Pacers Tuesday | Pace and Space

Domantas Sabonis is a true Rising Star

February 20, 2018 - by Fox Doucette

In this space, I have often gone after Myles Turner, suggesting that his ceiling is a lot lower than Pacers fans hoped it would be when Turner came into the league and effectively became a poor man’s Hassan Whiteside with his shotblocking. Well, move over, Myles, because Domantas Sabonis is about to take your spot, and the Pacers are better off for it. Consider this fun fact courtesy of Fanrag’s Andy Bailey… In the 910 minutes Victor Oladipo & Myles Turner have shared the floor, Indiana's outscoring opponents by 5.5 PTS per 100 poss. In the 812 minutes Oladipo & …

Pacers Tuesday

Nate McMillan is still a snail and that’s a problem

February 13, 2018 - by Fox Doucette

When you have a young, athletic team with lots of horses who can cause a turnover, run a fast break, finish strong, and get back on defense, it behooves you to play an up-tempo style to take maximum advantage of those strengths. Indeed, Golden State’s been among the fastest teams in the league during their four-year run of three Finals, two titles, and a likely fourth straight Finals appearance this year under coach Steve Kerr; since 2014-15, the Warriors have been 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 2nd in the league in pace. Likewise, now that they have Chris Paul and James …

Pacers Tuesday

Keep Victor Oladipo Sealed And Refrigerated When Not In Use

February 6, 2018 - by Fox Doucette

Victor Oladipo missed the Pacers’ 111-102 loss to the Wizards Monday night, a statement game that could’ve vaulted Indiana all the way to fourth in the East, with an illness. Indiana is now 0-6 without him. They’re 30-19 (a 50-win pace over 82 games!) with him. What does this tell us? Well, mostly it tells us that Oladipo should be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator so that he doesn’t get bacterial growth. Just keep him away from all humans who could make him sick, except in the offseason, where he can have his immunity built up. But …

Pacers Tuesday

Should Myles Turner Be Indiana’s Sixth Man?

January 30, 2018 - by Fox Doucette

Over the course of this season, we’ve learned some things about Myles Turner, and they’re not necessarily the lessons we’d hoped to learn watching him navigate his first two seasons in the league. In particular, the belief that his ceiling was “rich man’s Hassan Whiteside” may have been a bit overly optimistic. Turner, unlike Whiteside, is a terrible rebounder, and he’s so afraid of contact that you’d think he was shooting 30 percent from the free throw line and not 77.8 for his career. Instead, his ceiling is more “Roy Hibbert with a jump shot.” The Pacers are 9-7 when …

Pacers Tuesday

The Indiana Pacers Need To Stand Pat At Trade Time

January 23, 2018 - by Fox Doucette

Hey, remember when Larry Bird got himself run out of town in Indianapolis thanks largely to a slew of terrible win-now moves he made during offseasons and at the trade deadlines that did nothing to turn the Pacers into a contender and instead just condemned them to Mediocrity Hell until Paul George forced their hand? Well, you see, Kemba Walker‘s on the trading block, and Pacers fans, looking at their seventh-place team, are starting to make noise on Twitter, and… Stop. Seriously. Just stop. This team was supposed to win 30 games this year while Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis …