Former Hoosier Calloway Making An Impact

Here are a couple of reports from the Pacers rookie/free agent camp:

Bruno reports on the players with local ties fighting for their dream of making an NBA roster. Former IU Hoosier, Earl Calloway appears to be in the best position to make the jump.

Remember, despite his slender build, Calloway could really push the ball up the floor for IU. He ended up showing a consistent game and eventually earned minutes over more highly rated players on the roster. Well, look at the picture with the story. Calloway has obviously put on a little bulk and I'm sure his speed with the ball hasn't slowed down a bit. All of this makes him an intriguing prospect and it sounds like he's ready to back it up.

"It was great – a lot of traveling, a lot of flying, a lot of games, a lot of minutes but you expect that coming up to the next level," Calloway said of his D-League experience. "It's a different story for everyone. I didn't have (NBA) workouts but I made sure I kept going into the gym to work on my game and it's paying off. And I'm going to continue to work, regardless. …

"These guys are giving me an opportunity. I'm going to play my hardest and whatever happens, happens. If they don't have a spot for me, hopefully somebody else does."

Jeff Rabjohns reports that Jim O'Brien like what he's seeing from Calloway, along with Courtney Sims and Josh Davis.

"Josh Davis, we know he has been an NBA player. We want to look at him," O'Brien said, emphasizing the team is evaluating all 15 players in the camp that runs through Sunday.

"Courtney Sims has really put on a lot of strength since he was with us in training camp last year. We always want to keep an eye on him. And Earl Calloway, we think he's an NBA guard.

"We want to do a thorough evaluation on those three guys as well as everybody else."

After James White's Pacer career, we know that Larry Bird will cut his losses if other players earn a spot on the roster. With no apparent room on the roster right now, it will be interesting to see if any room is freed up for a free agent who earns it.