Mike Wells posted some interesting nuggets he picked up at the Fieldhouse yesterday on his Pacers Insider blog.

Marquis Daniels has been working on his shot this summer with noted sharp-shooter, Mark Price. Quisy figures to be in the mix with Brandon Rush for playing time behind Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger. Add Shawne Williams and my man, Stephen Graham to the equation and there won't be any minutes by default offered this year. Playing time must be earned.

Even more exiciting is the item on TJ Ford working out at the Fieldhouse and reaching out to his new teammates to join him. Sounds like most of the new and/or young guys are doing just that as 7-8 players have been working out downtown this summer.

Shortly after the Toronto trade was announced but before it could be officially announced by the Pacers, TJ Ford was asked in an interview about his plans for the summer and if he'd be in town. At that time he said he preferred to work out back home in Houston and that he'd probably be in town a few times prior to camp starting.

In reality, it isn't a big deal. Whether someone in the organization pushed him to stay in town or he realized the team would be better served if he worked out locally, the act itself symbolizes a change in attitude and culture in the organization and specifically on the roster. Ideally every player on the roster would be working together, spending every minute of the day focused on turning things around. That's not exactly realistic not to mention the squad would burn out by New Year's Day. But, having the guy the organization hoped could lead  the team actually step up and show he wants to lead, is very exciting.

Another in an increasingly long list of little positive changes that are starting to mount to indicate that the direction of the franchise is taking a positive turn.

I leave town for a couple of days, no online access, no problem, right? It's mid-July, drafts over, all the new guys are in town, what could possibly happen? Sure, Tinsley could be moved, but probably not over a weekend, right?

Of course, no one told me Shawne Williams had friends in from Memphis. I did have Brent on alert that I was gone in case something were to happen and he came through big time, linking up Shawne's latest traffic stop. Brent captured the initial emotion of the report perfectly, "Truly disheartening and sad to say the least." If only Shawne were as reliable as Brent.

Once again, Shawne has me shaking my head. How come every traffic stop involving Shawne ends up with a mug shot? He's been pulled over for failing to signal a turn correctly and driving with tinted windows. Those minor offenses escalate to a "friend" taking a trip with police for a marijuana possession.

This latest incident has all the indications of a "driving while black" stop, but that still doesn't excuse Shawne's judgment. If you're going to drive through Carmel with tinted windows, you better be clean as a whistle. Shawne doesn't have the luxury of excuses, no matter how valid.

I don't have the energy to scream for Shawne to be dumped immediately, mainly because he, again, wasn't charged with anything and is only guilty of harming the improved image the Pacers have been working extremely hard to clean up.

That's what stinks most about this episode is that it flushes away some of the good will the Pacers organization has built up with the community over the past couple of months. Fortunately, the great work they've done locally will help deflect the impact of this news directly on Shawne.

But nationally, the story is different. As reports of the incident make the AP wire and are reported on ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, SI.com, etc., the national perception remains the same. Any signs of positive change have been washed away.

So, now what happens?

I wouldn't mind Shawne joining Tinsley and the trip out of town. Too much history, too much drama, just time to move on. I also don't think Shawne has any idea what it takes to be a champion. Yes, he's young but that doesn't mean he has to act like it. Show me some signs of maturity, some commitment to being great. Back up your words with action. Better yet, stop talking and start doing.

This is a huge make or break year for Shawne as it is, so if he can't be dealt, I'm fine with leaving him on the roster. He's not a bad locker room guy and at worst, becomes a wasted talent on the bench that will be gone at the end of the year. It might do him good to see a couple of rookies come in who are his age but appear much more mature at this point. As I've mentioned before, the youth excuse is gone, Shawne. What you gonna do?

Shawne Williams was declared to be on "thin ice" by Larry Bird last week. Today he took a step toward thickening up that ice to secure his footing within the organization as he participated in the first workout for the Pacers' rookie/free agent camp.

I believed last week and I believe now that Bird still has high hopes for Shawne's career and his comments were some tough love and nothing he hadn't already expressed to the young forward. Shawne's agent confirmed that and today, so did Shawne. He met with the media after today's practice and addressed Bird's comments.

"I can't get mad," Williams said. "He's got a job to do and I've got a job to do. I ain't losing respect for Larry. He's just doing his job. He's right."

"I feel like it's a make-or-break year," Williams said. "I've got to go out and do my job, just play, stay healthy and stay out of trouble and everything should fall in place."

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