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The first two weeks of the 2011-2012 NBA Season have been cancelled after the league failed to reach an agreement with the Player’s Association on Monday night (Oct. 10, 2011).

As a result, the following games on the Boston Celtics schedule have been cancelled:

Nov. 2: Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
Nov. 4: Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks
Nov. 5: Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers
Nov. 9: Charlotte Bobcats at Boston Celtics
Nov. 11: Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics
Nov. 12: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers

Unfortunately the work stoppage may continue after the two-week period expires as no new developments have been reported and the two sides are currently far apart on most (if not all) of the major sticking points.

The NBA and the Player’s Association are expected to meet at some point next week, which leaves them little time to save the remainder of the season if by some miracle the wrinkles are ironed out in time to play ball.

The NBA Development League team in Bismarck has named a former NBA player as an assistant coach.

Vitaly (vee-TAH’-lee) Potapenko (poh-TAH’-pehn-koh) most recently served as an assistant for the Indiana Pacers. He will serve alongside newly hired Dakota Wizards coach Nate Bjorkgren (bee-ORK’-grehn) for the upcoming D-League season. Before joining the Pacers staff, the 36-year-old Potapenko served as an assistant with the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Potapenko was selected 12th overall by Cleveland in the 1996 NBA draft. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, with Cleveland, Boston, Seattle and Sacramento.

INDIANAPOLIS — In the midst of the NBA lockout, Frank Vogel is busier than ever.

The Indiana Pacers’ new coach is spending much of his time getting to know his new assistant coaches, Brian Shaw and Jim Boylen, and figuring out how to blend their skills with those of holdover Dan Burke.

“Specifically because we have new assistants, we’re meeting more than we normally would, discussing game plans, getting on the same page with terminology, our approach toward our team and just picking the brains of my new assistants,” Vogel said.

Shaw comes to the Pacers after being an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers since 2004. He was part of five championship teams with the Lakers, three as a player and two as a coach. Boylen was head coach at the University of Utah from 2007 to 2011. In the NBA, he earned two championship rings as an assistant for the Houston Rockets before stints as an assistant at Golden State and Milwaukee. Vogel said Shaw is focusing on familiarizing himself with the Eastern Conference, while Boylen is reacquainting himself with the NBA.

Though Shaw is the lead assistant, the staff will share responsibilities.

“We’re going to get away from the compartmentalized approach,” Vogel said. “Everybody’s going to do everything. They are strong in all areas.”

Vogel is excited because of the mentorship his new assistants have received — Shaw worked under Phil Jackson, while Boylen worked under Rudy Tomjanovich in Houston in the 1990s. Most of all, he likes their rings.

“That’s where we’re going,” Vogel said. “That’s where the Pacers are going, and that’s what we wanted to bring in in terms of beefing up the experience of our coaching staff.”

The excitement level about the Pacers remains high. For example, while walking from Conseco Fieldhouse to a downtown Indianapolis restaurant, a group of construction workers stopped Vogel and asked him to sign their hard hats.

“To be embraced the way I have by this community, I really don’t have any words for it,” he said.

After years of apathy, fans are starting to embrace the team again, in part because of its potential. The team has young talent and playoff experience, and will have significant salary cap space when the labor situation gets sorted out. Danny Granger, at 28, is the oldest starter. Roy Hibbert has played just three years, point guard Darren Collison and forward Tyler Hansbrough were second-year players, and Paul George was a rookie. The team added local star George Hill in a draft-night trade.

Vogel took over for Jim O’Brien at the middle of last season. Early in his tenure as interim coach, Vogel said Eastern Conference powers Boston, Miami and Orlando wouldn’t want to play the Pacers when — not if — they made the playoffs. He introduced “smashmouth” ball, an approach that focused on attacking the basket. He moved Hansbrough and George into the starting lineup and committed to Hibbert as a centerpiece. The Pacers went 20-18 to close the regular season and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Part of his desire to get started is the residue from the playoff loss to Chicago. Indiana lost the series 4-1 despite having a legitimate chance to win four of the games.

“Everyone says how good we did against the Bulls, and I just don’t see it that way,” Vogel said. “I just feel like we should have won that series and we should have gone deep in the playoffs. I really believe we’ve only scratched the surface of what we’re going to accomplish as a team.”

His confidence in the group he has fuels him as he prepares.

“I want to be ready,” he said. “Whenever we get started, we’re going to be ready. I can’t wait to get started. I’m chomping at the bit.”

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers, coming off their first playoff appearance in five years, will open the home portion of the 2011-12 National Basketball Association schedule against the Boston Celtics, Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8:00 p.m.

The Pacers will begin the season on a two-game road trip, with their season opener at Detroit, Wed., Nov. 2, followed by a game at Oklahoma City, Fri., Nov. 4. The Pacers open with 12 of their first 19 games on the road, but after that have 10 of the next 12 in Conseco Fieldhouse, starting with a rematch with rising Western Conference power Oklahoma City, Tue., Dec. 6.

Home highlights include a second visit from the Celtics, Tue., Jan. 31; Eastern Conference champion Miami, Fri., Mar. 23 and Fri., Apr. 13; defending NBA champion Dallas, Tue., Feb. 7; the Los Angeles Lakers, Tue., Dec. 20, and two games against last season’s first-round playoff opponent, Chicago: Fri., Nov. 25, in the traditional 8:00 p.m. day after Thanksgiving game and Tue., Mar. 6.

All Pacers’ home games will begin at 7:00 p.m. except for Opening Night (8:00 p.m.); Chicago, Nov. 25 (8:00 p.m.); Utah, Sun., Dec. 18 (6:00 p.m.); and New Orleans, Sun., Feb. 19 (6:00 p.m.)

The Pacers have four scheduled national TV appearances: Sat., Nov. 12 at New York (NBATV); Fri., Dec. 2 at Portland (ESPN); Wed., Dec. 28 at Toronto (NBATV) and Wed., Jan. 4 at Chicago (NBATV).

All games will be on WIBC (93.1 FM). FOX Sports Indiana’s TV schedule will be announced at a later date.

Single game ticket sales information for all games will be announced at a later date. Season ticket packages are available now by calling (317) 917-2500 or by visiting Pacers.com.

Download 2011-12 schedule

(This story is a press release from the Indiana Pacers.)

By Travis Miller

– Associate Editor

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Jul 19, 2011 – Even though the NBA lockout has cast a pall over an otherwise exciting NBA season, the Indiana Pacers have released their 2011-12 schedule. Indiana has one nationally televised game this season, on December 2nd when they travel to Portland to face the Trailblazers. That game will be televised at 1pm on ESPN.

The Pacers the season with a pair of road games, starting Wednesday November 2nd at the Detroit Pistons. They play at the Oklahoma City Thunder two nights later before opening at home against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, November 5th. That game should bring quite a crowd, as the Celtics have Indianapolis native and Purdue All-American JaJuan Johnson. His teammate with the Boilermakers, E`Twaun Moore, was also selected by the Celtics in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Other games of note:

March 28th sees Shelvin Mack return with the Washington Wizards after leading the Butler Bulldogs to consecutive National Championship games.

December 18th will be the only visit of the Utah Jazz, with fellow Butler legend Gordon Hayward.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant visit two nights after the Jazz.

The defending NBA Champions in the Dallas Mavericks visit on February 7th with Purdue legend Brian Cardinal

The Miami Heat will visit twice late in the season, on March 23rd and April 13th.

The regular home finale will be on April 16th against Washington.

The complete schedule can be found here.

Read More: Brian Cardinal (F – DAL), Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), E`Twaun Moore (G – Purdue), Shelvin Mack (G – Butler), Gordon Hayward (G – UTA), Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Purdue Boilermakers, Butler Bulldogs

INDIANAPOLIS – Frank Vogel played the waiting game to become head coach with the same confidence that made him a favourite of both fans and players during his half a season carrying the interim tag.

“They never told me I wasn’t going to be the coach, so I just tried to carry myself like I was,” the 38-year-old said Wednesday after the Pacers officially made him the head coach.

Vogel took over for Jim O’Brien at the middle of last season, went 20-18 to close the regular season and led the team to its first playoff berth since 2006. He didn’t worry about the interim tag until after the season ended.

“Once I took over, I really didn’t have time to think about big-picture stuff,” he said. “I was just trying to win the next day and make sure I was prepared the next day. Once it all ended, and I realized how close I was, it was just exciting, and I was just hopeful and trying to carry myself the right way.”

Vogel takes over a team that has plenty of young talent, playoff experience and significant salary cap space, should the labour situation get sorted out. Danny Granger, at 28, is the oldest starter. Roy Hibbert just finished his third year, point guard Darren Collison and forward Tyler Hansbrough were second-year players, and Paul George was a rookie. The team added local star George Hill in a draft-night trade.

Pacers president Larry Bird made Vogel the favourite to get the job from the beginning of the search, then took his time making the decision official.

“As I stated after the season, I was in no hurry regarding the coach, mainly because I knew I had a good candidate in Frank,” Bird said. “But we wanted to get through the draft, and I wanted to have numerous conversations with Frank about a staff that will cover all areas. I feel strongly he is doing that and this coaching staff, as a whole, will help this franchise continue to move forward.”

Early in his tenure as interim coach, Vogel said Eastern Conference powers Boston, Miami and Orlando wouldn’t want to play the Pacers when — not if — they made the playoffs. He introduced “smashmouth” ball, an approach that focused on attacking the basket instead of O’Brien’s perimeter-oriented game. He moved Hansbrough and George into the starting lineup and helped restore centre Hibbert’s confidence.

His team quickly bought into his approach and the changes.

“I really felt it build up right from the beginning,” Vogel said. “I started implementing changes right away. I think there was a belief in what we were doing.”

As the Pacers started winning, calls to remove Vogel’s interim tag grew.

“I’m overwhelmed,” he said. “Every person in this building has been supportive of me, and I’m very grateful for that. I’m grateful for the fan support, and I’m grateful for the relationships that I’ve built this year and continuing to grow them.”

The Pacers played the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs, losing the series 4-1.

“You find out about people in tough times like that, high-stakes environments like that,” Vogel said. “You never know what you’re going to see. I was very excited about how this team performed in the playoffs.”

Vogel said the playoff berth was an important part of setting up the team’s future goals.

“Any team that’s trying to reach an elite level just needs to feel it,” he said. “You can hear all the stories in the world, but until you feel it, you can’t really reap the rewards of taking that step. I think we did that this year.”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers are sticking with the coach who got them to the playoffs.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Indiana will make interim coach Frank Vogel the team’s permanent head coach.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not been made official yet by the team.

The Indiana Pacers did announce they had a news conference with Vogel scheduled for Wednesday. He will be joined by Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations.

Bird called Vogel the favorite to get the job from the beginning of the search after the Pacers finished strong last season and made the playoffs.

Indiana was interested in Mike Brown, but the former Pacers assistant and Cleveland head coach took the top job with the Lakers.

Vogel took over for Jim O’Brien in the middle of last season and the team finished the year 20-18. The Pacers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, losing in five games to top-seeded Chicago.

Early in his tenure, Vogel said Eastern Conference powers Boston, Miami and Orlando wouldn’t want to play the Pacers when — not if — they made the playoffs. He introduced “smashmouth” ball, an approach that focused on attacking the basket instead of O’Brien’s perimeter-oriented game.

He moved Tyler Hansbrough and Paul George into the starting lineup and helped restore center Roy Hibbert’s confidence.

The team has plenty of young talent, playoff experience and significant salary cap space, should the labor situation get sorted out.

Danny Granger, at 28, is the oldest starter. Hibbert just finished his third year, point guard Darren Collison and Hansbrough were second-year players and George was a rookie. All five are under contract for next season.

“I’ll be happy if Frank gets picked,” Hibbert said recently. “I’ve been with him since I was a rookie, so I hope he gets it.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers are sticking with the coach who got them to the playoffs.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Indiana will make interim coach Frank Vogel the team’s permanent head coach.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not been made official yet by the team.

The Indiana Pacers did announce they had a news conference with Vogel scheduled for Wednesday. He will be joined by Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations.

Bird called Vogel the favorite to get the job from the beginning of the search after the Pacers finished strong last season and made the playoffs.

Indiana was interested in Mike Brown, but the former Pacers assistant and Cleveland head coach took the top job with the Lakers.

Vogel took over for Jim O’Brien in the middle of last season and the team finished the year 20-18. The Pacers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, losing in five games to top-seeded Chicago.

Early in his tenure, Vogel said Eastern Conference powers Boston, Miami and Orlando wouldn’t want to play the Pacers when — not if — they made the playoffs. He introduced “smashmouth” ball, an approach that focused on attacking the basket instead of O’Brien’s perimeter-oriented game.

He moved Tyler Hansbrough and Paul George into the starting lineup and helped restore center Roy Hibbert’s confidence.

The team has plenty of young talent, playoff experience and significant salary cap space, should the labor situation get sorted out.

Danny Granger, at 28, is the oldest starter. Hibbert just finished his third year, point guard Darren Collison and Hansbrough were second-year players and George was a rookie. All five are under contract for next season.

“I’ll be happy if Frank gets picked,” Hibbert said recently. “I’ve been with him since I was a rookie, so I hope he gets it.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers are sticking with the coach who got them to the playoffs.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Indiana will make interim coach Frank Vogel the team’s permanent head coach.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not been made official yet by the team.

The Indiana Pacers did announce they had a news conference with Vogel scheduled for Wednesday. He will be joined by Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations.

Bird called Vogel the favorite to get the job from the beginning of the search after the Pacers finished strong last season and made the playoffs.

Indiana was interested in Mike Brown, but the former Pacers assistant and Cleveland head coach took the top job with the Lakers.

Vogel took over for Jim O’Brien in the middle of last season and the team finished the year 20-18. The Pacers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, losing in five games to top-seeded Chicago.

Early in his tenure, Vogel said Eastern Conference powers Boston, Miami and Orlando wouldn’t want to play the Pacers when — not if — they made the playoffs. He introduced “smashmouth” ball, an approach that focused on attacking the basket instead of O’Brien’s perimeter-oriented game.

He moved Tyler Hansbrough and Paul George into the starting lineup and helped restore center Roy Hibbert‘s confidence.

The team has plenty of young talent, playoff experience and significant salary cap space, should the labor situation get sorted out.

Danny Granger, at 28, is the oldest starter. Hibbert just finished his third year, point guard Darren Collison and Hansbrough were second-year players and George was a rookie. All five are under contract for next season.

“I’ll be happy if Frank gets picked,” Hibbert said recently. “I’ve been with him since I was a rookie, so I hope he gets it.”

The Indiana Pacers’ exacting search for a coach, and the team’s recent move to swap the untested-yet-talented rookie Kawhi Leonard(notes) for a stable vet in George Hill(notes) speak directly to team president Larry Bird’s mindfulness of his One Last Chance at getting it right. The Pacers made the playoffs in 2010-11 for the first time in five years, and though the roster is stacked with young talent, it really doesn’t hint at future third or even second-round appearances to come.

That doesn’t bother Bird, who could be in his last year with the Pacers and, presumably, working for an NBA team. After all, if his hometown club can’t sway him, who would? Especially with former teammate Danny Ainge deservedly ensconced in Boston.

Two things are certain. One, by his own admission, Bird isn’t long for the job. And second, as long as Bird is running the Pacers, he’s going to take his time and try to get it right.

From the Boston Globe:

“It’s at a point now in my life where I think it might be time to really reconsider and see how long I want to do this,” said Bird, now 54. “They asked me to stay another year through the lockout season, the owner did, for a favor. I was leaving, but he asked me to stay, and I will and I’ll get the job done.

“I just think the franchise is in a good position right now, and I want to leave it in a good position for the next guy to do some good things. Sometimes you just look at it and say, ‘Hey, I’ve done enough. I’ve got it in the position I want to get it in,’ and you move on. I’ve got another year here and I’m going to try to do the best I can to get this team back to winning.”

This also brings up the uneasy thought that perhaps the Pacers are better off without Bird running things. After all, team personnel chiefs that lord over four straight years of missing the playoffs before a limited 37-win team sneaks in the backdoor of the postseason while working in front of the league’s worst attendance don’t usually get to pick their own shots.

Of course, few could ever shoot like Larry Bird. Let’s enjoy his turn while it lasts.

Related: George Hill, Indiana Pacers, Video, NBA lockout

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers players want interim coach Frank Vogel to get the full-time gig.

Now, it’s up to team president Larry Bird to make a decision.

It’s been more than a month since the team’s season ended and the waiting game continues.

“I’ll be happy if Frank gets picked,” said center Roy Hibbert before playing in a charity softball game for the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund. “I’ve been with him since I was a rookie, so I hope he gets it. I understand that Larry’s taking his time now, but I’m pulling for him (Vogel).”

Bird has called Vogel the favorite from the beginning of the search, and the team has had several conversations with him. He took over for Jim O’Brien at midseason, went 20-18 to close the regular season and led the team to its first playoff berth since 2006.

“I think Frank did an excellent job, stepping in without the experience of a head coaching job,” Bird said after the season ended. “The way he conducted himself, he brought positive energy to this team. We won more games than we lost. We did it with a young team, a team that’s trying to grow.”

Early in his tenure, Vogel claimed that Eastern Conference powers Boston, Miami and Orlando wouldn’t want to play the Pacers when – not if – they made the playoffs. He introduced “smashmouth” basketball, an approach that focused on attacking the basket instead of O’Brien’s perimeter-oriented game. He moved Tyler Hansbrough, a second-year player, and Paul George, a rookie, into the starting lineup and helped restore Hibbert’s confidence.

It all helped them get into the playoffs and compete well before losing 4-1 to the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.

“I really feel strong about having Vogel around,” George said. “I love him as a coach, as a person. But I have no control over it. I have to just go with whatever Mr. Bird goes with.”

Vogel said as the season ended that he wanted the job and said with confidence that he feels he proved himself. He didn’t expect a decision to be made quickly.

“It’s really up to Larry and the front office,” Vogel said. “Anytime you’re making a decision as important as this, you never want to rush into it. Whatever timetable they decide is fine with me.”

Indiana was interested in Mike Brown, but the former Pacers assistant and Cleveland head coach took the job as Los Angeles Lakers head coach. But the players have favored Vogel since he took over.

“I would like to see Frank get it,” guard Lance Stephenson said. “He helped us out this year. He made us come in more as a group. I hope Larry Bird sees what happened and we can move forward.”

George would like to see a decision made soon.

“It’s still up in the air for me,” he said. “It’s something that I want to know, but it’s something I have no control over.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Updated Jun 9, 2011 8:49 PM ET

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

Indiana Pacers players want interim coach Frank Vogel to get the full-time gig.

Now, it’s up to team president Larry Bird to make a decision.

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