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Offseason In Review: Indiana Pacers

By | at November 7, 2015 1:11 pm

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees and more will be covered as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Extensions

  • None

Trades

Waiver Claims

  • None

Draft Picks

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

After a campaign that saw their win total decrease from 56 in 2013/14 to 38 last season, the Pacers entered the offseason with the goal of assembling a younger, faster team, which resulted in a number of major changes for the franchise. While Indiana’s struggles of a season ago were certainly influenced by Paul George missing all but five contests courtesy of a leg injury suffered during a Team USA scrimmage, the team’s roster was aging and not meshing together as well as team president Larry Bird had hoped, and it was looking more and more like the franchise had passed its window to contend.

Phase one of Bird’s roster revamp was to find a taker for lumbering big man Roy Hibbert, whose decision to exercise his player option for 2015/16 worth in excess of $15.514MM could have spelled doom for any chance the team had at making significant offseason changes. Bird found a willing trade partner in the Lakers, whose interest convinced Hibbert to waive part of the 15% trade kicker included in his contract. “In the long run, it was a no-brainer,” Hibbert said to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. “If I were to say I wanted my $2MM and the trade couldn’t get done, I would have been back in Indy and wouldn’t have gotten that $2MM anyway. I would have had to basically fight an uphill battle just to try and get on the court. Hopefully I can make that [money] up in the long run if I do well.” The center gave back all but $78,185 of what otherwise would have been a $2.3MM payout.

The departure of Hibbert may have cost the team its chance of retaining veteran power forward David West, who cited the Pacers’ handling of Hibbert as one of the reasons he opted out of his deal to become an unrestricted free agent. “That’s one thing where I wish they would have handled better was the situation with Roy,” West had said to Bob Kravitz of WTHR-TV in Indianapolis after joining the Spurs. “I’ll be honest with you, that bothered me a little bit, and I told Roy that. I’m the type of guy who feels like we’re all in this fight together and I’m not designed in that way to put it all on one guy. That did rub me the wrong way. That threw me off. I started reading some of that stuff, I started thinking, ‘Whoaa.’ I just didn’t feel good about that. I told Roy that it bothered me, that he’s still my teammate.”
With the departures of two key pieces of their previous season’s rotation, the Pacers moved on and signed veteran shooting guard Monta Ellis, who at the age of 30, became the oldest player on Indiana’s newly revamped roster. This signing is a bit risky from Indiana’s standpoint. A four-year deal, including a player option for the final season, is longer than I’d be comfortable agreeing to, seeing as Ellis is essentially a one-dimensional player whose skills likely won’t hold up as each subsequent birthday passes. The average annual value of $10.995MM for Ellis’ deal is certainly reasonable, especially considering the expected spike in player salaries beginning in 2016/17, but it’s a contract that has the potential to become an overpay by years three and four if the guard’s athleticism and skills are sapped by Father Time, who to this day remains undefeated. The addition of Ellis feels like a stopgap from my perspective, and though talented, Ellis is now with his third team in four years. That’s not necessarily a ringing endorsement of his value as a roster asset in my book.
The franchise’s other moves in free agency were relatively solid, with Indiana re-signing Lavoy Allen, Rodney Stuckey and Shayne Whittington to reasonable contracts, though a three-year deal for Stuckey is a year too long in my opinion. The Pacers also went outside the organization and nabbed former Lakers big man Jordan Hill on a one-year, $4MM deal, which is an excellent value for the club that carries little to no risk thanks to the pact’s short length. The offseason move that Bird appeared to be the most excited about though was the addition of free agent Glenn Robinson III, a player the executive said he had been trying to acquire for over a year.
The Pacers’ goal of getting younger, smaller and more athletic was also on display during the 2015 draft, when the team used its first round pick to select Texas big man Myles Turner. He had a difficult freshman season at the University of Texas, where he was a poor fit for the Longhorns’ system, and his draft stock took a hit as a result. Turner is an athletic big who can light it up from deep when he’s on, and he has the potential to be a solid stretch-four in the league for years to come. Indiana’s draft day would have been a success if Turner were the only takeaway, but the addition of Oregon combo guard Joe Young was the best pick in the entire second round of the draft. Young is a versatile scorer who will contribute immediately, with his strong preseason showing earning him the nod as the team’s backup point guard. It was an excellent draft for the Pacers all around, as the team nabbed two long-term rotation players plus Rakeem Christmas through a trade with the Cavs.
Indiana also demonstrated its commitment to player development this offseason with the purchase of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, finally giving the team its own affiliate. Owning the Mad Ants will give the Pacers a notable advantage because the affiliate is only about two hours away, opined Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com, a stance I agree with. The franchise took into account the rising salaries of NBA players, as Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star noted. Owner Herb Simon said that the Pacers will need young players to go along with the higher-paid players on the roster in the future, and that those young players would need development, which the purchase of the Mad Ants will help facilitate.
The other significant storyline of the offseason involved player movement, but not of the free agent or trade variety. Instead, it’s the position switch for George, whom the Pacers asked to move from the wing into the power forward slot to aid in the team’s new small-ball philosophy. George had voiced some displeasure with the the team’s plan, though he did say that he’s willing to stick with it. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for a four spot,” George said after Indiana’s preseason opener, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (All Twitter links). “I don’t know if this is my position.” George also implied that he wasn’t the only Pacer unhappy with the strategy. “It’s not just myself,” he said. “The four other guys out there, it’s an adjustment for them. We’re all talking. … A couple other guys are uncomfortable with how we’re going to run it. It’s new to everyone.” While the early returns from the position switch have been mixed, it’s a situation that certainly bears watching as the team moves forward. It’s never a positive when a team’s best player is unhappy, and if George continually feels overmatched at the four spot, it could spell trouble on the horizon for the front office and coaching staff. That said, George isn’t as apprehensive as he initially was and won’t be guarding traditional power forwards, as Buckner told us in Friday’s edition of The Beat.
Indiana is a franchise in the midst of a transitional period, and it’s quite possible that the Pacers will need to bottom out before returning to prominence in the East. With $57.230MM in guaranteed salary on the books for 2016/17, Indiana will have the ability to add at least one impact free agent to the mix, though the franchise is still not viewed around the league as an attractive free agent destination, making it difficult to gauge just whom the Pacers will set their sights on next offseason. But for now, the team is certainly younger, smaller and faster. From that perspective, the offseason can be called a success, but the team isn’t likely to be better than the squad that went to two straight Conference Finals.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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The Beat: Candace Buckner On The Pacers

By | at November 6, 2015 11:59 am

candacebuckner
Candace Buckner

Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com about the Rockets. Click here to see all the previous editions of this series.

Today, we gain insight on the Pacers from Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. You can follow Candace on Twitter at @CandaceDBuckner, and check out her stories right here.

Hoops Rumors: The Pacers had a ton of success with two traditional big men and a slow-it-down approach before Paul George‘s injury. What made this offseason the right time to change gears and adopt small ball and a faster pace?

Candace Buckner: The change started at the top with Larry Bird believing the team needed to score more points. The previous style was more focused on the defensive end and naturally, made the offensive game a slow slog. I believe Bird thought it was the right time because the “smash mouth” style had reached its peak plus the team could only go so far with a slow, plodding center in Roy Hibbert. With Hibbert and David West both near the end of their contracts, it made sense to switch gears and try something new.

Hoops Rumors: Some of George’s most recent comments indicate that he’s warmed to the idea of playing power forward. Where does he stand on the idea now, and how concerned was the organization when he expressed his reluctance to the position switch?

Candace Buckner: George hasn’t played a ton of true fours this season and won’t have to defend the real power forwards of the league. So his concerns about the position have cooled. I doubt the organization had any real concerns about his thoughts.

Hoops Rumors: The team invested more heavily in Monta Ellis than anyone else this summer, committing nearly $44MM over four years to him. What is it about him that appealed to the Pacers, and what drew him to Indiana?

Candace Buckner: The Pacers liked his speed and scoring ability. Monta Ellis was believed to be the perfect counterpart to George, to help take the offensive responsibility off of him. Ellis has shown to not only score and get his own looks from mid-range and closer to the rim, but also create for others. We’ve already seen the ball in his hands a lot in the fourth quarter and two years ago when George was healthy, he had that role.

Hoops Rumors: What are the expectations for Myles Turner this season? How quickly do the Pacers think their lottery pick can contribute?

Candace Buckner: Indiana has lofty expectations in Myles Turner, in that the team is relying on him as the backup center already. I don’t know if he will usurp Ian Mahinmi as the starter but he’s definitely a rotational guy who’s minutes are only going to progress. However, Turner has dealt with a myriad of small ailments already and so the team can only trust in him so much. Once he gets healthier, I see him playing an even larger role.

Hoops Rumors: The Pacers signed three players this summer who were drafted in the top half of the second round within the last two years — Rakeem Christmas, Glenn Robinson III and Joe Young. Which one of them most excites the front office?

Candace Buckner: Glenn Robinson III seems to be the early favorite. Another guy that Bird truly likes. He can defend, has worked on his shooting and has tremendous athletic ability. He’s similar to a young and raw Paul George. He has dealt with a shoulder injury so he’s only played in one game, but he’s already broken into the 10-man rotation.

Hoops Rumors: Chase Budinger is the fifth most highly paid player on the Pacers this season. What sort of contribution does the team envision from him?

Candace Buckner: Budinger needs to stay healthy — which he hasn’t done through his career — to be a big contributor. They like his running and spacing ability for the spread offense. In small ball, he can play the four or the three and mostly he’ll be spotting up from beyond the arc.

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2015/16 Salary Cap: Indiana Pacers

By | at November 5, 2015 10:21 pm

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from this past season, and the luxury tax line will be $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM.

With the October 26th cutoff date to set regular season rosters now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of running down the current salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Indiana Pacers, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:

  • 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
  • 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
  • Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $71,540,082
  • Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $606,178*
  • Non-Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $0
  • Total Salary Cap Commitments= $72,146,260
  • Remaining Cap Room= -$2,146,260
  • Amount Below Luxury Tax Line= $12,593,740

*Note: This amount includes the $600,000 owed to Toney Douglas, and the $6,178 in salary paid to Terran Petteway, both of whom were waived by the team.

Cap Exceptions Available:

  • Room Exception= $2,814,000

Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000

Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000

Last updated: 11/5/15 @ 9:20pm

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Southwest Notes: Hayes, West, Davis

By | at November 4, 2015 10:27 pm

Veteran power forward David West sacrificed both money and playing time to join the Spurs as a free agent this past offseason, a move that was necessary to keep his competitive fire burning after 12 NBA seasons, Harvey Araton of The New York Times writes. “For me, in terms of basketball, I needed every night to mean something, in order to keep going,” West said. The player also acknowledged that the Pacers’ treatment of center Roy Hibbert played a part in his decision to leave Indiana, Araton adds. “It was a great environment, but I got to the point where I felt it was time to move in a different direction,” West said of his former team.

Here’s more from out of the Southwest Division:

  • Chuck Hayes, who was signed by the Rockets on Sunday, is thrilled to be back out on the court as a player after flirting with becoming an assistant coach, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “It was a good feeling to go out there in the second quarter,” said Hayes after his first game back. “I don’t know all the timing, the offensive rhythm yet. I consider myself a good defensive player. I figure that’s the best way I can dictate and put an imprint on the game is on the defensive end. The thing I did is talk to the guys, tell them where the screens are coming, be active, let my voice do the work for me.”
  • Anthony Davis isn’t thrilled with his play in new coach Alvin Gentry‘s up-tempo system, and the Pelicans‘ slow start to the season isn’t helping matters either, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”I’m always frustrated; I just want to be the best I can be to help the team win,” Davis said. ”I feel I’m not doing it right now. All the frustration is on me. They’re giving me great opportunities and I can’t find a way to put the ball in the basket.”
  • As his career winds down, Spurs big man Tim Duncan has re-invented himself as a “glue guy,” and instead of looking to score, he must look to do “the little stuff” that impacts the game, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “I’m just trying to figure that out,” Duncan said when asked to describe his role. “I’m not sure what it is yet. It’s a little different now, because we added some different players. We’re all just trying to figure it out.”
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Central Notes: Hill, Mozgov, Parker

By | at November 4, 2015 8:45 pm

Pacers small forward Solomon Hill had his 2016/17 rookie option declined by the team, but it’s not a decision that is weighing on him, writes Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com. “I wasn’t even thinking about that, to tell you the truth,” he told Agness. “That stuff will handle itself. One thing I can control is my effort and my ability to play the game of basketball. I never look at it as being like a crucial time. I just want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me.” Hill, whose option value was approximately $2.306MM, is now set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming summer.

With Hill seeing sparse playing time thus far during the 2015/16 season, securing a lucrative free agent deal will certainly be difficult, Agness notes. “Of course [it’s difficult]. It is what it is. Stuff happens for reasons,” Hill said regarding his lack of minutes. “I can only control what I can control and that’s making sure I’m ready when my name is called. Anything else is out of my hands. I’m not going to stress about stuff that’s out of hands right now.”

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

  • Center Timofey Mozgov, who had surgery on his right knee during the offseason, is still attempting to work himself back into shape, and the Cavaliers are banking on him rounding into form for the latter part of the season, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “He’s working real hard, strengthening,” coach David Blatt said of the big Russian. “He’s dropping a little bit of weight, which is good. That takes pressure off the knee. And getting himself in the kind of shape that he’s going to have to be in as we get further and deeper into the season. But I think he’s feeling better and I think it shows in his play.“
  • The Bucks are planning on taking it slow with Jabari Parker, who is returning from a torn ACL that cost him the bulk of his rookie campaign in 2014/15, Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports writes. The offseason free agent signing of center  Greg Monroe may have brought heightened expectations to the franchise, but it also bought some extra time for Parker to heal, Lee adds. “The great thing about Jabari’s injury is who we are as an organization; that we’re not a finished product,” Milwaukee GM John Hammond told Lee. “I feel like, hopefully, we’re still a team in the future and I think our aspirations are high and we think we can do special things in the future here. So there is not that pressure where there’s a short window for us and the time is now. So with that being said for Jabari, it’s not about now, it’s about the long-term future.”
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NBA Teams Designate Affiliate Players

By | at November 3, 2015 4:01 pm

NBA teams cut as much as 25% of their rosters at the end of the preseason, but franchises that have D-League affiliates have a way to maintain ties to many of the players they release from the NBA roster. An NBA team can claim the D-League rights to up to four of the players it waives, as long as the players clear waivers, consent to join the D-League, and don’t already have their D-League rights owned by another team. These are known as affiliate players, as our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry details.

NBA teams allocated 46 affiliate players to the D-League at the beginning of the season last year, and this year, that number has risen to 56, according to the list the D-League announced today. These players are going directly to the D-League affiliate of the NBA team that cut them and weren’t eligible for the D-League draft that took place Saturday. Teams that designated fewer than the maximum four affiliate players retain the ability to snag the D-League rights of players they waive during the regular season, but for now, this is the complete list:

Boston Celtics (Maine Red Claws)

Cleveland Cavaliers (Canton Charge)

Dallas Mavericks (Texas Legends)

Detroit Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive)

Golden State Warriors (Santa Cruz Warriors)

Houston Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)

Indiana Pacers (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)

Los Angeles Lakers (Los Angeles D-Fenders)

Memphis Grizzlies (Iowa Energy)

Miami Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce)

New York Knicks (Westchester Knicks)

Oklahoma City Thunder (Oklahoma City Blue)

Orlando Magic (Erie BayHawks)

Philadelphia 76ers (Delaware 87ers)

Phoenix Suns (Bakersfield Jam)

Sacramento Kings (Reno Bighorns)

San Antonio Spurs (Austin Spurs)

Toronto Raptors (Raptors 905)

Utah Jazz (Idaho Stampede)

Also, several players who were on NBA preseason rosters are on D-League rosters through means other than the affiliate player rule. Most of them played under D-League contracts at some point within the last two years, meaning their D-League teams have returning player rights to them. Others entered through last weekend’s D-League draft, while others saw their D-League rights conveyed via trade. Most of these players aren’t with the D-League affiliate of the NBA team they were with last month, with a few exceptions.

Roster information from Adam Johnson of D-League Digest, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor and freelancer and Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro was used in the creation of this post.

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Central Notes: Parker, Thompson, Jones

By | at November 2, 2015 4:12 pm

Jabari Parker will return Wednesday for his first game since he tore his left ACL in December, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported (Twitter links), and as the Bucks confirm. It appeared the team was concerned he’d have to remain out until late this month, but he’s instead a go this week for Milwaukee, which has started the season a disappointing 0-3. Tyler Ennis will also make his season debut for the Bucks in that game after dealing with a shoulder injury. See more from the Central Division:

  • Tristan Thompson hinted to TNT’s David Aldridge that he was on board with sitting out all of this season if it was necessary for him to get a fair deal, as Aldridge writes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The power forward finally re-signed with the Cavs on a five-year, $82MM deal late last month after lengthy negotiations. “I didn’t worry about it,” Thompson said. “Obviously I love playing the game of basketball. That’s what God blessed me to do. At the same time, playing in the NBA, it’s a business side to it. At the end of the day, myself, Rich [Paul], Mark [Termini], we handled it the way we felt best. We weren’t worried. If the deal gets done, it gets done. If not, so be it, sit out the whole season [and] work on my game, and just get better. It was no wondering if it would get done, or nervousness. If I had it to do over again, I’d do it the same way — no regrets.”
  • The Cavs have named former player and Termini client Damon Jones an assistant coach for their D-League team, notes Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). Cleveland originally planned to have Jones, who served last year as a shooting consultant for both the Cavs and their D-League team, move into that full-time D-League role for last season, but he wasn’t interested, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (on Twitter).
  • The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas and Shayne Whittington to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star first reported the moves would take place (Twitter link). They’re the first players any NBA team has assigned to the D-League this season, and the first that Indiana has ever assigned to its new one-to-one D-League affiliate.
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Pacers Decline 2016/17 Option On Solomon Hill

By | at November 2, 2015 2:07 pm

The Pacers have decided not to exercise their team option for 2016/17 on Solomon Hill, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. That means he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming summer. Hill, the 23rd overall pick in 2013, was to make about $2.306MM on the option, which covered the fourth season of his rookie scale contract. The deadline for the team to make its call on the option was 11:00pm Central tonight.

Hill was a rock for the Pacers last season, when he was the only member of the team to appear in all 82 games and led an injury-hit Indiana squad in total minutes played, as Scott Agness of VigilantSports noted earlier today. The 24-year-old small forward has only made a brief two-minute cameo so far this season, however.

The decision will make it difficult for the Pacers to re-sign Hill next summer if he manages to find his way back into the rotation this season, since they won’t, by rule, be able to give him any more than the value of the option next year. That impediment would transfer if the Pacers dealt Hill to another team, likely making him a less attractive trade target for potential suitors who find his upside intriguing.

Still, Indiana elected to keep the $2.306MM off the books for 2016/17, a season for which the team already has more than $57MM committed against a salary cap that many agents and executives reportedly think will go up to $95MM. The Pacers are without any other pending rookie scale options or extensions. Hill joins Sergey Karasev, whose option the Nets will reportedly turn down, as the only two players whose teams declined their options among the more than 50 who entered camp with rookie scale options left on their respective contracts. Anthony Bennett had a rookie scale team option on his contract with the Timberwolves, but it disappeared when the Wolves released him in a buyout deal.

Do you think Hill should be part of an NBA rotation? Leave a comment to tell us.

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Pelicans Talking With Toney Douglas

By | at October 29, 2015 9:00 am

The Pelicans and Toney Douglas are discussing a possible deal, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans just waived Nate Robinson, opening up a roster spot and ostensibly some time at point guard. Douglas cleared waivers from the Pacers this week.

Douglas, 29, is familiar to GM Dell Demps and the Pelicans front office, having signed a pair of 10-day contracts and a multiyear deal with New Orleans last season. The Pelicans waived Douglas in July rather than guarantee his salary, which led the former 29th overall pick to turn to the Pacers. Now, with both Douglas and the Pelicans in a position of need, it appears a reunion is in the works.

New Orleans has made a madcap series of moves over the past several weeks as the team has dealt with more than its share of injuries, particularly at point guard and center. Backup Norris Cole and Tyreke Evans, an occasional point guard, stand fair chances to miss most if not all of November, while starter Jrue Holiday is on a minutes restriction. Robinson began the season as the starter Tuesday while Holiday sat out, but Robinson saw only four minutes in Wednesday’s game and the majority of the minutes at the position have gone to Ish Smith, whom New Orleans just claimed off waivers last week. New Orleans also signed and cut former University of New Orleans player Bo McCalebb over a 10-day span this month.

Douglas received a $600K partial guarantee from the Pacers, so he shouldn’t be hurting for cash. New Orleans has its $2.139MM biannual exception available, but it would be surprising if the Pelicans committed more than a partially guaranteed minimum-salary contract to him.

Do you think Douglas is a better option for the Pelicans than Robinson was? Leave a comment to let us know.

0 comments Indiana Pacers New Orleans Pelicans Newsstand

Eastern Notes: Monroe, Mahinmi, Spoelstra

By | at October 28, 2015 6:30 pm

Despite meeting with the Knicks first during the free agent signing period this offseason, Greg Monroe dispelled the notion that New York was ever the frontrunner for his services, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “That was just the way it was scheduled,” Monroe said. “There was nothing extra. I wasn’t the only player teams were meeting with and that’s just how it fell in place.” David Falk, Monroe’s agent, regarding why his client chose the Bucks over the Knicks, told Bondy, “It wasn’t about presentation or marketing, It was about what Milwaukee already brought to the table.”

“The interest was definitely there [with the Knicks],” Monroe told the Daily News scribe. “I took an interest in everybody that was willing to meet with me. I don’t like to take anybody’s time for granted. I definitely didn’t take their time for granted. I made a decision based on the things that I was looking for and I wanted. At this point, I’d rather not [talk about it]. It doesn’t matter anymore. Any questions anybody has, I could honestly not care less. I’m happy with where I’m at. I definitely feel like I made the right decision.”

Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:

  • Ian Mahinmi, entering the final season of his contract and with the Pacers starting center job now his, worked tirelessly over the summer on his offensive game, particularly his shooting touch, as Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star examines.
  • Celtics coach Brad Stevens has been the exception to the rule for college coaches coming to the NBA, as most of them have struggled, so Billy Donovan of the Thunder and Fred Hoiberg of the Bulls face a challenge to defy history, as Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune examines.
  • Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is the second longest tenured coach in the NBA behind Gregg Popovich, yet he enters this season needing to prove himself all over again now that the team has overhauled its roster and is in need of a new identity, Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald writes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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