Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Wizards, 2019 Draft, Williamson, NBAGL

November 5th, 2018 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards recently became the 28th NBA team to reach a jersey patch agreement with a corporate sponsor, teaming with GEICO on a multiyear deal, as the club announced in a press release. GEICO’s logo will now appear on the uniforms of multiple D.C.-area organizations, with the Wizards, the Washington Mystics (WNBA), and the Capital City Go-Go (G League) all getting the advertisement patch.

The Pacers and Thunder are now the only two NBA teams without ads on their uniforms, as we outline here. The NBA’s jersey sponsorship pilot program is set to run through the 2019/20 season, but the league seems likely to extend it beyond that, given its success so far.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

ESPN’s draft gurus, including Jonathan Givony, recently revealed their complete prospect rankings for the 2019 draft, with Duke players nabbing three of the top four spots. R.J. Barrett leads the way, followed by Zion Williamson at No. 3 and Cameron Reddish at No. 4. The Blue Devils’ trio sandwiches North Carolina small forward Nassir Little at No. 2.
Speaking of Williamson, Chris Stone of The Sporting News took an in-depth look at the 285-pound youngster, writing that the Duke forward represents a “truly one-of-a-kind prospect.”
The NBA G League has reached a multiyear deal with ESPN that will allow ESPN+ subscribers to watch more than 200 games per season, the league announced today in a press release. This season’s broadcast schedule begins with three games on Tuesday.
The Timberwolves could still end up trading Jimmy Butler for valuable long-term pieces, and Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine could become long-term core pieces for the Bulls. However, in the view of Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the 2017 trade between Minnesota and Chicago is at risk of becoming the sort of blockbuster deal that doesn’t turn out perfectly for either side.

Pacific Notes: Chandler, Holmes, Cousins, Gortat

November 4th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns‘ buyout with Tyson Chandler would have helped the team much more if it had occurred during the preseason, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. The parties have reportedly had a standing deal on a buyout in place for some time, but Chandler was reluctant to commit until he was confident that another organization would pick him up. The consensus is the Lakers will be his next team.

The money saved through Chandler’s buyout could have benefited the Suns in a number of ways, Nahmad notes. De’Anthony Melton, a second-round pick acquired in a trade with the Rockets, was limited to a two-year, minimum-salary deal because Phoenix didn’t have money available for a three- or four-year offer (Twitter link). Nahmad is assuming Chandler will give back about $452K in his buyout, and notes that the Suns waited until just before the start of training camp to sign Melton in the hopes that they could free up more cash.

Unloading Chandler earlier would have also opened a roster spot and would have eliminated the need to waive Davon Reed when Jamal Crawford was signed (Twitter link). Reed, who is now on a two-way deal with the Pacers, is still owed his entire $1.4MM salary from the Suns.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The news about Chandler explains why Richaun Holmes was the Suns‘ first choice at backup center in Friday’s game, tweets Gina Mizell of The Athletic. Holmes, who was acquired from the Sixers in an offseason trade, played a season-high 13 minutes.
DeMarcus Cousins is expected to have a one-year stay with the Warriors, but GM Bob Myers isn’t giving up on the idea of extending their arrangement, relays Chelsea Howard of The Sporting News. During a recent appearance on the team’s pre-game show, Myers said “options are open” when it comes to keeping the All-Star center. “These type of predictions — good or bad — are pretty fruitless because you just don’t know,” he said. “You don’t know what’s going to be going on on July 1, 2019. You don’t know if it’s going to be better than you think … but it’s not going to be what you think. So, with a guy like DeMarcus, who knows? If he wants to come back, let’s bring him back.” If Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson both re-sign, Golden State would be well above the cap and would be limited to offering Cousins its mid-level exception again.
Clippers center Marcin Gortat re-tweeted a message bemoaning the end of his consecutive games streak. L.A. traded for Gortat in June to help offset the expected loss of DeAndre Jordan, but he has averaged just 3.6 PPG and 3.9 RPG and is losing minutes to Montrezl Harrell and Boban Marjanovic.

Pacers Waive Ben Moore

November 3rd, 2018 at 11:55am CST by marksuleymanov

The Pacers have waived forward Ben Moore, the team announced in a press release on Saturday. Indiana also recalled center Ike Anigbogu from their G League affiliate.

Moore, 23, in his second year out of SMU, re-signed with Indiana on a one-year, partially guaranteed deal in September. The forward went undrafted last summer and later joined the Pacers’ G League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He averaged 11.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG in 43 G League contests last season.

Moore appeared in two games with the Pacers last season after his deal was converted to a two-way pact.

With Moore waived, Indiana’s roster total drops to 14, not including two-way players Davon Reed and Edmond Sumner.

Knicks Notes: Fizdale, Knox, O’Quinn, Durant

October 31st, 2018 at 7:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

David Fizdale enjoyed working as a television commentator and might have stayed in that role longer if not for the opportunity with the Knicks, writes Ian Begley of ESPN. Fizdale called TV work a “comfortable” job without “the stress of coaching,” but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try to build a winner in New York. He had interviews with several teams and turned down a four-year offer from the Suns to take the Knicks’ job.

Fizdale led the Grizzlies to the playoffs in his first year as a head coach, but injuries slowed the team last season and he was fired after 17 games in the midst of a well-publicized clash with Marc Gasol. That led to his job as an ESPN analyst.

“I went in there just force-feeding culture down everyone’s throat,” Fizdale said of his time in Memphis. “I had a small window, I felt, with those guys. So I really tried to fast-track everything. And there’s just some things you can’t rush. You can’t rush relationships, you can’t rush trust, you can’t rush the culture.”

There’s more out of New York:

The Knicks are hoping to get injured rookie Kevin Knox back in the lineup soon, possibly by Friday, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knox suffered a sprained ankle in the third game of the season, and his father says he could be ready to return sometime between Friday and November 10. A tweet from the Knicks yesterday relays that Knox is making “good progress” and has “advanced to participating in shooting drills and non-contact court activity.”
Former Knicks center Kyle O’Quinn tells Berman it wasn’t an easy decision to leave New York and sign with the Pacers over the summer (Twitter link). “It’s the biggest decision I’ve ever made as far as making a choice in my career,” O’Quinn said. “I slept on it, prayed on it. I made the decision and I’m sticking with it. It’s no secret I would’ve loved to play for Fizdale or be here. It’s tougher than telling a girl you’re moving on.’’
The close relationship between Knicks assistant coach Royal Ivey and Warriors star Kevin Durant may give New York an edge in free agency next summer, Berman suggests in another story. They both went to college at Texas and Durant is the godfather of Ivey’s daughter.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/30/18

October 30th, 2018 at 7:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Pacers have assigned Ike Anigbogu to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s website. Anigbogu, who was the 47th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, received only three minutes of action for Indiana so far this season.
The Grizzlies have recalled Jevon Carter from the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, per a team press release. Carter is available for tonight’s tilt with Washington.
The Hornets have assigned Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, according to the team’s website.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/28/18

October 28th, 2018 at 8:22pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Nets assigned rookie forward Dzanan Musa to the Long Island Nets, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (via Twitter). Musa has only played 11 minutes so far this season after he recovered from a preseason ankle injury. This will likely be the first of many assignments and recalls for Musa, who was the 29th overall pick in the 2018 Draft.
The Pacers have recalled Ike Anigbogu from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today in a press release. Anigbogu, a second-year center, may get a chance to suit up for Indiana in Monday’s game against Portland.

Being Late To Practice Led To Evans' Suspension

October 28th, 2018 at 11:46am CST by Arthur Hill

Tyreke Evans‘ one-game suspension was a result of being late for practice on Friday, according to Scott Agness of The Athletic. It was the final straw for the Pacers‘ guard, who had already accumulated multiple infractions early in the season. “We’ve got guidelines that we have to follow,” coach Nate McMillan said. “When you start to see a pattern with those guidelines being broken, then you have to be disciplined. Our players know those guidelines. We have a book with those rules, guidelines, laws in them.” Pacers president Kevin Pritchard spoke to the team after Friday’s practice, but players refused to reveal what was discussed.

Bench Play Helps Limit Starters' Minutes

October 26th, 2018 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks forward Alex Poythress will miss at least three games due to a left knee injury, according to a team press release. He was diagnosed with a capsular sprain and bone bruise and will miss the team’s upcoming road trip. Poythress averaged 5.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 18.0 MPG in his first four appearances with Atlanta. Poythress is one of the team’s two-way players after seeing action in 25 games with the Pacers last season.
All of the Pacers’ starters are averaging fewer minutes thanks to an improved bench, Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star points out. Victor Oladipo, at 31.4 MPG, is the only player averaging more than 30 minutes a game. “Oh man, it’s good for all of us,” guard Darren Collison told Ayello. “We’ve been chilling mostly the whole time at the end of games. We’ve had a lot of blowouts, either us doing it to them or the other way around, so all of the starters are mostly playing between 20-25 minutes. Hopefully, it will pay off in the long run.”

Evans Violated Team Rules, Will Sit Saturday

October 26th, 2018 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tyreke Evans will sit out Saturday’s game against Cleveland for violating team rules, the Pacers announced in a press release. Evans, who signed a one-year, $12MM contract as a free agent this summer, said that he was late for practice and expressed remorse. “This is the most professional and team-oriented organization I have been with in my career,” he said. “They deserve my best every day and I am disappointed in myself for causing a distraction that prevents me from being able to help my team tomorrow. I will do better.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/22/18

October 22nd, 2018 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Pacers assigned center Ike Anigbogu to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to a team press release. Anigbogu, a 2017 second-round pick, played three minutes in one of the Pacers’ first three games this season after seeing action in 11 games as a rookie.
The Grizzlies assigned rookie guard Jevon Carter to the Memphis Hustle’s training camp, the team announced on its website. Carter has yet to make his regular-season debut but the No. 32 overall pick appeared in five preseason games, averaging 2.6 PPG in 11.8 MPG.
The Lakers assigned forward Isaac Bonga to the South Bay Lakers, the G league team tweets. Bonga, the No. 39 selection this June, was acquired from the Sixers in a draft-night deal. The 18-year-old Bonga averaged 3.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 10.8 MPG during five preseason games but has yet to make his regular-season debut.