The NBA may be locked out, and Conseco Fieldhouse may be dark and cold, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Indiana Pacers will be absent from the Hoosier landscape this winter. Even if the team never gets on the court for a real, live professional basketball game during the entire duration of what would have been the 2011-12 season, the Pacers will still make their presence felt for at least a few young fans this December and January. The team announced on November 2 that it will hold four different youth camps in and around Indianapolis during the coldest months of the winter. Although it appears that most of the tutelage will come from former Pacers, including all-time local favorite Darnell Hillman, the lack of current players doesn’t detract too much from this effort to stay active in the community. I think the Pacers need all of the goodwill they can muster right now, and it never hurts to host fun and educational activities for the area’s youth.

The camps, which will be held in Indianapolis, Greenwood and Brownsburg, will cater to boys and girls from the ages of 7-16 and will consist of three one-day session and one three-day session. The longer camp will naturally be the most involved of the four get-togethers, and will be held in Fishers in the daytime hours during the week between Christmas and the New Year. The camps will feature a variety of formats and activities, including family play, mini tournaments and skills competitions. Participants will receive Blue and Gold memorabilia in addition to the chance to work with members of the Pacers organization.

While a youth camp may not excite the hardcore Pacers fans among us, it is still a creative and constructive way for the franchise to engage the local community while the lockout rages on. Particularly with the lull in local sports activity that typically accompanies the dead of winter, any little boost that the Pacers can garner will be welcomed. This team, and the entire NBA, needs all of the good vibes it can get.

Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Pacers fan since the early 1980s and has witnessed the rise and fall of a great NBA franchise. He follows the current club closely and is anxious for the lockout to end so the Pacers can begin their next ascent.

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As we sit here in late October, and with the Indianapolis Colts floundering , it’s hard to imagine a cold Hoosier winter without cozying up to the tube for some competitive professional basketball courtesy of the Indiana Pacers. The truth is, though, that the NBA lockout shows little signs of ending, and little bits and pieces of the upcoming schedule are being shaved away on an almost daily basis. Losing the entire season is now a distinct possibility,and that prospect should scare everyone in the game, but especially those of us who root for and love the Pacers. In fact, I think that the Pacers stand to lose more than just about any other franchise in the NBA if the season is indeed canceled. Here’s why.

It’s no secret that Pacers fans have fled from the scene in droves over the last half decade while Larry Bird and other team executives have tried to clean up the image of a team that was once the pride of Indianapolis. Adding to the Pacers’ woes, believe it or not, has been the success of the Colts, and quarterback Peyton Manning has been there at every turn to suck up whatever bit of positive publicity there is to be had in our little town. The only time the Pacers have made the news is when they either blow a big lead or blow positive on a DUI test. All in all, Indianapolis has become “The Home of the Colts,” and Pacers were allowed to tag along, provided they stayed way in the background.

With the Pacers’ first playoff run in forever last spring, new head coach Frank Vogel had the city at least mildly excited about the NBA again. Add to that the loss of Manning for the season and the subsequent relegation of the Colts to the NFL’s garbage heap, and the Pacers should have been poised to seize control of the Indy sports scene, at least temporarily. Instead, they sit at home, or on a beach somewhere, or they show up in an ABA (!) game. Pacers players, in fact, are everywhere except where they should be: playing hoops in Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Pacers are missing their golden opportunity to climb back into fans’ hearts, and it might cost them dearly. By next fall, Manning will (hopefully) be back on the sidelines for the Colts and we may have less “need” for the Pacers than ever. If we make it through this winter without them (what choice do we have?), there will be much less clamor for the NBA next year, and the momentum that the Pacers have built will be gone. Particularly if they get off to a slow start in 2012-13, we might never come back in full force. If that happens, I fear that the Pacers may be on their way out of town, either through contraction or a franchise move.

Don’t think it could happen? Try to catch a Sonics game the next time you’re in Seattle.

Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a fan of the Indiana University Hoosiers basketball program since the early 1980s and even holds a Ph. D. from IU (computational chemistry). He still has nightmares involving Bobby Knight and projectile chairs.

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I live in Indiana, and while I’m neither from this area nor an Indiana Pacers fan, I respect the state and its basketball heritage. It nearly goes without saying that there is a level of basketball reverence in this area that cannot be matched in this particular continent, much less the other 49 states.

We’re not including China in this breakdown, apparently. Because not only does a website named ChinaPacers.com exist, but its participants are quite adept at recreating possibly the finest (Finals appearances aside) moments in Indiana Pacers history. Expertly, and on a playground.

(I have yet to see this here in Pacer country. Though I have seen a truck filled with taquitos, seriously, overturned on a highway.)

(Via Indy Cornrows and SB Tas Melas.)

Nicely done, Chinese Pacer fans. I know only one person in this town (the largest between Indianapolis and Chicago) who has the NBA’s League Pass, nobody even knows what local channel the Pacers are on most nights, and you’re shaming Hoosiers by recreating Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference finals, Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals (scoreboard, stupid Pacers), and Game 5 of 2002′s first round.

Let’s step it up, Indianaians’s. I think that’s what you call them.

Related: Indiana Pacers, Video

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA lockout has a different feel for Indiana Pacers players now that the schedule has officially been affected.

With the players’ union and owners failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, the league has postponed training camps and canceled preseason games scheduled through Saturday, Oct. 15.

“It’s starting to hit everybody,” Pacers guard Paul George said Saturday night before playing in a charity game in Indianapolis. “Once you start canceling games, the season is looking like it’s going to be shorter and shorter. You can only just continue to keep working on your game and hopefully, we can ride this thing out.”

Josh McRoberts, a free agent who played for the Pacers last season, said his mental clock has been thrown off by the changes.

“I always kind of feel like we’re creatures of habit, being athletes,” he said. “Second or third week of football season, you start itching. You sense it.”

The main challenges for many players this summer were to stay in shape without summer league and to improve without input from coaches.

McRoberts said he stayed in his native Indianapolis to work out and tried to keep things as normal as possible.

“It’s been a little bit different this summer to be on your own, but it’s the same type of workout, same type of routine,” he said.

George, McRoberts and Lance Stephenson, who all participated in the charity game, never considered heading to Europe, though McRoberts got a kick out of a rumor that had him packing his bags.

“That got on the Internet a couple days ago, but I’ve never heard of it and my agent never heard of it,” he said.

Stephenson, like McRoberts, stayed in Indianapolis to work out. He’s focused on his outside shooting, defense and conditioning after averaging 3.1 points per game last season.

Stephenson said he’s focused simply on being ready.

“It’s really hard for everybody, with the preseason games being canceled,” he said. “We’re just trying to work out and be prepared for if anything changes.”

George worked out in Los Angeles this summer with Pacers forward Danny Granger.

“This year, I’m continuing to work on midrange level, working on my shooting,” George said. “That’s something I think is really going to be beneficial coming into this next season. And being able to penetrate is something that I’ve really been working on this summer.”

It was hard to say whether any of the players have improved based on the lack of defense in the charity game. The Goodman League team beat players from the Indy Pro Am Lockout League 170-167. George had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Stephenson had 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting for the Goodman League team. McRoberts had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Indy Pro Am team.

Proceeds from Saturday’s game will benefit charitable foundations headed by new Pacers player George Hill, former Indiana Mr. Basketball Eric Gordon and WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings.

The lockout hasn’t tempered the players’ excitement about the future. The Pacers fired coach Jim O’Brien in the middle of last season and gave the coaching job to Frank Vogel on an interim basis. The team went 20-18 to close the regular season and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Pacers lost to Chicago in five games in the first round, but the first four games were competitive.

The Pacers added Hill, a shooting guard, in a draft-night deal. The Indianapolis native averaged 11.6 points and 2.5 assists last season for the San Antonio Spurs.

The Pacers then gave Vogel the job as coach and added Brian Shaw and Jim Boylen as assistants.

With all those positive steps, McRoberts hopes the Pacers want him back after the lockout ends.

“I think the situation the Pacers have is very exciting with George (Hill) coming in, and obviously, the young talent that they have,” he said. “I hope to be back and be a part of it.”

In an effort to keep the positive vibe going, Granger and veteran Jeff Foster helped organize a workout for several Pacers players last week at Butler University.

“It was kind of like a breath of fresh air, with this lockout, to see all your teammates,” George said. “It was kind of like being in practice and training camp. We kind of did the drills we would do during the season. It was great to see what everybody worked on and improved in.”

Through it all, the players remain optimistic.

“Hopefully the season will start immediately,” Stephenson said.

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

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The NBA lockout has a different feel for Indiana Pacers
players now that the schedule has officially been affected.

With the players’ union and owners failing to reach a new collective
bargaining agreement, the league has postponed training camps and canceled
preseason games scheduled through Saturday, Oct. 15.

“It’s starting to hit everybody,” Pacers guard Paul George(notes) said Saturday
night before playing in a charity game in Indianapolis. “Once you start
canceling games, the season is looking like it’s going to be shorter and
shorter. You can only just continue to keep working on your game and hopefully,
we can ride this thing out.”

Josh McRoberts(notes), a free agent who played for the Pacers last season, said his
mental clock has been thrown off by the changes.

“I always kind of feel like we’re creatures of habit, being athletes,” he
said. “Second or third week of football season, you start itching. You sense
it.”

The main challenges for many players this summer were to stay in shape
without summer league and to improve without input from coaches.

McRoberts said he stayed in his native Indianapolis to work out and tried to
keep things as normal as possible.

“It’s been a little bit different this summer to be on your own, but it’s
the same type of workout, same type of routine,” he said.

George, McRoberts and Lance Stephenson(notes), who all participated in the charity
game, never considered heading to Europe, though McRoberts got a kick out of a
rumor that had him packing his bags.

“That got on the Internet a couple days ago, but I’ve never heard of it and
my agent never heard of it,” he said.

Stephenson, like McRoberts, stayed in Indianapolis to work out. He’s focused
on his outside shooting, defense and conditioning after averaging 3.1 points per
game last season.

Stephenson said he’s focused simply on being ready.

“It’s really hard for everybody, with the preseason games being canceled,”
he said. “We’re just trying to work out and be prepared for if anything
changes.”

George worked out in Los Angeles this summer with Pacers forward Danny
Granger(notes).

“This year, I’m continuing to work on midrange level, working on my
shooting,” George said. “That’s something I think is really going to be
beneficial coming into this next season. And being able to penetrate is
something that I’ve really been working on this summer.”

It was hard to say whether any of the players have improved based on the
lack of defense in the charity game. The Goodman League team beat players from
the Indy Pro Am Lockout League 170-167. George had 24 points and 11 rebounds,
and Stephenson had 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting for the Goodman League team.
McRoberts had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Indy Pro Am team.

Proceeds from Saturday’s game will benefit charitable foundations headed by
new Pacers player George Hill(notes), former Indiana Mr. Basketball Eric Gordon(notes) and
WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings.

The lockout hasn’t tempered the players’ excitement about the future. The
Pacers fired coach Jim O’Brien in the middle of last season and gave the
coaching job to Frank Vogel on an interim basis. The team went 20-18 to close
the regular season and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The
Pacers lost to Chicago in five games in the first round, but the first four
games were competitive.

The Pacers added Hill, a shooting guard, in a draft-night deal. The
Indianapolis native averaged 11.6 points and 2.5 assists last season for the San
Antonio Spurs.

The Pacers then gave Vogel the job as coach and added Brian Shaw and Jim
Boylen as assistants.

With all those positive steps, McRoberts hopes the Pacers want him back
after the lockout ends.

“I think the situation the Pacers have is very exciting with George (Hill)
coming in, and obviously, the young talent that they have,” he said. “I hope
to be back and be a part of it.”

In an effort to keep the positive vibe going, Granger and veteran Jeff
Foster(notes) helped organize a workout for several Pacers players last week at Butler
University.

“It was kind of like a breath of fresh air, with this lockout, to see all
your teammates,” George said. “It was kind of like being in practice and
training camp. We kind of did the drills we would do during the season. It was
great to see what everybody worked on and improved in.”

Through it all, the players remain optimistic.

“Hopefully the season will start immediately,” Stephenson said.

— —

Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Players on the Indiana Pacers are trying to stay ready for the start of the NBA season – whenever that might be.

With players’ union and owners failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, the league has postponed training camps and canceled some preseason games.

The main challenges for many players this summer were to stay in shape without the summer league and to improve without input from coaches.

Lance Stephenson and Josh McRoberts stayed in Indianapolis, while Paul George went to Los Angeles to work with Danny Granger. Several Pacers worked out together last week at Butler University.

The Pacers went 20-18 to close the regular season last year and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

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

The NBA officially cancelled training camps and several preseason games in response to the ongoing lockout Friday. All three of the Indiana Pacers’ preseason games are cancelled because they were scheduled in the first week of games. The impact of the stoppage will likely be felt throughout downtown Indianapolis in the coming weeks and months.

Indianapolis businesses that depend on the Pacers were concerned about Friday’s announcement, but they are more concerned about the potential of losing regular season games.

“One game means probably what we make in one week,” said Gordon Coke, owner of The Pub, which is located across from Conseco Fieldhouse.

Coke said a prolonged NBA lockout could mean weeks worth of lost sales.

“That would be a big blow, just not for me, but for a lot of the businesses downtown,” he said.

“It’s not good at all,” said Chris Burton with Kilroy’s Bar N’Grill.

Burton said the Pacers also bring in big business and more employees.

“Depending upon what night of the week a game is and depending on who we’re playing, I might actually have to double my staff,” Burton said. “Our business could double, our sales could double, so we definitely have to add many people.”

“It’s not the owners and the players who will really be hammered by this,” said Bill Benner, IBJ Sports COlumnist. “It’s the people that make that extra income off the Indiana Pacers.”

A 2010 study found that losing the Pacers for a year would cost the city $55 Million in economic impact, 909 jobs, and 600,000 fans who travel downtown for games.

Benner said the timing is especially hard for the Pacers because the team had just begun generating even more fan support thanks to a playoff birth last year among other things.

“They’ve done all the right things to get the battle ship turned around and now they can’t pull it out of port,” Benner said.

Downtown businesses are also left to wonder whether the excitement will fade before they can capitalize.

“Especially this year, with the addition of George Hill and we made the Playoffs this past year I think it would have been even more this coming year, where maybe instead of double it could have even been triple (the business),” Burton said.

It’s difficult to build an NBA arena that stands out from the pack.

In sharp contrast to the sport of baseball — which enables architects to create quirky outfield dimensions and venues that sometimes employ retractable roofs — basketball arenas are inherently similar. Basketball courts always employ the same dimensions, and the arenas themselves always are closed to the elements. Designers also have to squeeze in a lot of functionality into a small land area.

But these arenas are special.

We’re unveiling our picks for the NBA’s top 10 venues.

To arrive at these rankings, we took into account an arena’s location, the atmosphere created by the home team’s fans, the aesthetics of the exterior, the aesthetics of the interior, its fan-friendliness and its place in the game’s history.

This is a wildly subjective list. Hopefully, this will spark some serious debate. Disagree with a ranking? Then chime in with your opinion by writing in the comments field below.

Conseco Fieldhouse

Arena ranking: 2nd

Home of: Indiana Pacers

Location: Indianapolis

Capacity for pro basketball: 18,165

First NBA regular-season game: Nov. 6, 1999

Positives: The architects who designed Conseco Fieldhouse sought to create an NBA arena with modern amenities that nonetheless has a retro vibe. They succeeded. They have created a masterpiece: a building that evokes Indiana’s rich basketball past. . . . Aesthetically, this arena surpasses all the rest in the league. Composed of dark brick and featuring large windows with dark green moldings, the exterior brings to mind old Indiana high-school gyms of the past. The main atrium is sunny and airy. The seating bowl features superb sightlines and, again, has an old-school vibe. . . . But despite that old-time feel, there are plenty of luxury suites and fan amenities. . . . Indianapolis isn’t considered a glamorous NBA city, but the city’s downtown has plenty of restaurants and bars for fans close to the arena.

Negatives: The Pacers basketball team has been mediocre at best the last few seasons, and fans have noticed. Indianapolis averaged only 13,538 fans per home game last season, and the atmosphere in the arena suffers as a result. . . . That nostalgic feel has one significant drawback. The scoreboard’s video display simply is nowhere near as good as the majority of arenas.

Overall: A gorgeous venue in a nice area.

[email protected] Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – 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.”
__
Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

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.”

The Indiana Pacers have hired former Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard, according to reports published by Yahoo! Sports and the Indianapolis Star.

Pritchard was considered popular among fans in Portland before he was fired on the day of the NBA Draft in June 2010. During his time in Portland, the Blazers added Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and Nicolas Batum to the roster all by way of the draft.

Pritchard will be the Pacers’ director of player personnel, according to reports.

Last week, Pritchard told 750 AM The Game that he still hasn’t been given an exact reason why team owner Paul Allen fired him one year ago.

After Pritchard was fired, Allen hired Rich Cho to be the team’s general manager, but then dumped Cho less than one year into his tenure in Portland.

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, IN (Sports Network) – The Indiana Pacers announced on Monday the
addition of Jim Boylen and Dan Burke as assistants to head coach Frank
Vogel’s staff. Brian Shaw also was named associate head coach.

“This is a well-rounded, experienced staff,” said Vogel. “Each individual
brings something different, yet collectively they all fit. Everyone will
contribute, whether it’s offense, defense, player development or game
preparation. All three are very capable of handling any responsibility. There
was a lot of interest from other teams in all three of these coaches. The fact
they chose to be here is indicative of what we’re building.’

Boylen is coming off a stint with the University of Utah. Over his coaching
career, Boylen has spent time as an assistant in the NCAA with Michigan State
and Utah, and professionally with Golden State, Milwaukee and Houston, where
he won two championships.

Burke, who will be entering his 15th season with the organization, was
originally hired to Larry Bird’s coaching staff in 1997. The start of Burke’s
22-year coaching career came with Portland, where he worked for eight years
prior to joining Indiana.

Shaw had been an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers since 2004.

The Sports Network

The Indiana Pacers are moving toward hiring Kevin Pritchard, who helped rebuild the Portland Trail Blazers.The Indianapolis Star reported Friday that the Pacers are in the process of bringing on Pritchard, who will hold a position below president Larry Bird and general manager David Morway.Pritchard was unexpectedly fired by the Trail Blazers after the 2009-10 season and has been working for the Pacers as a consultant.Pritchard joined Portland in 2003 and served as an interim coach, assistant GM and GM. While in management, the Blazers struck draft days deals for LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy, and Pritchard developed a reputation for swinging solid trades that netted draft picks and cleared salary cap space.Pritchard also was part of the team braintrust that opted for oft-injured center Greg Oden over Kevin Durant with the first pick in the 2007 draft.