The Bulls are in first place in the Central Division, and with the struggles of the Cavs so far this season, that might not change for a while. The same stability could be seen in the division’s cellar, even though the last-place Pacers won Monday for a second time this year, beating the Jazz. Both Cleveland and Indiana have made roster moves in the regular season’s first two weeks, and there’s more on the newest Pacer amid the latest from around the Central:
- The 16th roster spot that the league granted the Pacers is only temporary, but coach Frank Vogel believes that A.J. Price, whom the team signed to fill that slot, deserves a spot on an NBA roster somewhere, notes Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star. Price merely hopes that Vogel is right. “I’m playing for my life, man,” Price said. “I’m staying till they tell me to go or tell me to stay longer, either or.” Price has an offer to play in China, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com, but he’s unsurprisingly eager to stay longer if the Pacers see fit to keep him and offload another player, as the Star’s Autumn Allison tweets.
- The Cavs should be kicking around trade ideas internally, but they shouldn’t be reaching out to other teams at this stage in spite of their .500 record, as Tom Penn of ESPN.com opines amid an Insider-only “Front Office” piece.
- Stan Van Gundy isn’t the first Pistons coach to start poorly in recent years, but the difference with him is that he has the power to change the team’s personnel, an idea that must be increasingly appealing to him, MLive’s David Mayo writes.