

Ford is expected to sign a contract for the NBA veteran minimum. With eight seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee, Toronto and Indiana, that makes the deal worth $1.266 million, which will be pro-rated for the shortened season.

Just one week removed from playing for KK Zagreb in the Euroleague, where he emigrated after the NBA locked out its players in July, Ford said he is more than ready for the start of Spurs camp.

— Reported by Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News (Blog)

Pacers to meet with center Nene

Pacers president Larry Bird is about to go after one of the top free agents on the market.

Bird is scheduled to fly to Denver to meet with Nene on Tuesday, according to sources.

Monday was the first day that teams could talk to free agents.

The biggest question surrounding Nene is whether the Pacers, who will likely be around $21 million under the salary cap, are willing to pay top dollar to sign him.

Nene recently told Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports that it’s “not about the money.”

— Reported by the Indianapolis Star

Pacers president Larry Bird preaching patience

Patience.

That’s what Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird and general manager David Morway say is their approach in using up their projected $21 million in salary cap space once the free agency period begins Dec. 9.

“We’re not going to spend all of our money right away,” Bird said. “We come off more next year.”

Bird and Morway have been actively working the phones trying to find a starting power forward and another scorer.

— Reported by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star

Chris Paul says his heart is in New Orleans

Despite swirling speculation he may soon leave, Chris Paul insisted on Tuesday that his heart is in New Orleans.

Paul can opt out of his contract with the team and become a free agent at the end of the season.

He was asked at a charity event in Brooklyn about speculation that he could soon join the New York Knicks.

“I try not to pay attention to all that different type of stuff,” Paul said. “My heart is in New Orleans.”

Paul, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were in New York on Tuesday to help deliver 800 meals to families in conjunction with Anthony’s foundation, Feed the Children and The Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Sources have told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard that Paul would eventually like to end up in New York permanently.

Sources told Broussard that Paul’s first choice is to team up with Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in New York to form a “Big Three” similar to the Miami Heat’s trio of James, Wade and forward Chris Bosh.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Celtics and Pacers discuss a Rajon Rondo trade

As Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge aggressively pursues possible deals for Rajon Rondo, the Indiana Pacers have emerged as an intriguing suitor for the point guard, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

For the past few days, Pacers officials – and third-party surrogates – have been making calls and gathering information and insight into Rondo’s reputation as a teammate and leader, sources said.

The Pacers and Celtics have discussed the preliminary framework of a deal, but two sources said Indiana would need a third team to provide Boston with the talent it wants to do a deal. The Celtics are likely trying to gather the necessary pieces to make a bid for Ainge’s ultimate target: New Orleans point guard Chris Paul, sources said.

It was unclear if the Pacers had begun to reach out to broaden discussions, but there was an expectation they would do so.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

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T.J. Ford to play in Croatia

Indiana Pacers free-agent guard T.J. Ford is headed to Croatia to join KK Zagreb while the NBA lockout drags on.

After playing in a charity game Sunday night in his native Houston organized by John Lucas and son John Lucas III from the Chicago Bulls, Ford told ESPN.com that he’s headed to Croatia to join a team that also employs former Charlotte Bobcats lottery pick Sean May.

The deal includes an out to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Jamaal Tinsley to enter D-League draft

Jamaal Tinsley hopes to return to the NBA, and he wants to use the Development League to help his efforts.

Tinsley has sent in the needed paperwork to enter Thursday’s NBA Development League draft, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Tinsley, 33, averaged 9.8 points and 6.6 assists per game through eight NBA seasons while starting 366 of 436 career regular-season games. He last played in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2009-10 season. The deadline to enter the D-League draft is Tuesday.

— Reported by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports

Brooke Olzendam is new Indiana Pacers TV Host/Sideline Reporter

The Indiana Pacers and FOX Sports Indiana announced Wednesday the hiring of Brooke Olzendam (OHL-zen-dam) as TV Host/Sideline Reporter for Pacers TV broadcasts.

Olzendam joins the Pacers and FOX Sports Indiana after a two-year stint with CBS College Sports Network as their prime time football sideline reporter. She has also performed sideline and reporting duties for Comcast SportsNet Northwest, covering a broad spectrum of sports, from professional baseball to horse racing; and hosted pre and postgame shows for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Prior to her time with Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Brooke was the sideline reporter for UCLA football telecasts on FOX Sports West and Prime Ticket. She began her career covering the University of Washington, both as host of “Huskies All-Access,” as well as doing sideline reporting for both football and basketball. She also hosted “Runnin’ with the PAC,” a nationally televised magazine show focused on the Pacific Ten Conference.

Pacers Sports & Entertainment’s Vice President of Broadcasting Jamie Berns is thrilled to have Olzendam join the Pacers broadcasting team on FOX Sports Indiana. “Brooke is a talented, experienced broadcaster who lights up the screen,” said Berns. “She will be a great addition to our team not only on-air, but also in the community.”

“We were familiar with Brooke’s work at FOX Sports West,” said FOX Sports Indiana General Manager and Senior Vice President Jack Donovan. “She’s been successful on both the national and regional level, as a host and live reporter. We’re excited to add Brooke to our broadcast team.”

Born in Spokane, Wash., and a graduate of the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University, Olzendam also has a passion for basketball that stems from her father Dave Olzendam, a member of the Washington State Coaches Hall of Fame.

Roy Hibbert to appear on NBC TV show Parks and Recreation

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

The NBA lockout has given Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert time to work on a possible second career.

The always-animated Hibbert will make his acting debut Thursday when he has a cameo appearance on the NBC show “Parks and Recreation,” which stars Amy Poehler.

InsideHoops.com editor says: This gives people like me, who used to sometimes watch Parks and Recreation but then simply forgot about it, a reason to give it another shot.