Jeff Foster Scheduled For Season-Ending Back Surgery
by Tom Lewis on Feb 8, 2010 4:15 PM EST
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The Indiana Pacers announced today that center Jeff Foster will have season-ending back surgery after the All-Star break.
No, this does not mean Foster's career is over, in fact the release specifically mentions that Foster is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for training camp next season.
The Pacers could certainly use Foster on the court right now as a happy medium between Roy Hibbert and Troy Murphy at center, but by next year he may be more valuable for his expiring contract.
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Pacers Current State Not Caused By The Brawl Alone
by Tom Lewis on Feb 8, 2010 6:30 AM EST
in News
6 comments
A recent article by Michael Lee, delves into what may lie ahead for the Washington Wizards in the aftermath of the Gilbert Arenas/Javaris Crittenton...uh, situation (if only they were flashing their abs). Naturally, Lee looks to the Indiana Pacers for historical reference since the Palace Brawl brought about a comparable season-long suspension. Mere seconds before the brawl, the Pacers had just established themselves as a legit title-contender and certainly the lead dog in the Eastern Conference. Then in the blink of an eye, it was all gone and the Pacers haven't sniffed that lofty status since.
Now with the Wizards facing a similar season-disrupting nightmare, the comparisons to the brawl are flowing along with the warnings of how to avoid the extended nightmare the Pacers have lived through. Reggie Miller maintains that the brawl changed everything for the Pacers and they still haven't recovered. Shoals looks at the Pacers as a cautionary tale for the Wizards not to go overboard in their reaction to this incident and overturn the roster like the Pacers did.
So as a public service for Wizards' fans, I have to make sure they understand that the situation they find themselves in is not even close to what happened with the Pacers. Oh, and by the way, the current state of the Pacers is NOT a direct result of the brawl alone.
Allow me to explain and try to draw parallels to the Wizards.
6 comments | 4 recs |
IC Cold Links: Familiar Problems Surface For Pacers So...GO COLTS!
by Tom Lewis on Feb 7, 2010 11:59 AM EST
in News
8 comments
Finally, it's Super Bowl Sunday and the Colts vs. Saints will kickoff in mere hours, which isn't a bad antidote for the relapse we witnessed by the Pacers last night.
The Pacers are 2-8 when they have at least 20 turnovers, like they did last night. Now, I don't have the numbers to back up my claim, but I'm pretty sure they've never won a game when they combined the turnovers with a stagnant offensive flow with little to no ball and man movement.
See, when you run a motion offense you need some, umm...MOTION! We've seen it before and I imagine we'll see it again. And no, I don't blame it on T.J. Ford's return to the court. While he's not the best point guard for this particular offense, he was at least trying to make something happen last night.
Mike Dunleavy has become the quote machine during the Pacers' struggles, refusing to sugar coat the problems. According to Mike Wells, Dunleavy laid out the facts from last night succinctly and accurately.
"It's mind-boggling that guys just stand around," said Pacers swingman Mike Dunleavy, who was the only player not to commit a turnover. "Over the last couple of years when we move and create space, we've been so effective. I don't know if we're too lazy, but we just don't want to do it (anymore)."Teams get up and pressure us and make us turn the ball over. It's just terrible to watch. We should know better because we've had success doing it before."
Well, that pretty much sums up the season right there.
After the jump, a few more links of interest from the game. But, real quick I need to send out an extra special THANK YOU to goodlucksaturday and Sean for helping me out the last two nights. I was hit hard by some form of evil flu on Friday night which then rendered me useless yesterday and these guys kept things flowing around here without a hitch.
Also, Stampede Blue is your one stop for all of the Colts-related coverage of the Super Bowl today.
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Bucks 93, Pacers 81: Indiana Loses A.J. Price, Game In Division Defeat
by spstevenson on Feb 7, 2010 12:14 AM EST
in News
4 comments
You know the story. The Indiana Pacers fell behind double-digits in the first half (18), had too many turnovers (19), and when the team mounted a comeback in the fourth, the opposition matched them for a check mate.
After the Pacers climbed back to within six points with 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bucks stopped the last-minute charge by rolling off seven unanswered points that put the game out of reach and handed the Pacers their 10th-straight loss on the second night of back-to-back sets. The Bucks downed Indiana 93-81 on Saturday.
The Bucks, which have won five of their last six games, found their offensive firepower in the paint instead of the perimeter as talk-of-the-town rookie Brandon Jennings had an awful night from the field (2-of-10 shooting). Andrew Bogut scored 21 points and Luc Mbah a Moute added 18 points as Milwaukee pounded the Pacers in the post, outscoring the blue and gold 36-16 down low.
Milwaukee even received a giant spark off the bench from aged veteran Jerry Stackhouse, who torched the Pacers for 14 points off wide-open jump shots. While Stackhouse provided a throwback night for a wild and rowdy crowd in Milwaukee, T.J. Ford offered some flashbacks as well in front of his former team. The recently benched point guard received extended playing time with the absence of Earl Watson and Luther Head, and Ford picked up crunchtime minutes after rookie A.J. Price, who started the game, had to leave with a concussion with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter. Ford finished with a season-high 20 points, while Danny Granger added 14 points. Ford had a great game. He was active on both ends of the court, displayed thoughtful precision with his passing and ran the offense with his scoring.
Ford's good game, which could help sell Ford in trade talks leading up to the trade deadline (fingers crossed), could present some lineup challenges after the All-Star break for coach Jim O'Brien. Mike Wells reported through Twitter immediately following the game that "O'Brien says after the game that there's no way he's playing three pt guards when Watson gets back. Stay tuned, things will get interesting." Interesting indeed.
Check out the jump for notes about tonight's loss.
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Game Thread #51: Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
by spstevenson on Feb 6, 2010 8:17 PM EST
in News
74 comments
 |
@ |  |
|---|---|---|
| 18-32 | 22-26 | |
| February 6, 2010 - 8:30PM EST | ||
| Bradley Center | ||
| Radio: 1070AM WFNI TV: Fox Sports Indiana | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| A.J. Price | PG | Brandon Jennings |
| Brandon Rush | SG | Charlie Bell |
| Danny Granger | SF | Carlos Delfino |
| Troy Murphy | PF | Luc Mbah a Moute |
| Roy Hibbert | C | Andrew Bogut |
The Pacers are visiting the Central Division foe Milwaukee Bucks tonight after a dominating performance against the hapless Pistons on Friday. The Bucks are in the middle of their own run, winning four of five and six of their last nine. The Pacers are looking for their third-straight victory.
Leave your thoughts and observations in the comments. Also, pop open an extra browser and check out Bruno's Live Blog.
74 comments | 0 recs |
IC Cold Links: Tyler Hansbrough Situation Continues To Get Worse
by spstevenson on Feb 6, 2010 9:56 AM EST
in News
7 comments
It's the inner ear infection from Hell.
Indiana Pacers rookie Tyler Hansbrough is seeing his first season in the NBA flushed down the toilet thanks to an infection of which the Midwest has never seen before. It was announced on Friday that Hansbrough is no longer working out at all on the basketball court. He has been ordered by doctors to cease athletic activity for the time-being, effectively setting him back months in the midst of the season.
After coach Jim O'Brien originally said that he hoped that Hansbrough could return to action after the All-Star break, the Pacers coach rescinded those plans after the Pacers defeated the Pistons on Friday.
O'Brien told the Indianapolis Star the following:
"I do not know if we will have Tyler (after the All-Star break)," O'Brien said. "He's not working out at all. If he's able to come back and start working out, that's going to be important, because the fact that he's been told that he is not really allowed to move around, even one on none, is a real setback from the conditioning standpoint."
The ear infection has put up some pretty impressive numbers so far. It has caused Hansbrough to miss 17 of the past 21 games. Fun times for the Pacers first-round draft choice. For some happier news regarding the blue and gold, check out the links after the jump that cover last night's dominating performance against Detroit.
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Pacers 107, Pistons 83: T.J. Ford Paces Indiana to Easy Victory
by goodlucksaturday on Feb 5, 2010 9:53 PM EST
in News
3 comments
With a potential Friday night trip to Naptown sidelined by snow, what better way to soak up the opulence of the Circle City on television then by watching the Pacers distract the locals in Conseco Fieldhouse against the hated Pistons?
A.J. Price made his first NBA start tonight, Jim O'Brien returned to his normal spot on the sideline, and T.J. Ford made his triumphant return to the floor. The Pacers looked to ride the momentum wave, which peaked following a 130 point performance against the Raptors, but what about a lack of Earl Watson, out for personal reasons? Or Lester Conner back to being simply an assistant? Despite the performance on Tuesday, it's still hard to know what team would show up, just as it's become difficult to know exactly how many inches would fall outside of the stadium's doors.
Price was tested early by Rodney Stuckey, as Stuckey scored the first four points of the game. As Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush failed to convert easy buckets, Danny Granger himself scored the first five points for Indiana. Both teams struggled with turnovers early to create an ugly and disjointed game, the Pistons building a quick lead on better hustle. The Pacers responded with a 12-2 run to take the lead as the Pistons shooting dropped to freezing temps with Indiana holding the lead 24-20 after one.
Ford checked in to start the second, as Granger continued to carry the Pacers early in the second. The Pistons managed to stay in the game despite continuing their poor shooting by being active around the ball, forcing turnovers and grabbing rebounds from the hands of Pacers players. Jason Maxiell caused countless problems for Big Roy on both ends of the floor, taking Roy out of the gameplan. T.J. Ford came out smoking hot on the offensive end, guiding the Pacers to a double digit lead they would build to 15 by the half.
The Pacers picked right up out of the half, extending their 14-2 end of half run to score eight straight, pushing the game to 23. Smart plays by Price and good offensive possessions kept the Pacers lead at a comfortable margin as the third progressed, despite the Pistons continuing to play opportunistic on loose balls. Indiana benefited heavily as the Pistons offense simply couldn't get anything constant despite a strong quarter for Ben Gordon and Stuckey. The Pacers held the Pistons on runs, taking a 76-56 lead into the final quarter.
Indiana didn't let up the gas in the fourth, pushing the lead to 26 behind great play from Danny and T.J. Indiana continued to play tremendous ball in the fourth, continuing to get welcome contributions from Brandon Rush as well, leading the way to the cruise control victory, seeing some old rotation favorites with Solo, McBobs and his faux hawk, and the Dienermobile. No better way to end the night than to push the lead to 30 and have a Diener to McRoberts alley oop finish us off, as the snow continued to fall on the cold night, unaffected by the heat the Pacers unleashed in the Fieldhouse.
Some bullets on the team's second straight fun victory after the jump.
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Game Thread #50: Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers
by Tom Lewis on Feb 5, 2010 4:30 PM EST
in Events
48 comments
 |
@ | Indiana Pacers" height="60" title="Indiana Pacers" /> |
|---|---|---|
| 16-31 | 17-32 | |
| February 5, 2010 - 7:00PM EST | ||
| Conseco Fieldhouse | ||
| Radio: 1070AM WFNI TV: Fox Sports Indiana | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Rodney Stuckey | PG | A.J. Price |
| Richard Hamilton | SG | Brandon Rush |
| Tayshaun Prince | SF | Danny Granger |
| Jonas Jerebko | PF | Troy Murphy |
| Ben Wallace | C | Roy Hibbert |
After a couple of full days off at home, the Indiana Pacers face the Detroit Pistons tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Pacers will be without Earl Watson tonight, but after having some practice time this week it sets up well for A.J. Price to make his first career start.
Jim O'Brien returns to the sideline for the Pacers and thus deteriming the starting lineup is pure speculation. Roy Hibbert creates a nice mismatch in the post against the Pistons so I'm assuming the home team starts with their more traditional lineup which fared well against Toronto on Tuesday.
The Pistons arrive in pretty good shape, trying to get past a strange recent stretch where they opened a series of six-straight home games by beating the Boston Celtics and then went on to lose the remaining five home dates before winning their last game on the road at New Jersey. The home losing streak started two weeks ago when the Pacers put together one of their better outings of the year, especially on the road. But with the way both teams have played this year, two weeks ago is ancient history. The level of play for both remains a day-to-day.
Speaking of day-to-day, here is a quick update on Tyler Hansbrough with comments from the rookie on his frustrating inner ear situation. Doesn't sound like he'll be ready to play real soon but he did say, "I feel like I am making some progress, so now we'll just wait and see."
For a Detroit perspective, check out Detroit Bad Boys, Need4Sheed and Piston Powered.
Leave your thoughts and observations in the comments. Also, pop open an extra browser and check out Bruno's Live Blog.
48 comments | 0 recs |
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