From: dwarner@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (David J.)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Pacers Ramblings
Date: 5 Nov 92 21:18:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: usenet.Bx9Hv8.2Fz
Organization: Indiana University

First, here's Indiana's last roster move:

   INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The Indiana Pacers put guard Sean Green on the injured 
list Thursday as it trimmed its active roster to the league maximum of 12.
   Green, who has a groin injury, averaged four points in a reserve role as a 
rookie last year. He played in four of the team's eight exhibition games, 
averaging 4.3 points.
   ``He needs to rehab this groin problem and lose some weight,'' said coach 
Bob Hill.
   The Pacers said that as a result of his injury, Green had developed a 
calcium deposit in his thigh muscle which would be re-evaluated in two to 
three weeks.

Second, here is the preview on the Pacers, courtesy of AP (there's more after
this if you're not interested).

   INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The Rifleman is gone, but the Indiana Pacers are taking 
aim at finally make it past the first round of the NBA playoffs.<
   Chuck Person, Indiana's all-time leading NBA scorer, was traded with 
Micheal Williams to Minnesota in the offseason for point guard Pooh Richardson 
and small forward Sam Mitchell.<
   The move, while expected to hurt Indiana's offensive production, was 
intended to improve the Pacers' defense and team chemistry. So far, coach Bob 
Hill likes what he sees.<
   ``Our biggest difference is the chemistry on the team,'' Hill said. ``They 
like one another, they root for one another. We're moving the ball, they're 
protecting one another defensively. It's more of a team in the true definition 
of the word.''<
   Indiana, which was 5-3 in the preseason, will begin the 1992-93 regular 
season Saturday night with a home game against Detroit.<
   Without Person, much of Indiana's scoring burden shifts to Reggie Miller, 
who played in the same backcourt with Richardson at UCLA. Miller led the team 
last year with 20.7 points per game.<
   The other man expected to fill Person's scoring void is Detlef Schrempf, 
the NBA's Sixth Man Award winner the past two seasons.<
   Schrempf, who averaged 17.6 points and 9.6 rebounds last year, is the 
Pacers' best big forward, best small forward, and when Hill uses a smaller 
lineup, even their best center.<
   But Hill said he'd probably start Schrempf on the bench.<
   The starting forwards will be 6-foot-10 Dale Davis and 6-foot-8 George 
McCloud, with Mitchell and Schrempf as their backups.<
   Richardson and Miller will start at the guard positions, with veteran Vern 
Fleming and rookie Malik Sealy coming off the bench.<
   The big key to Indiana's success this year may be the play of Rik Smits, 
the 7-foot-4 center who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee during the 
first week of September.<
   Smits' recovery has been slow, but not without highlights. He scored 21 
points in 21 minutes of a 109-96 win over the Boston Celtics Saturday night 
and Hill said it was the best he'd ever seen Smits play.<
   ``The first key is to continue to rehab Rik's knee so we can hopefully get 
35 minutes out of him,'' Hill said.<
   Co-captain LaSalle Thompson and Greg Dreiling back up the post players, and 
Kenny Williams should see more action at small forward this year.<
   The only other change is the retirement of Indianapolis native Randy 
Wittman, now a Pacers assistant coach.<
   Richardson said he and Mitchell are excited about the opportunity to play 
for a winning team. And the lessons they learned with the Timberwolves will 
help, he said.<
   ``This is a team that can win a lot of ballgames if we just play hard every 
night,'' said Richardson. ``At Minnesota we had no choice. We had to play hard 
just to not get beat by more than 20. I can't help but be excited.''<
   Miller said the newcomers are blending in well.<
   ``We are getting more comfortable with each other and playing better as a 
team,'' he said.<
   The guys in the other locker room think so, too.<
   ``Everyone is more involved, and everybody is touching the ball,'' said 
Boston's Reggie Lewis after last week's game. ``They are doing a better job of 
moving without the ball. They changed their offense to a more passing oriented 
style.''<
   But Lewis added a word of caution for the Pacers.<
   ``It looked good tonight, but it's still early and it's a long season,'' he 
said.<

Third, here's the official injury report on the Pacers

- Dale Davis, left shoulder, probable.
- Sean Green, calcium deposits, on IR.
- Rik Smits, left knee surgery, probable.
- LaSalle Thompson, shoulder and knee, probable.

I expect all three probables to play Saturday night against the Pistons.
I'll be going up to that game Saturday night and will have a full report 
on it sometime Sunday.  Tickets are available for all Pacers home games 
except Da Bulls games.

The season starts tomorrow!  Bring it on!!!
-- 
- David J. --------------------------- *Coming in 1993:                      *
- Blue Riddle Productions ------------ *RAP IS AN ART/TURN UP THE MICROPHONE *
- dwarner@silver.ucs.indiana.edu ----- *David J.'s debut 12" single          *
- Sports Editor/Indiana Daily Stupid - *ON VINYL from Blue Riddle Productions*
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