More from RealGM
 Indiana Pacers WiretapPacers LinksNews Archive
NBA News
Pacers say they want experienced college star, might trade downMark Montieth of the Indianapolis Star reports: You start with the fact that everyone admits they lie. That aside, the Indiana Pacers sound ready to wave the flag and eat apple pie tonight as they make their selection in the NBA draft. Free of glaring needs, the Pacers hope simply to land a player who can contribute to a young, deep and promising team. Not three or four years down the road, but next season. At any position. Preferably, a versatile player who can help at more than one position. They believe their best chance of finding that player is to select one with three or four years of experience in the American collegiate system. Since most of those are likely to be available after the Pacers' 14th pick rolls around, they might have the luxury of trading down to do it. Donnie Walsh and coach Isiah Thomas tried Tuesday to deflect conversation from Kareem Rush, who most mock drafts project going to the Pacers. That might have been an attempt to hide their intent, but it also seemed to indicate their willingness to trade for a lower pick and pick up a future first-round selection. Walsh, meanwhile, reaffirmed the possibility of selecting a foreign player who could be kept overseas for a year on another team's payroll, which would help the Pacers avoid the luxury tax next season. Draft candidates who would fill that niche include Bostjan Nachbar (who turns 22 next week), Mladen Sekularac (21) and Jiri Welsch (22). Sekularac and Welsch are likely to be available if the Pacers move down. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Finals ratings lowest in 20 yearsEven though the ratings for this years’ NBA Finals were up in Los Angeles, they were down nationwide. Larry Stewart of the LA Times reports that the series produced good numbers in LA (Game 4 got a 34.0 rating with a 54 share) but nationally the Lakers' four-game sweep of the New Jersey Nets was a bust. The four game series produced a national average rating of 10.2 which is the lowest rating for an NBA Finals since the league went to a live, prime-time format 20 years ago. Not since the Celtic beat the Rockets in 1981 have the ratings been this low. For that series, CBS tape-delayed the weeknight broadcasts until 11:30pm and received a 6.7 rating for the six game series. This year's 10.2--with a 19 share--is down 17% from the first four games of last year's five-game series with Philadelphia, which averaged a 12.3/23. The five-game average last year was a 12.1/22. The four games averaged a 31.8/51 in Los Angeles, which is slightly lower than the 33.2/54 for last year's Finals against Philadelphia but higher than the 31.2/50 for the six-game series against Indiana two years ago. Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Thomas lends support to DrexlerMarc J. Spears of the Denver Post reports: Indiana Pacers coach Isiah Thomas, unsolicited, endorsed the candidacy of Clyde Drexler as the Nuggets' next coach. Thomas said he planned to talk with Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe about Drexler, now a Nuggets assistant, and sending a letter to team owner Stan Kroenke. "When you talk about rebuilding and going through a transition period, you have to have someone who is credible that can keep the fans interested," said Thomas, who has coached the Pacers the past two years. "After a game you lost, that guy can step out of the locker room and say, 'It's going to be all right.' The fans say, 'OK, I know this guy, I know he knows what he's talking about, and I know he's won before.' You also got to have someone that they think has seen the game a lot. "(Drexler has) won. He's a champion. He was a champion at the highest level. And he was a driver, not a rider." Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pacers Jun 2002 Archive
|
