New Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard promises to bring an aggressive approach to the job, according to Michael Marot of the Associated Press. Pritchard, who took over when Larry Bird officially resigned this week, can now implement the ideas that he used to advocate to his former boss. “I think you have to be bold in this position,” Pritchard said. “I like interchanging pieces, I like moving around in the draft, I want to be aggressive, I want to make deals.” Pritchard will have to deal with the impending free agency of Jeff Teague and possibly C.J. Miles and Lavoy Allen as well. Of course, his biggest decision will be whether to trade All-Star forward Paul George, who can opt out next summer.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Pistons center Andre Drummond recently had surgery to fix a deviated septum that caused breathing problems for the past four years, relays Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “[I’ve] been playing with my right nostril for four years because I ended up [injuring my nose] some more after my second season,” Drummond said. “I never really had a chance to really sit down and do a surgery. Last year, we made the playoffs and the year before that, I went to the Olympics. It was really tough for me to be out for six weeks and not be able to do anything.” The Pistons signed Drummond to a max deal last summer, but have reportedly been gauging his trade value because of concerns over his work ethic.
- Kyle Korver is delivering in the playoffs the way the Cavaliers hoped when they traded for him in January, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. He scored 14 points in the Game 3 win at Toronto, with most coming as Cleveland pulled away in the second half. “When [Korver] steps on the floor, eyes have to be on him,” said LeBron James. “… Just his ability to be out on the floor just helps us all out offensively because it just creates more space. From the time we got him all the way to now, and as we continue to play throughout the postseason, he’s been huge for our ballclub.”
- Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com examines the delicate balancing act that Cleveland’s Tyronn Lue must perform as the coach of one of the NBA’s most talented teams.