The Indiana Pacers announced today that Sam "Big Smooth" Perkins will return to the franchise as the Vice President of Player Relations, drawing on his experience as a leader on the court and in the community to help guide the players off the court.
Smooth played the last three years of his career with the Pacers, including 20 minute per game off the bench for the 1999-2000 team that lost the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
According to Perkins, the Pacers are not just talking about improving the team's image among the fall-away fans, they're taking action.
“I’m looking forward to this opportunity and challenge because in the perspective of the NBA, player development programs are a high priority,” said Perkins. “For the Pacers, the development of players on and off the court has been made a top priority by the franchise.”
As I mentioned before , the Pacers have been busy doing the little things that add up to a noticeable change in approach. This smooth move today is a little bigger and should be well received by Pacers fans everywhere.