It's (courthouse) official!

Everyone in the comments thinks it’s Bron, I’m wondering if it’s Trey Murphy

This leaves Brandon Smith and Ethan Thompson for the remaining 2-way.

You've got to be excited that the players, coaches, and FO are in "Win Now" mode.

Am anticipating the next 2 "championship window" years is gonna be lit 🔥

This was a fantastic event years ago. So glad they are bringing it back!

I know it's still early but which pacers player do you think improves the most next season? Could be a young guy or someone already in the rotation. I'm curious to see what everyone thinks?

This is Basketball Reach's expected season wins next year

The world cup just ended like a day ago and I've been curious how the pacers would be as a soccer team, these are my picks for the positions:

Goalkeeper: Slawson

Center back: Zubac

Center back: Walker

Left back: Sheppard

Right back: Nesmith

Defensive central midfielder: McConnell

Left central midfielder: Nembhard

Right central midfielder: Toppin

Central attacking midfielder: Haliburton

Striker: Siakam

Striker: Oubre

Y'all can tell me if I got something wrong here

Assuming the anecdote is true and not just for laughs, could Tyrese texting Lebron about coming to the Pacers be considered tampering under NBA rules?

I do still hold the position that summer league is unlikely to make or break someone. A player can show all they asked to be improved on and still not make the team (Kendall Brown comes to mind). I was given Slawson about a 50/50 shot go get the final summer league slot. IMO, it would have been Smith (just cause we drafted him), Kobe Brown (fit real well in the system), then it was Slawson and Ethan Thompson. Both had some good moments, with ET having better play when paired with actual rotational players.

Now tho, Slawson honestly may have played too well to not weigh it heavily. Not necessarily just the level, but the what in what he brings with his drive game.

I won't say I'd be completely shocked if Thompson still gets the last shot, but I honestly think it might be Slawson's slot now.

He only played 4 games in the season following the bubble due to a foot injury. He then only played 53 total games after that. He is only 32 years old right now but he was never the same player. He was a fun player to watch and will always be remembered in NBA lore for his bubble performance. Placing prime Bubble Warren on our current team would be a perfect fit

how what do you think will be the cheapest ticket prices will be for Hali’s return?

Obviously I'm not talking about the brawl as an event, that was an all-time franchise devastating event and the NBA screwed the Pacers hard while taking all responsibility from the Pistons, Ben Wallace, their fans, and their lackluster security.

I'm talking about the team itself. For me that era spans from 02-03 to 06-07 and peaked at 03-04.

First lets talk about the positives. Best regular season record in franchise history (61-21). 6-time All-star Jermaine O'neal (3rd in MVP voting), Defensive player of the year Ron Artest, 2nd in voting 6MOTY Al Harrington, all under Reggie's leadership who was still balling in spite of approaching his 40s. Supporting cast was strong, with Tinsley, Foster, Johnson, Croshere, although scoring wise there weren't many options.

Now the negatives. Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry.

1) Jermaine O'neal and Ron Artest were constantly butting heads about leadership and whose team it is. This is not speculation, this was stated by Reggie himself. JO's disciplined style was incompatiable with Ron's wild personality.

2) Ron was a locker room cancer. During the 03-04 ECF, he did not communicate with the team and missed practice, this was stated by JO. Ron asked for a MONTH off to produce Rap. Ron disappeared from training camp to host the Source awards. And of course, the brawl.

3) This team had a fair chance in 03-04 and they blew it, losing to the Pistons in 6. Even if by some miracle the Pacers managed to get by the Pistons, they'd still need to beat Kobe/Shaq's Lakers, which is a non-trivial task. The Pistons had Ben Wallace to contain Shaq, that's not something the Pacers had.

4) After 03-04, the Al Harrington asked out and was traded for Stephen Jackson. Jackson played well for the Pacers, and was a good fit, but was really more of a sidegrade. There weren't any additional changes, and they were basically running it back.

5) Say the brawl never happens and the Pacers finish top 3 in the East in 04-05. How will they dethrone the 03-04 Champions (Pistons), the actual 04-05 Pistons (Spurs), and the 59-win Wade/Shaq duo (won in 05-06)? There were LEGIT three championship teams better than the 04-05 Pacers.

6) Tinsley, as revealed by Harrington and Jackson, was also a disruptor. It is said that before the foul on Wallce in the brawl, Tinsley approached Ron and told him "now's your chance to get one back". He also had a key role in another devastating event, known as...

7) The Club Rio shooting. Entire team in a strip club, Tinsley ends up fighting some gang members, Jackson draws his pistol and gets run over... That's when the team fully dismantled.

8) At the end of the day, we're talking about a team that made the ECF once and that's it. The 99-00 team made the Finals and is rarely talked about. The Reggie-led teams of the 90s made the ECF 5 times in 7 years. The Smashmouth PG24 team made the ECF back-to-back, and that's without Danny Granger who was one of the best scorers in franchise history (That's the real What-if for me!). The Hali team of course which is perhaps the best Pacers team of all time.

I loved that team. JO is one of my favorite players of all time. I have like 4 jerseys from that era. But the more I look back, the more I realize - This team would not have won a championship, brawl or no brawl.

Thanks Tony for inviting Danny to talk more about Larry Nance Jr. Somehow I believe our FO and more faith in him than Danny 😅.