Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Sign Frank Vogel To Extension

January 7th, 2013 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have signed head coach Frank Vogel to a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. Vogel had been in the final year of his contract, though the Pacers held a team option for 2013/14, so it's not clear whether the club simply picked up that option or further extended Vogel's contract.

Since taking over as Indiana's head coach during the 2010/11 season, Vogel has led the team to an 82-56 record and a pair of playoff berths. The Pacers are also off to a strong start (20-14) this season despite not having top scorer Danny Granger in the lineup.

"This is a good deal for Frank and the franchise," said Pacers president Donnie Walsh in a statement. "Frank has done a great job turning our team around since he became coach and deserves the chance to continue the work he and his staff have started."

Pacers Sign Dominic McGuire

January 7th, 2013 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

11:09am: The Pacers officially announced the signing in a press release, confirming that it's a 10-day deal.

11:04am: Dominic McGuire will join his third team of the season, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who tweets that McGuire signed a deal with the Pacers today. I would guess it's a 10-day contract for the forward, who was released by the Hornets on Friday.

The Pacers waived Sam Young yesterday, so the team won't need to make another move to clear a roster spot for McGuire. At the time of Young's release, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star mentioned McGuire as a player Indiana could be targeting.

McGuire, who began the season with the Raptors, posted nearly identical numbers in nine games for the Hornets (2.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 16.1 MPG) as he did in 15 games with Toronto (2.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 15.3 MPG). The 27-year-old has also played for the Wizards, Kings, Bobcats, and Warriors during his six-year NBA career.

Central Notes: Pacers, Thompson, Cook

January 6th, 2013 at 11:09pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While the Pacers didn't necessarily want to cut Sam Young, a recent ankle injury that required several weeks of recovery coupled with the need for more help at the wing position had forced Indiana's hand, says Mike Wells of IndyStar.com. Wells also writes that the team will likely sign someone to a 10-day contract and thinks about Dominic McGuire as a possible fit. Lastly, he believes that guard Ben Hansbrough will remain on the team for the rest of the season. Here are a few more tidbits we've heard from the Central Division tonight:

Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer looks at how Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson has thrived during Anderson Varejao's absence.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Subscribers only) primes his readers on the impact that sharpshooter Daequan Cook is ready to make with the Bulls.

D-League Moves: Barton, Smith

January 6th, 2013 at 5:32pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned rookie small forward Will Barton and second-year point guard Nolan Smith to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League, the team announced (link via Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com). They will both be sent down in time to appear at the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada.

Barton has appeared in 28 games for the Blazers this season, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG. Smith has played in 18 games and averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.8 APG. We'll keep track of today's NBDL assignments and recalls below:

IndyStar.com reports that the Pacers have recalled Miles Plumlee from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Director of 76ers PR Michael Preston tweets that Philadelphia has recalled Arnett Moultrie.

Pacers Release Young, Eyeing McGuire?

January 6th, 2013 at 4:26pm CST by Sean Highkin

4:26pm: The Pacers have officially waived Young, according to Wells (via Twitter).

1:48pm: The Indiana Pacers are expected to release Sam Young today, reports Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Wells points out that Young suffered a severe ankle sprain that is expected to keep him out several weeks, just as teams are forced to make a decision on whether to guarantee nonguaranteed contracts.

Wells also reports that the Pacers are likely to sign another player to a 10-day contract for short-term wing help, which the team has needed since the injury to Danny Granger. Wells speculates that the team may look to sign forward Dominic McGuire, who was waived by the Hornets over the weekend.

Pacers Rumors: Young, Lee, Johnson

January 4th, 2013 at 9:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers fell out of sole possession of first place in the Central Division tonight following their loss to the Celtics and the Bulls' win over the Heat. We rounded up the latest out of Chicago earlier this evening, and now we'll do so with the other team atop the Central, courtesy Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.

Sam Young suffered a sprained ankle in practice yesterday that could cost him his job. The 6'6" swingman's minimum-salary contract is guaranteed for $25K, and it will become fully guaranteed if he doesn't clear waivers before Thursday. As Wells notes, the Pacers would have to waive him by Monday to avoid the full season tab, and they'll consider doing just that over the weekend when they receive further information on Young's injury. The prognosis at this point has Young missing two weeks.
Courtney Lee, who signed a four-year, $21.35MM deal with the Celtics last summer, gave thought to signing with the Pacers instead, since he's an Indianapolis native and friends with George Hill. When the Pacers signed D.J. Augustin and Gerald Green, though, Lee knew it probably squeezed him out, and as Wells writes, Indiana was turned off by his agent's asking price. "It just didn't pan out right," the shooting guard said. "I was kind of laid-back with that situation. I wasn't really too much into it. I was trying to relax and take my mind off free agency as much as possible and have my agent handle things."
Orlando Johnson, recalled today from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, was supposed to have a longer stint in the D-League, but Young's injury forced the team to bring him back early to provide depth for the big club.

D-League Moves: C’s, Thunder, Pacers, Spurs

January 4th, 2013 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll follow Friday's D-League assignments and recalls below:

Kris Joseph has been assigned to the D-League by the Celtics, the club announced in a press release. Joseph has averaged 19.5 PPG in eight games for the Maine Red Claws this season.
After being recalled on Monday from the Tulsa 66ers, Perry Jones III, Jeremy Lamb, and Daniel Orton are all headed back to the D-League, the Thunder announced today in a press release.
Orlando Johnson has been recalled from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers announced in a team release. Johnson scored 25 points last night to help lead the Mad Ants to a 102-86 victory over the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The Spurs have assigned Nando De Colo to the D-League for the second time this season, the team announced in a press release. He'll rejoin the Austin Toros.

D-League Moves: Leuer, Plumlee, Johnson

January 3rd, 2013 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track all of Thursday's D-League assignments and recalls right here:

Jon Leuer has been assigned to the Canton Charge by the Cavaliers, the team announced today in a press release. Leuer has appeared in limited minutes for the Cavs, but has averaged a double-double (20.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG) in the D-League this season in six games with Canton.
The Pacers have again assigned Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson to the D-League, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter). It's the fourth assignment of the year for Plumlee and the third for Johnson. The two rookies have barely managed to see the floor in Indiana, but have been productive in the handful of D-League games they've played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Plumlee has posted 14.7 PPG and 11.2 RPG in six contests, while Johnson has averaged 23.0 PPG and 6.7 RPG in three games.

Eastern Notes: Cousins, Nets, Hibbert

December 29th, 2012 at 5:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons reportedly have plenty of interest in DeMarcus Cousins, but Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News believes GM Joe Dumars has cooled on Cousins as Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond have developed (Twitter link). In another tweet, Goodwill asserts that Detroit won't be dealing any picks and thinks that the Celtics could offer Rajon Rondo in what would be the most attractive trade package for Sacramento. With that aside, here are a few more links we've gathered up out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors would have to bite if the Kings offered Cousins for Andrea Bargnani, but he's not optimistic Cousins can overcome his volatile personality (Twitter links).
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post dissects Mikhail Prokhorov's remarks to reporters on Friday, concluding that the Nets owner is sold on Phil Jackson and would entertain keeping P.J. Carlesimo for the rest of the season if he can't get the Zen Master of Jeff Van Gundy immediately.
Roy Hibbert got off to a disconcerting start this season after signing a four-year deal for the maximum in the offseason, but his play has picked up of late, as HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham chronicles.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes the Magic, at 12-16, have little chance of landing a high lottery pick, and writes that the team should set its sights on making the playoffs instead. Schmitz also speculates that Stan Van Gundy's next coaching job will be on the West Coast, and doesn't foresee Phil Jackson taking the Nets job.
In a Q&A with The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cavaliers guard Shaun Livingston discusses the career-altering injury he suffered six years ago, being cut by the Rockets, and playing alongside Kyrie Irving.

D-League Moves: Pacers, Warriors, Cavaliers

December 28th, 2012 at 9:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday's D-League assignments and recalls:

Miles Plumlee is headed to the D-League, while fellow rookie Orlando Johnson has been recalled to the Pacers, the team announced. It's the third assignment to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for Plumlee this year, who's averaged 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in five D-League contests so far. Johnson led the Mad Ants to victory tonight with a game-high 24 points.
The Warriors have recalled Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League after being assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors yesterday, the team announced today in a press release. The duo combined for 49 points in Santa Cruz's 113-101 win last night.
The Cavaliers have assigned Samardo Samuels to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Samuels will join the Canton Charge in time for tonight's game against the Tulsa 66ers. Samuels, 23, has seen his playing time in Cleveland reduced this season, as he's averaging career-lows in MPG (10.9), PPG (3.2), and PER (6.4), among other categories.