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The Pacers Report with Mike Rich (2.133.2) · The Central Indiana Sports Report

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: You are listening to the Pacer's report with Microch.
• 0:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Every week on the Central Indianist Portrait Board.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back, Pacer's fans to the Central Indiana Sports Report for this week's Pacer's report with Mike Rich or as he was known in high school in Spanish class Miguel Rico with senior at Tracy as our teacher, it was a great time Mike, not a great time for the Pacer's, a lot of losses but some positive signs.
• 0:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: Rents and repeat a little bit here, but it is what it is.
• 0:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: We know what this team's made up right now.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: We know they're going to struggle to win some games, but we're seeing some bright spots in this team and seeing some bright spots in some of the players.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think they're going to have a pretty good understanding of what they want to keep and what they need to do.
• 1:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And
• 1:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: last couple games have been again, they're competitive.
• 1:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: They've been competitive and they're money good teams.
• 1:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Mike, we have ourselves a real NBA team now.
• 1:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's the difference.
• 1:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're at least competitive with real and good NBA teams now.
• 1:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they've stood up to the challenge of the next of OKC.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: They come out and I'm the magic.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the magic.
• 1:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: The
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: hasn't been awful to watch them.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Even that Celtics game they were leading in the second half.
• 1:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: So there have definitely been some positive signs and Mike, the number one positive sign of late without question is Aaron Eastmith.
• 1:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Currently, he probably couldn't convince Nick's fans of this, but I think Aaron Eastmith might be playing the best basketball of his career of late.
• 1:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: He looks like a
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's a surprise that we thought it was going to be some some of the other players on this team and I thought Aaron Neesman had a pretty good level last year, um, but to to go above where he did last year and where he's at today There's a lot of promise with him.
• 2:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: He he's becoming one of those players that are kind of that must keep No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
• 2:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's been a major contributor in every game he's been in and more doubt and the his best game
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Besides that, Nick's game that he won for the Pacers last year in the playoffs, maybe.
• 2:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: The best overall game of his career against the Magic A 135-127 loss, but again, they were in the game the whole way in Orlando, and East Smith was a big reason for that 8-16 from the field 5-11 from 3-4 for 4th to 5th, and Mike, that's not even the most impressive
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: and he played really well in the team at 38 assists a team which we just haven't seen this year.
• 3:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: We haven't seen it and it's refreshing to see his game and see how continue to mature and continue to evolve.
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think I get 18 and the first half.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's both sides of the floor.
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's great on defense.
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's, and you're going to get these spurts of offense.
• 3:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think without matter and being there and seeing an easement get the ball, I think it's teams better without matter the way they played last night.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to talk about that here in a minute in depth.
• 3:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I want to say before we move on to talking about
• 3:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: coming up soon.
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Combined with Nimhard, who's struggled a bit of late, but has been really good all year.
• 4:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: And Siakim, who's had perhaps the best season of his career, should probably be an all star, but with these many candidates as there are and a team with six wins, he's probably not going to, but he definitely has a case for sure.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think any basic rank would would be able to support a case for him to be in a hospital this year.
• 4:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a there's no reason why he shouldn't be.
• 4:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean yeah, but he won't be I'm pretty sure he won't be.
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not not with the not with the losing record that this team has, but he had 51 for maybe.
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: But they have six wins.
• 4:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is consistent.
• 4:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is.
• 4:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: he goes up against anybody and you're you're going to get the same thing from him night and night out just so consistent and and he is doing what we wanted everyone else on this team to do and that was to really step up and fill the void of losing caliber and he has improved his game so much over this first thought of the season or whatever it is.
• 5:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: And he Smith, when you combine him with Siakim and Nimhard, and he Smith clearly has taken a leap in his game.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was obvious in the preseason when they looked really good.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: They looked like they might be a playoff contender.
• 5:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: And since he's come back from this injury, it's been up and down a little bit as you would expect when you come back from an injury.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: But when he's been good, he's been really, really good.
• 5:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And clearly now, one of the best shooters in the NBA.
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah.
• 5:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Fantastic.
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Shooter and I mentioned earlier.
• 5:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 5:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 5:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: They remember the Hall of Burton shot.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: What people know, but it wasn't the six threes that he hit that quarter.
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: What he was.
• 6:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do you know?
• 6:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was like NBA, what, two K, whatever it is.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: He or he was on fire.
• 6:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: What was he?
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: NBA Jam NBA Jam.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's all fire.
• 6:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's lit up on the screen.
• 6:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was an East Smith against the Nixon.
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was nice that they had a front row seat to that.
• 6:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I wish he would have been the Celtics.
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would have had that front row seat.
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I bet he does too.
• 6:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I bet so.
• 6:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Man, how big did the patients win that trade?
• 6:38
  [UNKNOWN]: Oh, God.
• 6:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: The other guy don't remember his name.
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's retired now.
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, well, what's his name?
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Malcolm Braggden.
• 6:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: I hope.
• 6:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I thought you were just banned.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: No, I'm seriously.
• 6:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Was having trouble with the recall?
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, okay.
• 6:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Since he returned to the lineup two days after Christmas,
• 7:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Aaron Eastmith has gone from the three point line, three for eight against the heat, four for six against Houston, two for six against Orlando, one for two against San Antonio, and five for eleven against Orlando.
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: By my calculations, that's really high percentage.
• 7:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's a pretty good percentage.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Close to, what is that?
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Just under 15%.
• 7:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: For the season, he is at 40%.
• 7:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yep, right at 40%.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he's going to get plenty and more opportunities to take those shots.
• 7:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Excuse me.
• 7:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to have plenty more opportunities to take those shots and continue to score.
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he'll be another one that will be consistent.
• 7:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think what you're going to give from me, Smith, and night and night out, I think it's going to be consistent.
• 7:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's kind of
• 7:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Something that this team really needs to be stabilized is some consistency and key positions.
• 8:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Mike, you mentioned earlier, this team is better.
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Clearly, without Benedict Matherin, I hate saying it.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Seems like a nice guy, and he's a very good basketball player.
• 8:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: The isolation thing, he's very good at it.
• 8:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: It just is not work for this team.
• 8:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now he's injured not for a while.
• 8:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would have married this going to be quite a while because he tried to come back from the injury before.
• 8:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it didn't work.
• 8:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: He came back to students and now it's going to be, I would assume months.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we need to talk about what we turn that into because.
• 8:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: It could be by the trade deadline almost without question now by the end of the year.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Something will be done with Benedict's mother and he will be on another team.
• 8:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: What would you like to see the Pacers be able to turn that into when you keep in mind that they're going to have a top five pick?
• 9:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think just opportunity and I think you're going to have a top opportunity with not playing.
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: averaging basically when he was coming off the bench and that's not what you need from that position when you have your start player down you wanted somebody to step up and He just slows the game down and we we saw it with I what I saw the Orlando game this
• 9:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thought that they were in a much better pace.
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thought, yeah, I saw Huff dunking a couple times.
• 9:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: I saw him inside.
• 9:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: I saw the ball moving more.
• 9:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've had to come out because he was wore out.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was tired from running.
• 9:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's a great start.
• 9:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's a good sign.
• 9:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I thought Potter played pretty well against Orlando as well.
• 9:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he was the only place.
• 9:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Pretty cool.
• 9:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think he played a lot better with the pace.
• 10:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's what is really kind of different.
• 10:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: And when Madder is on the floor, and you've said it for last couple of years, and I've been a big fan of Madder.
• 10:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I've always, I've always given high praise and feel like, you know, he should've been in the starting role, but he slows the game down once the ball gets in his hand, it's not moving.
• 10:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, that's one of the things I liked
• 10:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: watching when I was watching the Orlando games is the way the ball is moving and it I mean wasn't touching the ground sometimes.
• 10:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and that's the way it should be.
• 10:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the kind of, what's the random flow or whatever that Carlisle talked about in the preseason, and that you don't have that with, with matter and on the floor.
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you want to isolate and you want somebody to score and you, but you gotta have a defense that's going to be able to play with that type of offense and they can't get back time, fast enough on defense to support matters game.
• 11:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: There have to be general managers out there who've watched Benedict Madher and I thought, hey, that guy can score 20, 25 from my team.
• 11:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 11:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: You hope maybe you keep until the off season and you can use him to move up the draft, even if you don't get the number one pick.
• 11:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think you got to listen to all offers during the season before the trade deadline and
• 11:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: If there's an offer that you can pack each him and a draft pick and get a key piece to pair with the team next year, you got to consider it, but I think personally, I feel like it'd be better to hold him off until the draft and see where we're at and see what.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: and see what we can get in this draft.
• 11:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: The drafts is problem.
• 11:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it becomes a free agent and you don't necessarily have control of them.
• 12:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: The good news is, aside in a silent trade is usually what works best for everybody.
• 12:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 12:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, I would be all right with that.
• 12:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be packaged into whatever our future is going to look like.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: and he's not staying no and it's not good for him it's not good for the spacers it's not a good fit he could be he could be great somewhere that fit his that fit his his game you know what I think without mother and out there I think Jaris walkers looked better as well he has I thought the same thing I thought I thought Walker played a lot better
• 12:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: He only ended up with six points, but he moved the ball.
• 12:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: He was two for four from the field, two for two from the three point line.
• 12:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: At one point, we were telling him to stop shooting threes.
• 12:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's been shooting it really well, way.
• 12:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: He hasn't quite been the same playmaker that we've seen with the Matt ants and at times with the Pacers, but he's shooting the ball really well now.
• 13:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is, and it's good to see that.
• 13:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: pretty slow start and higher expectations for him this year than he's he's met so far and but he does show promise and again I think it's the chemistry on on the floor and I think that's what made us so good last year is the first team and then we had a second team that could come in and they could change momentum and we we don't have that now it's you know we don't have
• 13:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: line change like you see in hockey to to keep the the pace and the momentum and the speed.
• 13:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I and I thought Madden was much better off the bench than he is now and I think the same thing would walk or I think the starting line up is not it is future right now.
• 13:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: But it's good to see that there is some
• 14:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, and if I mentioned how great Siocom's been lately, now I think I think we need to plug the he needs to be on that all-star team for the East.
• 14:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: 14 for 21 from the field, five assists, seven rebounds, man is he good.
• 14:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh man is he good.
• 14:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Someone mentioned on, I think was the Bill Simmons podcast that the Pacer's fortunes changed almost immediately after trading for Siocam and they were right.
• 14:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I don't think I saw the immediate impact that he made quite as much as when you put it into that perspective.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hey, I mean, it's this great to see Siocam's game.
• 14:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's average in almost 24 points of game.
• 14:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: She was close to 50%, 49%.
• 14:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: just having a phenomenal year.
• 15:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I really hope that he doesn't get disheartened from losing.
• 15:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because I might heal.
• 15:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is the idea of the tunnel.
• 15:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he does.
• 15:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: But he was also on a Toronto team that was going down to St. Pat, then you saw how they've turned that
• 15:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we're going to start seeing this team win games.
• 15:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think this is tough stretch of schedule for them and they're not a lot of wins come in this month, but with Siak and Nimhard and Eastmith, Furfi fitting in pretty well.
• 15:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: We got guys coming back, Ben Shepherd, McConnell, they're going to win a lot of games.
• 15:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think they'll get to 20.
• 15:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think I'll get to 20 as long as you guys stay healthy.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the key.
• 16:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you know, you just don't want to see that season ending injury or anything like that with this year.
• 16:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, I love to see this team fully healthy next year and with all the pieces, with whatever we do in the off season, with the draft, with whatever we
• 16:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just hope we start next year just as close to 100% healthy as possible and see where this team can go because I think the East will be wide open next year and I think the basers will definitely have a team that they can put on the floor that's going to be competitive for top three in the East next year.
• 16:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Last thing, Mike, you said last week that the patient should get Johnny Furfie in the starting line up and they have.
• 16:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: It should stay that way, right?
• 17:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it should stay that way.
• 17:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think you keep just giving him minutes and paying as much as he's grown over the last year.
• 17:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: You got to see what that.
• 17:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: What that peak is going to be, where is that going to be?
• 17:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: And the best way to figure that out is to just give him, giving him the minutes.
• 17:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not hurt.
• 17:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Anything.
• 17:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 17:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: He just continues to develop.
• 17:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to continue to get stronger.
• 17:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've talked about this with Namhard Neesmith.
• 17:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: couple years ago, it took him a little while to become men.
• 17:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think Furfi's kind of in that transition right now where he's growing from a young man to a full size man.
• 17:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think he will continue to just grow and develop and just physically and athletically.
• 17:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it'd be a key piece of our future.
• 17:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: All that said, I'm guessing on Tuesday night when the Pacers host the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• 18:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm guessing it'll be Ben Shepard in his place in the starting lineup.
• 18:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Robably.
• 18:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Robably.
• 18:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's okay.
• 18:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll see.
• 18:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'd like to see him stay in the lineup.
• 18:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would.
• 18:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would like to see him stay in the lineup.
• 18:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the thing when you get these guys in 1819 years old, I bet they're so raw and that, you know, it takes a few years to really know what you have.
• 18:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: And this year is a perfect opportunity to say we don't care.
• 18:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to grow.
• 18:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to watch him grow nine after nine.
• 18:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to learn lessons on the floor.
• 18:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: instead of having to sit and watch and learn lessons he's going to be able to learn as he plays and learning learn as he plays and prepare to be six man of the year next year.
• 18:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
• 18:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: It starts with Cleveland on Tuesday and then Thursday, they are at Charlotte Saturday at home against Miami, Mike, U and I will talk after at least two of those games.
• 19:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe all of them.
• 19:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Monday, January 12th is the Celtics at home.
• 19:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Then the Toronto Raptors at home on the 14th.
• 19:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Then the Pelicans at home on the 16th, Mike.
• 19:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's six games.
• 19:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Your expectation.
• 19:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Two and four.
• 19:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, I think I'll five hundred.
• 19:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I wouldn't be shocked if they go four and two in that stretch.
• 19:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right.
• 19:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll take the two and four and you take the four and two.
• 19:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll take the three and three.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't believe they're going to be four and two.
• 19:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I believe they're going to be three and three.
• 19:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe two and four.
• 19:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Much more likely two and four than four and two.
• 19:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: But are three and three.
• 19:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: You take the two and four and we will meet back here and talk about it.
• 19:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: But you and I will be back together on tonight, right?
• 19:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's right, we'll be back in what you can do it this way up.
• 19:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'll take the under on two and a half and you take the over.
• 19:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: We got it.
• 19:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's talk about it on Tuesday.
• 19:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: That was good.
• 19:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks so much for everything that you do for us.
• 20:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Always appreciate it.
• 20:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: And thank you for listening.
• 20:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Please do us a huge favor.
• 20:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Share this podcast with a patient's fan in your life.
• 20:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Help us spread the word that the Central Indiana Sports Report is talking about what Central Indiana Sports fans are talking about every single day.
• 20:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks again, Mike.
• 20:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no problem.
• 20:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Central Indiana Sports Report is a product of ITG media and I'll see you soon, there she is.
• 20:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hey, see you soon.
• 20:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Don't pass me any year.
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Go Pasters and go Redbirds.