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Hobbled But Still Fighting (The Pacers Report with Greg Mengelt & Mike Rich, 3.130) · The Central Indiana Sports Report

• 0:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome, Pacers fans of the Central Indiana Sports Report for this week's Pacers Report with Mike Rich, was able to fit in a little Pacers talk on his drive back mic.
• 0:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Very disappointing start to the season record-wise.
• 0:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think the most disappointing thing is the health concerns already were only nine games into the season, and that's the number one topic.
• 0:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: it just seems like a rinsing repeat of last year i mean it's like who is playing on the pacers tonight so really it's frustrating as a fan but you also want them to make sure their players are going to be ready to go they're completely healthy but injuries just continue to stack up and it's just you know injury after injury and
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: just so frustrated because you want to see this team at full strength and see what they can actually do and it's we just are not getting that opportunity for the last two years.
• 1:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I said in our season preview that I thought they could win 55 games because if they took one injury, even if it's Haliburton, they can fill in and they have the deep enough roster to be able to win games against not good teams and maybe even good teams on certain nights.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: But
• 1:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: then you throw in McConnell, you throw in Ubre, you throw in Zubot's out for a week or two.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: And everybody, everybody.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's, you know, no roster can do that.
• 1:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: And if anyone can, I think it is this pacer team as we saw on Wednesday night.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, absolutely.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we just recognized even more depth in this team,
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's right, from there from there G League, the boom has got players coming up and stepping up and filling in and I mean, yeah, we can do this temporarily and I look at this kind of like, you know, the Pacers have started out slow before and they just aren't going to have an opportunity once they all come together to have a slow start their chemistry needs to be spot on.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: 12 games of the season because you don't have a team to put out there and the schedule's not going to get any easier.
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: But we knew that coming in the season.
• 2:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we all had high hopes with this this team has the potential.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: But the number one ability of winning team is availability.
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when you don't have available starters, and you start six players, or you have six players for one game and no one else is playing, I mean, that's just...
• 3:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: I almost pulled that one off too, Mike.
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, almost did.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that just tells you the heart and the fight that this team has, as a Purdue fan, I'm happy to see Brad Smith get some minutes and he's looking, looking like he should be in the NBA.
• 3:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm really, it's been great to watch Clinton Jackson play.
• 3:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Those are really the two Mike.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: If there's any good news.
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's when we came into the season, the question was guard depth and now I don't think that's an issue at all.
• 3:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think Quentin Jackson is a legit rotation player needs to be playing every day.
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I believe that Braden Smith is a serviceable 10th 11th 12th guy on your bench.
• 3:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: who is proving that he is an MBA player, we've been saying all along.
• 3:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: There was no doubt he could play offense in the NBA.
• 3:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: You've just watched him for five minutes.
• 3:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is clearly comfortable.
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: But what we saw last night, Mike, was a Braiden Smith, who played really good defense.
• 4:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: They were able to isolate on them a couple of times.
• 4:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: to on a big guy and he of course wasn't successful there, but he had two block shots, two steals, a charge taken.
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was disruptive all night.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: And Mike, the first half, he's the only reason they had to lead.
• 4:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was the guy running that offense.
• 4:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was making everything happen.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Second half, the the regular Siocca and them hard and he Smith took over.
• 4:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: But in that first half, Braden Smith looked like a legitimate NBA player as a rookie.
• 4:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's fantastic for us and we know what type of workout we great Smith has and he is putting in.
• 4:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's probably putting in tons of hours working on his game.
• 4:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's going to get better and better.
• 4:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would say he was pesky on defense and I think he saw a little bit of McConnell any
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, but I'm we see a lot of McConnell in him.
• 5:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, I'm excited for him and I think he's you know He's definitely needs to be on that death's chart.
• 5:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: He definitely needs to continue to get opportunities
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's not, well, it's hope that let's hope that Haliburton comes back.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: McConnell comes back.
• 5:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: We have Quentin Jackson.
• 5:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: We have plenty of guard depth.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he is playing full time for the boom this year.
• 5:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: But if it's good to see that he, if needed, it's good to see that he can play those minutes and be valuable to the team.
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I was happy that to see him come up.
• 5:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: can't he do that night and night out is more and more teams get familiar with this game and I hope so.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I agree with you.
• 5:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I rather seem to be playing on the boom.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: I rather see, you know, McConnell is a backup and Halibut, starting at Quentin Jackson before I'm seeing great Smith start.
• 6:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: And really Mike Quentin Jackson is the best news here.
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: For us Purdue fans very cool to see that Brainsmith is a positive contributor to an NBA team and is rookie year.
• 6:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's great.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: The best news out of these games without Halle Burton is the Quentin Jackson is good.
• 6:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not just like Jack.
• 6:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: He should be a part of an NBA roster.
• 6:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's legit good.
• 6:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And his defense is so good.
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is becoming a huge part of this team.
• 6:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: And if the Pacers have championship aspirations, I was kind of hoping it would be Jaros Walker who kind of took the next step.
• 6:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's been okay.
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's Quentin Jackson, the me that's, this guy's got to play.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: I agree.
• 6:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he's got to play.
• 6:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: He, his defense is fantastic.
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: It just continues to get better.
• 7:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: those roles had been able to carry the team at times.
• 7:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: And with with the injury bugs that we've had and the a lot that the facers had, we need players like that.
• 7:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no doubt about it.
• 7:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think you've got a nim hard,
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: And we already knew that they had good depth up front.
• 7:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, I think the biggest question coming into the season besides health, obviously, was going to be back court depth and with Quentin Jackson clearly a daily NBA player.
• 7:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think that's a problem anymore.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am able to do it internally, which is the best news.
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 7:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And again, I just think Richard does a fantastic job
• 8:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: God knows that our G. Lake team gets plenty of opportunities to play it.
• 8:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Gang Bridge is a starter for the Pacers.
• 8:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they certainly have experience, don't they?
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I think that's paid off.
• 8:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think half is fed in pretty good with Zubot's out.
• 8:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, I probably is one of...
• 8:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: I criticize him all the time about me.
• 8:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Three easy takes, but I mean, he's actually played pretty well.
• 8:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's been through as much, you and I are both, you and I are both not Jay Huff guys because of the way he plays, but I got to tell you, he is a great fit with this locker room.
• 8:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: He is a really good chemistry guy.
• 8:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: I agree.
• 8:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he's a good chemistry guy.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: I want Zuba's back.
• 8:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can tell he wasn't.
• 8:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, he's just he's not there yet coming off the injury and I think he was minus 22 last night when he was on the floor.
• 9:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, I. I want somebody else out there at me and it's going to be productive and like defense score and.
• 9:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, Mike, I think it's too early to talk about standing.
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: So let's take a quick break and come back and talk about the upcoming schedule.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: And, uh, man, it is rough.
• 9:33
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• 9:42
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• 9:49
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• 9:53
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• 10:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Mike, you've talked about already tonight how the league is out to get the Pacers and screw them and it's been a really tough schedule that just gets tougher.
• 10:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: And the next game is in Mexico City against the Nuckets team that I think were quite a bit better than, but short-handed who knows what happens in that one.
• 10:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Then you go to Dallas, a pretty good Dallas team that already beat us at home.
• 10:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're better than that team for sure.
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: A wizard's team that is way better than expected, at least in my mind.
• 10:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then you have, oh my gosh, listen to this run.
• 10:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is one of the craziest runs I've ever seen in a schedule, Mike.
• 10:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Nixon home at Philadelphia, the Rockets at home at Cleveland, at New York, Oklahoma City at home, the 76ers at home.
• 10:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the rest of November,
• 11:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, being favored hasn't favored us.
• 11:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: So hopefully, the other dog, they can play it.
• 11:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's hope we can play a little better and have some upsets.
• 11:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and as we get out here and out here, I think we're gonna be competitive in those games and I think we've shown that.
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: I thought the bruslies were a really good team and thought they were good when we played them for a season.
• 11:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then turn around and beat them in the regular season.
• 11:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Happy to see that.
• 11:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: But that is, that's a gauntlet, that's a rough road to go down for the part of this part of the season.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I said, but Halibut, you come back, I saw McConnell look like, was it November 9?
• 11:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is that when he might potentially be expected to?
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: to be back.
• 11:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: That would be nice.
• 11:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: That would be nice.
• 11:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: The question is when is Haliburton back?
• 11:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's really the one that matters.
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, if he misses all of November, it's going to be rough.
• 12:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Make play and catch up.
• 12:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Good things are there.
• 12:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Good thing there's a play in, right?
• 12:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right.
• 12:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: I rather be healthy at the end of the season with the beginning.
• 12:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's on.
• 12:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not if you can miss the playoffs.
• 12:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 12:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 12:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: You play yourself too too far back.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: But.
• 12:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think the east is going to be tough for everybody and they're going to beat up on each other.
• 12:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And you know, I think right around 500 or even under 500 will make the plan.
• 12:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's probably 35 games like I don't think there's any question they get the playoff game play and the thing is everybody in front of him's pretty good Including the wizards maybe The heat of one three games in a row the Hornets have a don't even have conchanipl yet.
• 12:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: They are three and six The magic are behind them.
• 12:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're really only three bad teams in the entire east so you can't dig too big of a hole here out now
• 13:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: you you have to win some of those tough games you have to win some of the games you're not supposed to.
• 13:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Got to win some games with that haliburton.
• 13:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 13:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 13:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's the record without haliburton?
• 13:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because I own four before.
• 13:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Last night.
• 13:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 13:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: And last year was what 19 and.
• 13:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: whatever.
• 13:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: So 19 in a lot, we lost count at one point.
• 13:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, we just decided to stop counting.
• 13:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it's not good, but the next three we know he we won't have them.
• 13:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And those are three toss-up games and you got to win them.
• 13:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 13:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And this is where that team does need to step up and hopefully
• 13:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: take at least two or the three and yeah I think getting McConnell back is important obviously the most important thing is Tyrese Hall of Burton because he looks fantastic early on.
• 13:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: There there were some chemistry issues he was a little rusty at times but we were starting to see the Tyrese Hall of Burton even the night where he was limping around a little he bit he looked just fantastic and that's that's the whole key and
• 14:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he comes back, even in that stretch of nine games that we mentioned, they go four and five, they're fine.
• 14:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right, but if they, in this next 12 games, if they go two and 10, you know, you're starting to put yourself in a hole that too many good teams in the East overcome.
• 14:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Very hard to overcome.
• 14:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's possible with the stretch.
• 14:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, definitely possible.
• 14:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And sure, don't want to lose to the next or in that run twice.
• 14:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 14:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: That was, thank you.
• 14:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right.
• 14:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yep.
• 14:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: seventy-sixers are in there and then after they go to Chicago, they're a kind of a professional team two, then you go to Cleveland and then you go to Atlanta and then the pistons at home.
• 15:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that's like 15 games here that are tough before you come home for Golden State and Portland and then you go to Los Angeles for Christmas.
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's crazy.
• 15:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Part of it's the east is so good, but also we talked about it in the preseason that the Pacers first date games were pretty easy when you kind of look at them, they should go 6 and 2 or 7 and 1 instead they go 2 and 6 because of the injuries and so now the schedule gets really tough and it's really tough for a long time until you get to late
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: going to be rough until 2027.
• 15:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so what do you think our record needs to be between now and January 1227?
• 16:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hmm, they, they need to be within five games of 500.
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: If Haliburton's out, you know, I think, yeah, if you go two games under here to the end of December, and you're only five games under 500, I think you're really good shape.
• 16:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I would agree with that.
• 16:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would think, you know, a couple games under five, I'm not very, come out in the new year.
• 16:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, schedule, schedule.
• 16:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Lightens up a whole lot in January, you got home game.
• 16:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: This is a stretch in January, Mike Milwaukee at home, Brooklyn at home, Milwaukee at home, Phoenix at home, at Washington.
• 16:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that's your five game stretch there.
• 16:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Wow, five of them know if you're even a little healthy.
• 16:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it definitely lightens up a lot in January.
• 17:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you've got to just stay afloat now.
• 17:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: take off in 2027 and stay healthy and make your run.
• 17:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I really didn't think it was going to be like this, Mike.
• 17:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I thought this was going to be the most fun season we ever had as Pacers fans.
• 17:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: And boy, if I've been wrong so far, it's mostly just been frustrating.
• 17:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Although last night was so much fun that kind of made up for it.
• 17:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, it was good to see a play well and play well against a good team.
• 17:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I feel bad for the players.
• 17:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I mean, there's, again, there's so much potential on this team and there's so much opportunity to go far, but again, it's availability, got to be there, and I trusted what the Pacers are doing right now, it's haliburged.
• 18:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I badge an Albert as a little bit hesitant to come back too early from an injury after last time he was injured and totally makes sense.
• 18:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'd rather having 100% be able to go for a long stretch from January to June.
• 18:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's the most important six months of the past year season.
• 18:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hopefully this is all a nightmare that we wake up from eventually, but at this point, Mike, you just think we're snagged bent, right?
• 18:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's what it feels like.
• 18:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's either stake band or some freaking curse that we don't know about.
• 18:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks so much to Mike for fitting us into his busy schedule.
• 18:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: Game weight to do it again soon.
• 19:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for listening.
• 19:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Always appreciate it.
• 19:04
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• 19:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks again.
• 19:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Pacers Report and the Central Indiana Sports Report a product of ITG Media and I love Susie.