Fieldhouse Files: Scott Agness on the Indiana Pacers

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard spoke with the media for more than 25 minutes Sunday afternoon before they hosted the New York Knicks. Among the items discussed: * Many players urging the front office to keep this group intact * How they had three legitimate trade offers at the deadline * Victor Oladipo exceeding all expectations * Domantas Sabonis’ development * Glenn Ro...

Edmond Sumner’s rookie season has been anything but typical for a first-year player in professional basketball. He suffered a torn ACL last year while at Xavier University, so most of 2017 was spent rehabbing and getting through the mental challenges of being away from the game he loves. The Pacers acquired a second second-round pick on draft night and used the pick from New Orleans to select Sumn...

Victor Oladipo’s phone buzzed Tuesday. It was Pacers President Kevin Pritchard, the executive who orchestrated the move that brought Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indy last summer. He had the honor of alerting Oladipo that he was voted an All-Star reserve by NBA head coaches. For the first time in his five years as a pro, he would participate in the game showcasing the world’s best basketball pl...

Damien Wilkins was released by the Pacers one week ago, just before his contract became guaranteed for the rest of the season. What he did, earning a roster spot, and the impact he was able to have with the Pacers in a little more than four months was special. Here’s a sample from starting center Myles Turner on Wilkins no longer being on the team: [sigh] “… That one hit me home a little bit. For...

Damien Wilkins knew his fate by 2:00 pm on Saturday, five hours before the Pacers faced the Chicago Bulls at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. What he didn’t know was that he would start in his final game with the team. Bojan Bogdanovic was a late scratch due to a sprained left ankle and head coach Nate McMillan wanted Lance Stephenson to resume playing with the second unit again after he had started in pl...

Jason Lloyd is one of three beat reporters covering the Cleveland Cavaliers each day. Wherever they are, he is there as well writing the story of the day or an in-depth feature. The Cavaliers, of course, are home to LeBron James, the best athlete in the world — meaning whatever James says will make headlines and be heavily consumed across a variety of platforms. After the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA Title...

Hosting a second NBA All-Star game has been years in the making for city and Indiana Pacers officials alike. They’ve sent many representatives to the last several All-Star Weekends, Toronto in 2016 and New Orleans in 2017. With the support of owner Herb Simon, the city submitted its bid in style — Larry Bird rode an IndyCar in New York City — back in April. The announcement that Indianapolis will...

Paul George is back in Indianapolis and tonight will sit on the opposing bench for the first time. The Pacers (16-11), winners of four in a row, host the 12-14 Oklahoma City Thunder, who have yet to hit their stride this season. This will be George’s first game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since informing Pacers officials that he would not be back for the 2018-19 season. He has that ability because...

Scot Pollard played in the NBA for five teams over 11 seasons, spanning 1997 through 2008. In his final season, he won a NBA championship with the Boston Celtics. Pollard, 42, lives in Indianapolis and has had no trouble filling the void that is left after basketball. He has dabbled in comedy and will soon launch his own podcast, Planet Pollard. We cover it all in this hour-long conversation. I th...

Kelli Towles is in her 24th year with the Indiana Pacers heading up the community relations department. She is in charge of community outreach, and involving the players to positively impact Central Indiana. There are NBA initiatives, such as Jr. NBA Week and Hoops For Troops, and then there are dozen of events unique to the Pacers. Towles and her team — which includes Darnell “Dr. Dunk” Hillman,...

This is part II of my conversation with Mark Montieth, who has covered the Indiana Pacers for several decades. [Part I – On the Pacers’ encouraging start to the 2017-18 season] Mark recently published “Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis” — and it’s a book I recommend for hoops fans in our great state of Indiana. This book documents the challenges for pro basketball...

The Pacers are off to a 5-3 start, winners in three consecutive games. They posted wins over San Antonio and Cleveland this week, and newcomer Victor Oladipo was rewarded for his impressive start with the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. Mark Montieth has been on the Pacers’ beat for more than a dozen years, and we sat down for an extensive conversation on what we’ve observed thu...

Reunion week continues for the Pacers. On the second night of back-to-back – after handling the Minnesota Timberwolves (with Jeff Teague and Aaron Brooks) – the Pacers should be fired up as they face Paul George for the first time since dealing him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in late June. George, through his agent, informed Pacers General Manager Kevin Pritchard that he would not be re-signing w...

Max Leinwand is entering his third season as the producer of Pacers telecasts on FOX Sports Indiana. For the second time in three years, they will air all 82 games. Already, they televised two of the four preseason games. I always find it interesting to talk with key individuals behind the scenes that are integral to Pacers games. In Leinwand’s case, who was worked at FOX Sports Midwest since 2005...

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Mad Ants of the NBA’s G League begin their third year under the operation of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. Owner Herb Simon purchased the franchise back in 2015, and most NBA teams later followed in owning their own development program. The connection between the Pacers and Mad Ants is now close. General Manager Brian Levy communicates daily with the Pacers front office, sp...

Michael Grady is leaving Indianapolis for the Big Apple. The Warren Central High School product will be the Brooklyn Nets courtside reporter for the YES Network, one of the prestigious broadcast teams in the NBA. “Probably the most anxiety or stress that I’ve had in my life, because it’s a big move,” Grady said of his last few weeks. “A big decision. It’s one that didn’t come easy but it’s one tha...

Nate McMillan looks at ease, comfortable in his role and with this team. He’s been with the Pacers since 2013 and has coached more than 1,000 games. The reset button was hit on the roster and just two starters return (and six players in all) from last year’s team that bowed out in the first round of the playoffs to Cleveland. Out at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course Wednesday morning for the annu...

Fred Jones has mostly remained in Indianapolis since his playing days. He was drafted 14th overall by the Pacers out of the University of Oregon in 2002 and spent four years with the franchise. He then played four more years with four different teams. This summer, Jones started Shoot 360 in Indianapolis, which is “shaping the future of basketball development through interactive technology that all...

The Indiana Pacers’ new $50 million practice facility, the St. Vincent Center, officially opens for business on Monday, August 28. The organization will hold a ribbon cutting at 1:15 pm on Thursday (Aug. 24) with local dignitaries: Governor Eric Holcomb, Mayor Joe Hogsett, and team officials. Many members of the Pacers’ basketball operations staff are already working out of the St. Vincent Center,...

After two years in Indianapolis and on the Pacers beat for the Indianapolis Star, Nate Taylor is moving away. That’s because he’s able to move back home to Kansas City. His wife, Holly, accepted a senior design job at Barkley, one of the largest independent advertising agencies in the United States. This doesn’t mean, however, that Nate is moving out of journalism. Appropriately, I treated this po...

The Pacers’ brand isn’t the only thing getting refreshed …the team’s roster is, too. Kevin Pritchard was promoted to General Manager and he had the challenge of trading Paul George, and he did so just before free agency. Then, he swiftly worked to remake the roster. That work is ongoing. The Pacers currently have 13 players under contract for the 2017-18 season. They will look very different next...

Jamelle McMillan is excelling as a coach in the NBA. It wasn’t his plan, but it worked out that way. Jamelle, 28, is the son of Pacers head coach Nate McMillan. He remembers watching his dad play growing up, and was a ball boy for Nate’s Seattle SuperSonics team. The two also worked together with USA Basketball in 2012 when Nate was an assistant. “This game has provided so much for me and my famil...

Georges Niang, the 50th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, still has a lot to show. His rookie season is behind him, though he didn’t get much of an opportunity nor did he make much of it. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 0.9 points and 0.7 rebounds in 23 appearances during the 2016-17 season where the Pacers finished 42-40. He made several trips north to Fort Wayne to play for their Development League team...

The Pacers went with young talent with great potential in the 2017 NBA Draft. … That’s what a draft is all about, right? Potential. They used their first-round pick on 6-foot-10 forward T.J. Leaf at 18. With ties to the state and city, including his father, Brad, playing at Lawrence North High School, Leaf made it clear to the Pacers that he wanted to be here. Through his agent, through reporters....

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard spoke with reporters after the 2017 NBA Draft late Thursday, into Friday morning. The Pacers had drafted three players, including UCLA’s T.J. Leaf at No. 18. It was his first draft with the organization as president, elevated to this role after Larry Bird decided to step down. But for more than 17 minutes, the conversation centered around P...