Pacers waive four players to bring roster to 15 while injuries linger

With the regular season kicking off in just four days, the Indiana Pacers trimmed their roster to 15 players by waiving four of their camp invitees. C.J. Fair, Arinze Onuaku, Chris Singleton, and Adonis Thomas make up the four roster cuts, none of which proving a surprise with Indiana's roster already set at 15 heading into camp with players like Damjan Rudez and Shayne Whittington already having deals in place.

None of the four players made much impact in the preseason, though Thomas was called upon to play backup point guard in Thursday's preseason finale, a role he hadn't filled at any point in his rookie season last year with Orlando and Philadelphia. Thomas had a pair of rebounds and assists in 13 minutes of action during a stretch when Indiana blew their lead wide open in the second quarter. Onuaku earned a camp invite after his play in the Orlando Summer League, averaging 8.0 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.

But with the roster squared away at 15, the Pacers could probably use the bodies as Candace Buckner reports the lingering issues from David West, George Hill, C.J. Watson, and Rodney Stuckey continued to hold them out of practice on Saturday. West is dealing with an ankle injury he picked up in last Saturday's game against Dallas while George Hill suffered a knee contusion the very next game against Minnesota. According to Buckner, both Watson and Stuckey are dealing with "varying degrees of foot injuries."

With the Pacers looking to reevaluate their status on Monday before making a decision on their availability for the season opener, Buckner also offered some less than enthusiastic information regarding Hill's injury on Thursday with Hill claiming he "can barely move" his injured leg. The Pacers may be able to compete and win yet against the Sixers, but it's hardly encouraging to begin the season with stories being dominated by injury issues. Indiana will tip off against the Philadelphia 76ers at home on Wednesday night.