Ahhh, that's better. Preseason wins and losses don't mean a thing, especially with starters sitting out and random combinations of players filling the various playing rotations. But effort and at least appearing to know what you're trying to accomplish as a team is worth measuring. With that minimal metric in mind, the Pacers put forth a vastly improved performance on Friday night in Fort Wayne and relied on their new faces to put away a 102-95 win.

With the game in the balance in the fourth quarter, T.J. Ford led the team with plenty of help from Brandon Rush and Jarrett Jack. Both Rush and Ford finished with 18 points. Ford can't be stopped with the ball in motion and with the ball in the lane showed he can finish with a bucket or an assist depending on what you give him. He sealed the game shut by taking rookie Derrick Rose to the bucket for a hoop and the harm. Beautiful.

As Quinn Buckner mentioned, Rush contributed a quiet 18 points which is backed up by his efficient 7 of 9 shooting night from the floor. Rush played 27 minutes and really looked comfortable on the floor in the second half. One nice aspect of Rush's scoring tonight was his ability to finish at the rim on several occasions. During the first game against the Hornets, Rush was bumped while going to the hole and kind of gave up on the play. But what would've been a foul last year in Allen Fieldhouse, was a clean play in the NBA. No foul, we're going the other way. Tonight he finished strong and certainly wasn't expecting to draw any fouls. I guess the kid's a quick study.

Late in the game somebody had Larry Bird chuckling from his seat in the stands when the camera was on him. Honestly, I can't remember seeing Bird smiling from his seat while watching a Pacers game over the past couple of years. I couldn't help but share the laugh even though I didn't hear the joke.

Here are a few other thoughts from the game:

• Danny Granger continued to struggle shooting the ball, but Marquis Daniels was able to get it going. Danny was getting good looks so at this point that's all that matters. When the lights brighten for the regular season, he'll be ready. Both Danny and Quisy sat out the second half.
• Is it just me or does it seem like Del Harris is coaching the Bulls and Vinny Del Negro is his assistant? Seemed like both were up every time they showed the Bulls' bench and the familiar face of Harris had me thinking, wait, who's the head coach?
• Mike Dunlealvy spent most of the third quarter on the television broadcast with Chris Denari and Quinn Buckner. Sounds like he plans to start practicing next week and will be ready to go for the start of the regular season.
• I could watch T.J. Ford break down his defender, pull up and knock down that 15-17 footer all night.
• Austin Croshere is officially in the Jonathan Bender zone. We hear about how Cro is wowin' 'em in practice, hardly misses a shot and then his game results reveal pretty much what we've always seen. He'd be a great veteran presence to have on the roster but any actual production will remain a pleasant surprise.
• David Morway chatted with Stacy Paetz about the trade. Difficult to give up Shawne but picking up some financial flexibility and assets while thinning out the crowded wing position is a good thing. But wait, Bird said the Eddie Jones will report to the Pacers on Sunday. Has to be a formality, otherwise the wing position remains clogged.
• Great to see Stephen Graham back with the team and playing. Toward the end of the third quarter, Stevie was the only player on the floor who was with the Pacers last year.
• I may say this after every game, but watching the easy stroke of Brandon Rush is quite enjoyable. Watching said stroke after Ford finds him spotted up on the wing, even better.
• Tyrus Thomas is freaky athletic. While Dun was on the broadcast, Thomas missed an open jumper that Dun mentioned wasn't in the scouting report. In other words, let him shoot it all night. A couple of possessions later Thomas flew through the rafters for a highlight finish. Dun remarked that was a shot he (Thomas) won't miss.
• Roy Hibbert forced me to yell out loud when he dropped a sweet back-door bounce pass to Jack for a reverse layup. A few minutes later he converted a difficult past to McRoberts for a dunk. Nice. Love seeing all the young guys (Hibbert, Rush, McRoberts) get big minutes.

While waiting on the preseason opener tomorrow night, here are a few items of interest:

• Slick Leonard is all set to coach the Pacers during the first quarter of the game tomorrow night at Pepsi Coliseum where he had tons of success coaching the ABA Pacers. There were a couple of great interviews with Slick on local radio this afternoon. Here's an audio link to the interview on 1070 The Fan. BS doesn't have JMV's interview up yet, but they had a hilarious discussion about the clothes worn in the ABA era and Slick remarked that he used to call Larry Brown, Little Lord Fauntleroy for the puffy shirts he'd wear.
• Jim O'Brien initiated the idea to have Slick coach the team for the first quarter. JOB will call the action with Mark Boyle on the radio broadcast.
• Speaking of Boyle, it's time to update your iPod podcast subscriptions my friends. Mark will be recording podcasts with interviews, and hopefully some personal diatribes opinion, for Pacers.com. Beautiful! His initial interview with Mel Daniels is ready for your listening pleasure.
• Kevin Lee has a nice report from Pacers practice including audio from Jim O'Brien and Jeff Foster. JOB plans to start TJ Ford, Marquis Daniels, Danny Granger, Austin Croshere and Rasho Nesterovic. Kevin added that in the limited time he's watched practice, he's yet to see Croshere miss a shot. Obviously, something positive is brewing with Cro but man, that makes the roster situation crazy.
• Foster's reaction to Slick coaching tomorrow is priceless. He initially thought everyone was joking about Slick coaching, but absolutely lit up when he realized it was true and that "Uncle Slick" would indeed be calling the shots in the first quarter.
• Unfortunately I'm going to miss the preseason opener tomorrow as I'm flying out to Seattle for a few days. I will be scrambling to try to catch some of the game.  If anyone is on hand to watch the game and festivities, please share your thoughts in a FanPost.

With the Indiana Pacers preseason schedule set to tip off tomorrow evening at the Pepsi Coliseum, here are some items of interest surrounding the team:

• First, did you hear the deafening silence yesterday regarding the Jamaal Tinsley-to-Denver trade speculation? At this point, I'll take the no news is good news approach. Mark Kizla of the Denver Post did refer to "the ridiculous rumors regarding Indiana Pacers bad boy Jamaal Tinsley" today in his column addressing Nugget needs.
• Speaking of the ABA throwback opener, check out the Pacers.com landing page right now. Teasing the masses with the red, white and blue ball. Could a  surprise be in store for Wednesday night? I have heard a radio commercial that makes a passing reference to "possibly" seeing the RWB ball. No brainer, people. Get it done!
• As for the game, Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy will not play as they continue to nurse their respective achilles and knee strains. So who will start in their place? Based on camp reports, could be Marquis Daniels and Austin Croshere. The linked story also tells us how Austin Croshere and Josh Davis have raised the competitive level of practice. Croshere appears to love playing in Jim O'Brien's system and his results back it up.
• Bruno catches Marquis Daniels and Austin Croshere in the web with more talk of their strong camps. JOB on Quisy:

  "He is far superior right now to any time but the very end of last season," O'Brien said. "I thought he played great the last month (of 2007-08). He's leading well. His defense is strong, he's scoring. We had a full half of basketball (in a scrimmage Sunday) and he had 19 points, by far our high scorer, and he led us in deflections. He's just playing very, very solid basketball.
  
  "I've always said it to anybody that wanted to listen: in my mind, he's always been a very, very key part to the success of our basketball team."
  

While waiting for all those league sources (aside from anyone in Denver) to be proven correct and a Tinsley trade to be announced, here are a few items of interest from the Pacers camp:

• Bruno focues on Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert and the impact they may have on this team. The rooks are critical to a exceptional season this year, but Jim O'Brien won't be handing out rebuilding minutes to either. Sounds like they'll have to earn their way into the playing rotation.
• Mike Wells digs into JOB's recent praise of Marquis Daniels and finds a healthy Quisy ready for his utility role at both ends of the court. Also, as offensive plays are put in, Rasho Nesterovic is proving worthy of having his number called, plus he's showing some leadership from the post. Nice. Maceo Baston discusses his happiness about returning to Indy.
• Pacers Insider offers a Wellsian review of the first week of camp and his brief impressions from watching part of a scrimmage.
• Playing time appears to be there for the taking for Ike Diogu in Portland and he plans to take advantage. Good luck, Ike!
• Tear off the wrapper, smell the freshnes and enjoy. The first preseason box scores of the year are available for your perusal.

Here are a couple of reports from training camp:

• Kevin Lee's updated report with audio from Jim O'Brien's post-practice press gaggle.
• Jeff Rabjohns has his Pacers Notes from JOB's comments and practice observation. JOB discussed working on some basics and emphasized playing under control, including making a jump stop under control when taking the ball into the lane, instead of jumping and hoping to make a play before landing and turning it over. That led to this humorous moment.

  Near the end of practice, O'Brien complimented center Jeff Foster on a jump stop that led to a nice pass.

  O'Brien said that was the first time he had seen that from Foster. After O'Brien's compliment, Foster said he wasn't sure how it happened, drawing laughter from his teammates and coaches.

• Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy remain on the sidelines with no return date set.
• JOB also discussed how he sees Marquis Daniels fitting in with this team.  JOB thinks Quisy is going to get a lot of playing time at the wing spot.

  Brandon's a rookie, so he has to show he deserves to be on the court. The one thing I know is Marquis deserves to be on the court. If we played tonight, Marquis would play around 30 minutes.

  Could Quisy be rising to the challenge for minutes brought on by the team's depth? That would be a nice story to see develop over camp.

Some high-level notes from the press conference with Larry Bird and David Morway. Don't consider anything here a direct quote:

• Tinsley: No deal but they are talking with a handful of teams. Pacers are in constant communication with JT's agent, they're fully aware of what the Pacers are doing.
• Not buying out Tinsley. He'll stay wherever he is until a deal is done. Tinsley knows that and his agent knows it.
• With 16 players on roster, it will be tough to cut a guy if Tinsley isn't moved. Trying to make 2 for 1 deals to clear up the roster.
• Team health: Travis Diener still has soreness in his foot. Mike Dunleavy played a lot of ball a couple of weeks ago in LA and has some knee soreness as a result. Nothing serious but he won't start camp going full tilt for both practices. Both Travis and Dun will begin camp playing but won't be going full speed for all workouts.
• Disturbed most about last year? Defense. Team should be better. More committed, long, athletic.
• Granger: Talking with his agent about a deal. Like to get a deal done but not concerned. Is a deal close? We're talking.
• Team leaders: Bird thinks a number of guys will step into a leadership role of varying degrees. Not all on one guy.
• New players all played in different systems so they'll have to get accustomed to the style and pace Jim O'Brien plays. They were careful to bring in players they think would fit JOB's style.
• With TJ Ford and Jarrett Jack, defense at the point of attack on the ball should be better (me: can't be much worse). Both tough kids, want to defend.
• Front court: Looking for consistency. Guard play should help relieve some pressure defensively from last year. Bird believes Troy Murphy is set to have his best year. He's prepared and comfortable in his surroundings. Would like to add another PF, but asking price has been too high. No JO to handle low post scoring but players should get more open shots with TJ and JJ getting the ball in the lane.
• Roy Hibbert will be a better player at the All-Star break than he is now. We'll bring him along and play to his strengths.
• Brandon Rush fitting in? He can fit in. He's been her almost all summer and it's going to be hard to keep him off the floor. Best position? He can defend well on the floor so 2 of 3 doesn't matter. With Marquis Daniels, the bench will be a lot stronger this year. Bird is interested in seeing Rush take the next step in his game because he thinks he's close.
• Camp invitees: Bird mentioned Austin being in camp. My connection stuttered and I'm assuming he meant Austin Croshere. Said he wasn't with another team and he can shoot the 3-ball so Jimmy likes him. Morway said they may bring in one other player for camp but JOB wanted a smaller roster for camp.
• Was JO's team? Whose team is it now? Jim O'Brien's team. JOB has been talking about a "team ego" this year, no more individual egos.
• Bird was asked about comments a few years ago that Tinsley would be the next Pacer All-Star. Is he disappointed at the wasted talent? Yes he's disappointed but Tins has had a lot of injuries, too. The kid's got talent, no doubt. If he can get with a team in the right situation he has plenty of game let to play at an All-Star level. Morway interjected: I'll add, he's healthy now. He's been working out this summer and is in great shape and no lingering injuries. Bird replies: That sounds like a sales job.

The Pacers have an improved roster compared to the team that finished out last season playing pretty well. For the Pacers to have special season and solidify a playoff berth this year, several pieces to the playoff puzzle have to fall into place. In my view, one of those pieces has Brandon Rush sliding into a starting role allowing Mike Dunleavy and his versatile game to produce from a sixth man role.

Jim O'Brien commented earlier this week that Danny Granger and Dunleavy are the two confirmed starters on the roster. Not surprising since both delivered solid production over the last half of the 2007-08 season as options 1 and 1A. While it was nice to see Granger step up his game and provide a glimpse of future greatness, Dunleavy should be considered the MVP for last year's team. 

Dun thrived in Jim O'Brien's system with his ability to knock down shots, pass and move without the ball. The key is his ability to contribute on and off the ball, from the 2, 3 or 4 spot and with the starting unit or a group off the bench. Dun's versatility and ability to play, and play well, with different groups of players makes him a valuable player either as a starter or off the bench.

I don't consider this idea a demotion by any means. Dunleavy deserves to start for this team, but I think a role off the bench would maximize the talent on the roster this season. Dun playing a utility role as sixth man solidifies a second unit with experience and scoring punch. Also, combining Rush and Granger with TJ Ford as starters and then say, Dunleavy, Marquis Daniels and Jarrett Jack off the bench balances out the perimeter defensive ability of both units.

After checking the Lenovo Stats for the plus/minus success of various player combinations last year, Dunleavy's name is found at the top regardless of the number of players. In fact, he teams up with Marquis Daniels for the best plus/minus rating of any two player combination last year for the Pacers. Since Quisy should still play a key role off the bench, he's set up to succeed playing along side Dunleavy.

Now I don't expect Jim O'Brien to alter his plan from the start and I realize bringing your most productive player off the bench doesn't make a lot of sense on the surface. (By the way, do you know which player had the worst plus/minus rating for the Pacers last year? Danny Granger). But any success the Pacers have this year will rely on a full team effort going nine or even ten players deep.

Brandon Rush will first have to spend the first 10-15 games proving his game is ready to play from a starting role. If Rush can do that (big if, and a whole different puzzle piece), then balancing out the rotation with Dun coming off the bench could make a big impact. He will still be available to finish out games down the stretch; the balance of his minutes getting to that point will just be different.

Dun's role off the bench would just be one of several key elements, or puzzle pieces, that have to fit together to deliver a special season. Worth thinking about, isn't it?

The Indiana Pacers held a Pacers Foundation golf outing today with Eddie and Kravtiz on hand broadcasting their show. As you can imagine there was tons of Pacers talk and some great interviews. What I gathered from these interviews is that there is a feeling of starting the season fresh down at the Fieldhouse with dedicated players who are excited and ready to play like crazy. Sounds good to me.

Listen for yourself. Here are some of the interviews from today:

• The interview of the day was with Mel Daniels and Bob Netolicky as the conversation turned into an ode to the ABA with some great (safe for radio) stories and comparisons to today's game. Daniels scoffed at the Palace Brawl recalling a fight with the Virginia Squires that last an hour and a half and included players, coaches, fans and police. The Squires coach and a few players were arrested but there was no public outcry or media scrutiny.

• Mike Dunleavy spent part of his summer on safari in Africa. The coolest thing he saw were the lions in action and a couple of impala hunts. He also saw some giraffes that reminded him of Roy Hibbert. As for the Pacers, Dun's keeping a level head. He feels good about the changes and the chemistry of the team but you never know how it's going to turn out until you get into the season.

• Marquis Daniels reports no injuries nagging him as he heads in to the season. He's considering a Darnell Hillman-esque 'fro for the Pepsi Coliseum exhibition game, but he'll pass on the short shorts so he doesn't have to show off his bird legs.

• Jim O'Brien is amped up for the start of camp and happy with the dedication the players have shown this summer. They're all motivated to work and succeed. Then he dropped a Lou Holtz quote:  "Motivation is simple. Yyou need to eliminate those people who aren't motivated." JOB mentioned how Jermaine O'Neal wasn't motivated to be a Pacer and Jamaal Tinsley wasn't motivated to condition himself which lead to injuries. JOB also heaped praise on Roy Hibbert and his passing ability out of the post. As for the defense, he thinks it will be better just because he expects the players to own up and take responsibility for the D. Last year the team leaders never provided the spark for the team to take ownership of the defense.

• Mark Boyle's impromptu interview didn't make the podcast but it was certainly entertaining. Boyle has spent a lifetime educating himself thanks to his insatiable curiosity, as he put it. We learned today that his curious nature had him trying to cash in a favor in Michigan some time ago so he could watch an execution. The voice of the Pacers wasn't given the "opportunity" witness the execution. After recovering from that visual, we learn Boyle was able to skip the drugs and watch his colonoscopy. I just want to know what he plans to do with that information. On second thought ...

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.

Player Review: Marquis Daniels
Stats: 6.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg
Stats/36:  14.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.2 apg

How did he surprise?

Marquis Daniels was forced into a utility role off the bench most of the year, showing his versatility by handling 2nd unit point guard duties and defending any point guard through small forward that was assigned to him. After Jamaal Tinsley’s injury, but before Flip Murray was signed, Quisy was forced to handle the PG duties in many games. Neither Quisy nor JOB will tell you the situation was ideal, but credit Daniels for digging in and doing what he could. His play at PG wasn’t poor it was just inconsistent. There were games where he played poorly from a PG standpoint, but there were plenty where he was solid. Once Flip Murray was signed, Quisy played better in his role as a 2/3 off the bench. There were several games late in the season where he was on the floor to close out the game thanks to his effective defense. Marquis also provided us with one of the "Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!" nights of the year during a Pacers win over Philly just before the season went south in mid-December. Daniels pumped in 26 points which included draining three dagger 3-balls, each followed by a QUISY FOR THREESY! call from PA man Reb Porter. I guess Quisy didn't enjoy the call because it took him 24 games to convert his next three total treys.

How did he disappoint?

Continue reading this post »