Pacers Rumors: Marion, Sloan, Tax, George
The Heat lost LeBron James, but it’s the team Miami beat in the last two Eastern Conference finals that seems in line to tumble farther down the standings this year. The Pacers garnered the most votes when I asked Hoops Rumors readers last week to identify which team had endured the worst offseason so far. More than two months remain before opening night, so while Indiana probably won’t find anyone who can deliver the production of Lance Stephenson and the injured Paul George, there’s time left to tinker. Here’s the latest:
- Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird left Monday’s meeting with Shawn Marion with the sense that even though the forward remains undecided, he wants to play for a contender, as Bird said Tuesday to reporters, including Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That confirms what fellow ESPN scribe Marc Stein had been hearing and explains why the Cavs continue to be the apparent front-runners for the 36-year-old. Marion has a positive working relationship with Cavs GM David Griffin dating back to their days together with the Suns organization, as Stein also writes in his piece.
- Indiana intends to keep Donald Sloan past Friday, when his non-guaranteed minimum salary will become fully guaranteed, Bird also said today, as Stein notes (on Twitter).
- Bird reiterated that the Pacers remain steadfast against crossing the $76.829MM luxury tax line, tweets Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. “We’ll never go over the [luxury] tax,” Bird said. “My owner [Herb Simon] has told me he won’t do that.” Indiana’s team salary is $74,810,552, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports, leaving them $2,018,448 shy of the tax line. The Pacers are applying for a $5.305MM disabled player exception in the wake of the George injury, as Bird confirmed today, Pointer tweets, but they’d have to rid themselves of other salaries in order to use the full amount. Luis Scola and Shayne Whittington are on partially guaranteed contracts, though guaranteeing Sloan’s deal limits Indiana’s flexibility.
- Doctors believe that George will eventually make a full recovery, Bird and coach Frank Vogel said, according to Michael Marot of The Associated Press.
Tom Gores On Pistons, Monroe, Team USA
Pistons owner Tom Gores touched on a number of team and league subjects in a recent press interview. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press has published the complete transcription, and here are some of the highlights:
The No. 1 topic that has dominated the entire off-season has been Greg Monroe. What are your thoughts on the contract impasse?
“We think Greg is a great player. First of all, he’s done a really great job of establishing himself as a player in Detroit. He’s shown great respect to the city and as a young man he’s really done everything we could ask of him. With Greg we just believe in him. I’d like Greg to really get excited about being in Detroit because he deserves it. He’s really been good to the city. You’ve seen him. He’s good to the city. Stan is going to have to figure out exactly everybody’s role, but we’re believers in Greg Monroe. He’s not just a great player; he also has a good basketball character. I know it’s been a lot of the off-season stuff, but I’m a believer in Greg Monroe.”
There’s a pretty substantial offer on the table (slightly better on a per-year basis than the four-year, $54-million deal Josh Smith signed last summer). Is there any disappointment that it hasn’t resolved itself and he [Monroe] hasn’t taken the offer yet?
“Of course we would like him to do that, but the fact is Greg has to decide what’s exactly right for him and he has great people representing him. We’d like Greg to get on board, but he’s got time to think about it and we should give him that time.”
It’s been a newsy summer from a league perspective and the most recent thing would be the catastrophic injury suffered by Pacers small forward Paul George at USA Basketball camp. You have Andre Drummond and he’s moving on to Chicago to continue tryouts with Team USA. Does George’s injury give you pause?
“It’s always difficult in this kind of situation. As a Detroit Pistons owner you get worried, but at the same time there’s such a valuable experience that comes out of them being together as players, camaraderie for the country, camaraderie for themselves, a different purpose. I think there is a part of it that’s great for the players because it’s just winning for your team. There’s something bigger at stake and they’re not doing it for their contract or this or that. I’m not torn on it. The upside is for the players. Is their downside for teams? That’s possible. As just a business owner? It’s very possible, but at the same time you can take a guy like Andre Drummond who has the ability to have this experience with all these different guys who are going to play for their country and are really superstars, how would I ever take that away from him? At the end of the day, I think the guy should have the experience.”
The [Pistons’] free-agent signings were targeted to address needs but lacked sizzle. Do you in hindsight wish this would have been the approach last summer when you made the splash of signing Josh Smith?
“Everybody has a different approach. One of things that I’ve really enjoyed about what Stan is doing is he’s connecting the floor to the front office, so everything he’s doing is about the way he’s going to coach it and the way he’s going to run this team and the way he’s going to move this franchise forward. He knows exactly what he’s doing. I have personally seen Stan be an executive. He has the ability to do both things. I know a lot of people question this, but I can tell you I’ve seen him in action. We all know he’s a great coach, but he’s a great executive. He’s a great leader. He’s very strategic.”
Paul George To Miss Season
WEDNESDAY, 8:04pm: The Pacers will apply for the disabled player exception, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. This confirms that Indiana has ruled George out for the season. The exception requires medical prognosis of a player’s absence for the entire year. If granted the exception, the Pacers will have $5.305MM to spend to replace George through free agency. The exception doesn’t reduce George’s cap hit, meaning Indiana is unlikely to use the full exception and exceed the luxury tax line. Applying for, receiving, or using that exception will not preclude George from returning in 2014/15, should he make an unexpected speedy recovery.
SATURDAY, 8:33am: Sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that doctors believe Pacers swingman Paul George is likely to miss all of next season after suffering a horrific injury to his right leg early in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Team USA intra-squad scrimmage in Las Vegas. No official prognosis has been given yet.
The injury occurred when George attempted to block a transition layup by James Harden, and George’s leg came down awkwardly and buckled as he knocked into the basket stanchion. George then remained down on the court as trainers, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski and members of George’s family who were present rushed to his side. His leg was placed into an air cast and after approximately 15 minutes, George was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and surgery. The scrimmage was then cancelled in light of the devastating turn of events.
In a statement released after surgery was completed, posted by Windhorst, USA Basketball confirmed that George suffered an open tibia-fibula fracture and is expected to remain hospitalized for about three days. Windhorst’s sources also informed him that there didn’t appear to be additional damage besides the fractures. Dr. Riley Williams, a Team USA orthopedist who also works with the Nets, was with George, notes Windhorst.
The most recent example of a similar injury and possible recovery time is the leg injury that then Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffered during the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Ware missed roughly nine months of action, then returned to the court during the 2013/14 season, but after nine games decided to redshirt the remainder of the season to allow the leg to fully heal.
The injury to George has already caused a number of NBA owners and GM’s to rethink their stance on letting their star players participate in international play, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). One GM told Wojnarowski that this would be a “game changer” going forward. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes that the current NBA deal with FIBA states that teams can’t bar players from international competition unless there’s “reasonable medical concern” going in. This was recently demonstrated when the Spurs denied Manu Ginobili permission to participate in the FIBA World Cup due to the recovery time needed for the stress fracture in his leg.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the injury, or the impact on participation in USA Basketball, writes Windhorst. But Colangelo did say, “This is a tough blow, not only for USA basketball but for the Indiana Pacers. And so as an organization we’re just going to let a little time go by here before we address rosters. … It seems so unimportant in the scheme of things. When you have something like this, it puts things in perspective.”
The team had planned to reduce the 20-player pool to 14 or 15 players today but put off those plans after George’s injury, notes Windhorst. Coach Krzyzewski said in regards to those plans, “Everything’s on hold, and it should be. It would be so inappropriate for us to talk about anything else when there is an injury like this.”
As for the impact on the Pacers, if George is indeed out for the season, then Indiana would be able to apply for a disabled player exception. The exception would be equivalent to the amount of the $5.305MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. Disabled player exceptions are for either half the player’s salary or the mid-level, whichever is less–which in this case would be the mid-level seeing as George is scheduled to make $15,937,290 during the 2014/15 season. But the Pacers would be unlikely to use the entire disabled player exception due to them being roughly $2MM shy of the tax line.
NBA Will Discuss International Competition
In the wake of Paul George‘s gruesome injury in Friday’s Team USA scrimmage, many are questioning the wisdom of allowing NBA players to compete in international events. At the very least, the NBA will discuss the merits of international competition this fall, commissioner Adam Silver tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter links).
“I don’t anticipate a major shift in the NBA’s participation in international competition,” Silver said. “We will continue to evaluate the pros and cons of participating in international tournaments [and] this will be a topic at our next NBA Competition Committee meeting in September and Board of Governors meeting in October.”
Of course, one could argue that the real blame for George’s injury lies with the unusual location of the basket stanchion at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Still, that won’t stop others in the league from pushing for NBA players to be kept out of international competition altogether. Over the weekend, Mavs owner Mark Cuban said that he hoped George’s injury would lead the NBA to change its policy.
“I think it’s a bigger issue than star players. We are being taken advantage of by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and to a lesser extent FIBA (International Federal Basketball Association),” Cuban said. “We take on an inordinate amount of financial risk for little, if any, quantifiable gain. It’s like our guiding principle is to lose money on every game and make it up in volume. There is no logic to our position. [We] just hope we get value somewhere in the future.”
Eastern Notes: Wiggins, Celtics, Cole
With all the rumblings that he is going to be traded to the Wolves for Kevin Love as soon as the required 30 days from when he inked his contract pass, Andrew Wiggins’ days in Cleveland appear numbered, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. For his part, Wiggins is remaining upbeat, saying, “I just want to play for a team that wants me, so whichever team wants me I’ll play for.” When asked if he expected to be a teammate of LeBron James this season, Wiggins said, “I don’t really know what to say. When I’m in Cleveland I’m going to play as hard as I can, give it my all and I’ll play for whoever.”
Here’s more from the east:
- The Celtics are working to clear roster space over the next few weeks in order to make room for Evan Turner in their rotation, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Washburn notes that Boston isn’t expected to officially announce the signing until those moves are made, although the sides have reached an agreement. The Celtics currently have 18 players on their roster, including the non-guaranteed deals of Keith Bogans, Chris Babb, and Chris Johnson, notes Washburn.
- With the loss of Paul George for what is likely the entire 2014/15 season, the Pacers are unlikely to make the playoffs, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman also opines that Indiana could have benefited from Danny Granger‘s presence and production in the wake of George’s loss.
- Heat guard Norris Cole has changed agents and is now being represented by Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Cole was previously represented by Joel Bell of Bell Management.
Western Notes: Cuban, Pleiss, Sterling
In the wake of Paul George‘s terrible injury Friday night, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban blasted the IOC, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Cuban hopes the injury will spur the NBA into creating its own international tournament where the league has more control as well as receives the benefits of holding such competitions. Cuban also said, “I think it’s a bigger issue than star players. We are being taken advantage of by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and to a lesser extent FIBA (International Federal Basketball Association). We take on an inordinate amount of financial risk for little, if any, quantifiable gain. It’s like our guiding principle is to lose money on every game and make it up in volume. There is no logic to our position. (We) just hope we get value somewhere in the future.”
Here’s more from out west:
- Thunder 2010 draft-and-stash pick Tibor Pleiss is expected to sign a two-year deal with Barcelona, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Oklahoma City had made an attempt to bring the German big man to the NBA this season but his buyout amount became an issue, but the team was still hoping to work out a deal for the 2015/16 campaign. Details of Pleiss’ potential deal with Barcelona and buyout amount haven’t yet been announced.
- Sam Cassell is leaving the Wizards to join Doc Rivers‘ coaching staff with the Clippers, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Los Angeles’ bench had recently lost Tyronn Lue to the Cavs and Alvin Gentry to the Warriors.
- Donald Sterling built an empire but words were his undoing, write Nathan Fenno, Kim Christensen, and James Rainey of The Los Angeles Times. The trio profile the seemingly soon-to-be former Clippers owner’s rise and fall.
Fallout From Paul George Injury
Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard tells Bob Kravitz of USA Today that he first thought Paul George‘s horrific leg injury would be career-ending when he saw it live at last night’s Team USA scrimmage, but has since grown confident in George’s eventual return.
“What I’ve learned through this process is that it’s not [career-ending],” said Pritchard. “We’re not trying to project when he’s coming back, just trying to get him through this week and then we’ll know more…I have no fear he’ll be back and back in a big way. We’re not going to put a timetable on it but I don’t think there’s any doubt he’ll be back.”
Aside from concerns about George’s long-term health and the impact for his team, the injury has sparked an NBA discussion about the drawbacks of international play. Here’s a rundown:
- George’s father tells Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star that his doctors believe the star will make a full recovery to the same level of athleticism he had prior to the injury.
- The NBA is determined to reshape the FIBA model to its own interests, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes. Wojnarowski says teams have long been more wary of NBA players participating on national teams outside of the US, where they have no control over the conditions and medical services available. Aging players are also pressured to play more for other nations with thinner talent than Team USA, Wojnarowski notes.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes it’s time for the NBA to push for an under-21 international competition model, he writes on his personal blog (H/T Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group).
- Lee Jenkins of SI.com cautions that a ban on international competition for NBA players would also mean unregulated summer basketball at fan-favorite events like Drew League would be outlawed.
- Frank Isola of New York Daily News thinks that a mass exodus of NBA players from international competition would be an overreaction to George’s “freak accident,” as he describes it. Isola suggests that athletes are no more safe from harm during their off-the-court summer activities than in FIBA tournaments and the Olympics.
- Bulls GM Gar Forman told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that the team still supports Derrick Rose‘s involvement in Team USA basketball in the wake of George’s injury. Rose has a well-documented history of catastrophic injuries over the last few seasons.
Poll: Pacers’ Playoff Chances Without George?
Although the Pacers haven’t officially ruled out Paul George for the 2014/15 season, it’s been reported that the gruesome injury he suffered during last night’s Team USA scrimmage will likely sideline him for the entire year. The news is pfarticularly stinging since it further depletes a Pacers’ core that had already lost last season’s starting two guard, Lance Stephenson, to the Hornets in free agency.
Heading into 2013/14, the Pacers were considered realistic contenders for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but Indiana fell to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for a second-straight year. LeBron James‘ departure from Miami provided Pacers fans with hope that such a shuffling of power could alter the landscape of the East, potentially helping to propel Indiana toward a Finals appearance this season, but George’s unfortunate injury no doubt curbs such hopes.
No lineup that lacked both George and Stephenson logged more than 28 minutes per night for the Pacers in 2013/14 regular season, as Zach Lowe of Grantland observes (on Twitter). It’s going to be a completely different look for the team in the coming year, given that the duo of George and Stephenson averaged a combined 36.2 PPG for an Indiana team that ranked just 24th in nightly offense. The addition of Rodney Stuckey will give the team some much needed shooting, but he was never expected to carry the team in the scoring department.
Dr. Patrick Kersey, the doctor who treated Louisville guard Kevin Ware when he sustained a similar injury during the 2013 NCAA tournament, speculates that a full recovery from such an injury could take as long as 18 months, as W.G. Ramirez of The Associated Press details. While Indiana might be granted a disabled player exception that could help them bring aboard a player to fill in for George, it’ll be tough to match the production George has provided for the club over the last few seasons.
So what do you think? Can the Pacers put the pieces together and craft a 2014/15 playoff campaign in a weak Eastern Conference? Or will the loss of George put too much of a burden on a core that’s already been weakened by the loss of Stephenson? Vote below and weigh in with your thoughts!
Will the Pacers make the playoffs next season?
-
No, they won't be able to handle George's absence on top of Stephenson's exit. 77% (1,346)
-
Yes, they're deep enough to deal with George's unfortunate injury. 23% (393)
Total votes: 1,739
Central Notes: George, Butler, Rose
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird issued a statement via press release regarding the injury to Paul George last night. Bird said, “Our first thoughts are with Paul and his family. It is way too early to speculate on his return as the No. 1 priority for everyone will be his recovery. Our initial discussions with our doctors and the doctors in Las Vegas have us very optimistic. We are hopeful at some point next week Paul will return to Indianapolis to continue his recovery. There is no question about the impact this will have on our team but our goal is to be as strong-willed and determined as Paul will be in coming back. Our franchise has had setbacks in its history but has demonstrated the ability to recover.”
Here’s more on George and the Central Division:
- NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on George’s injury via NBA.com, Silver said, “It was difficult to watch the injury that Paul George sustained tonight while representing his country. The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the NBA are with Paul and his family.”
- With the horrific injury suffered by George there will be many who think that star players should cease their participation with Team USA, but Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News disagrees. Sefko is against legislation banning players to take part, and believes it should still be left up to each individual player to decide if they wish to play in FIBA events.
- Out of all the moves the Pistons made this off season, the one that might pay off the most is bringing in Caron Butler, writes Kirkland Crawford of the Detroit Free Press. Crawford believes that in addition to his outside shooting, Butler will bring a toughness and strong work ethic to the team.
- Derrick Rose has changed his stance on the reports regarding a potential rift between he and Bulls management, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose acknowledged speaking to Chicago’s chairman Jerry Reinsdorf by phone after the story broke and also said, “He [Reinsdorf] told me don’t worry about it, just stay focused and, like I said, it’s the past. It’s funny just hearing so many stories about what’s going on, and they’re coming out of, like, kind of nowhere, so it’s funny to hear about them, but it’s nothing that’s going on.’’
Pacers Shopping Roy Hibbert
The Pacers are shopping big man Roy Hibbert, sources tell Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “I would say they’ve been doing that, but quietly,” one front-office source said.
Of course, with two years and $30MM left on Hibbert’s contract, he’s not a great match for every team out there. The center was erratic in March and April as well as the postseason too, so it’s unclear what kind of return Indiana could expect from a Hibbert deal. Meanwhile, there’s still uncertainty around Lance Stephenson after the club saw their five-year, $44MM offer rejected. Dumping Hibbert’s contract could help facilitate a return for their unrestricted free agent.
“They’re open to making major changes, if they’re there,” one general manager told Sporting News. “I think they’d be disappointed to see that same core group back intact, so it is a matter of, how drastic can the changes they make be? Moving Hibbert for multiple pieces would be a pretty drastic change, but they’re asking.”
One source added that star small forward Paul George is untouchable in any deal with the Pacers while power forward David West is all but off the table. Also, in a Hibbert deal, the source says that they would prefer to send him to the Western Conference. The Blazers have been linked to Hibbert in the past but a source labeled a Portland deal as “unlikely.”