June 13, 2003

To ask a question of Pacers President Donnie Walsh, submit it along with your full name and place of residence to 1on1@pacers.com. Not every question will be answered, but all will be considered, and are subject to editing.

ONE on ONE With Donnie Walsh

A. I would disagree with that. The year we traded Tony (1999), we got knocked out in the Eastern Conference Finals and one of the things that helped us into the NBA Finals (in 2000) was the play of Austin Croshere, who got playing time because Tony was no longer here. So immediately, we were helped by the trade because it gave Austin the chance to play power forward. And Austin, in the Finals, averaged 15 points per game. So judging it immediately, it worked. We have waited on Jonathan Bender, which we knew we had to, and at the present time he’s 21 years old and Antonio Davis is 34. Even though Jonathan’s level as a player is yet to be determined, he has it all ahead of him, while Tony is in the final phase of his career.

Q. What is the missing element for the Pacers to become the dominant team of the Eastern Conference, if not the NBA? (From Park in Sydney, Australia)

A. I think we need a little more of these three elements: the ability to penetrate the defense at the point guard position, some more shooting and veteran leadership. That could come in one or two or three players.

Artest

Q. What is your take on Ron Artest's antics? Correct me if I'm wrong, but he wasn't doing these things when he played for St. John's or the Bulls, so why is he doing them now? (From Keith in Pittsburgh, PA)

A. I do agree that he didn’t do them when he was at St. John’s or in high school. But he was really doing pretty much the same thing with the Bulls. Most of what Ronnie does comes out of frustration when we’re losing or not playing well, and is usually confined to when play is stopped, not during the game. Even though this year, after he was kind of pigeon-holed, he got a lot of flagrant fouls, normally he plays physically but not over-the-edge as far as trying to hurt players or anything like that. We’ve done a lot of work with Ronnie to get to the bottom of it, and we’ll continue to do that.

Q. If Reggie Miller retires, who do you think will take over to his position as a leader of the team and great 3-point (shooter)? (From Julius in the Philippines)

A. Well, I don’t think we’ll get a 3-point shooter like Reggie since he’s the best 3-point shooter in the history of the game. But there’s no doubt we need to have that element. We do have players on this team that can make 3-point shots who haven’t played a whole lot. Austin Croshere and Jonathan Bender can make those shots. But we certainly would need more, if Reggie’s not here.

Jones

Q. With the current team, it doesn't appear to be much time on the horizon for Freddie Jones. What are the plans for his future development? (From Richard in Portland, OR)

A. We do think Freddie has a future with the Pacers. We feel like he can play the two position (shooting guard) right now and that with time he’ll be able to play some one (point guard). We look at him as a combo guard and in today’s NBA there will be times you can move him over to the three position (small forward) because he’s such a great athlete and because he has such a big body.

Bender

Q. I understand that Jonathan Bender doesn't have a large frame as compared to many other basketball players but I was wondering why he doesn't take it hard to the rim more often? I honestly don't think many defenders can stop him without fouling him and sending him to the line. (From John in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)

A. I absolutely agree with that and I think you would’ve seen a lot of that had Jonathan not gotten hurt this year. That is one of the parts of Jonathan’s game I think is truly different from other players in that he’s 7-feet and athletic. When he goes in there, he’s so high up he has to get fouled.

Q. I was wondering if the team had any intentions on re-signing Tim Hardaway next year. (From Kenny in Indianapolis)

A. We’ll talk about that toward the end of the (free agent) signing period, but it depends on any other moves we might make.

Croshere

Q. I have thought for some time that Austin Croshere is a player of similar skills and caliber as Keith Van Horn. I looked them both up and noticed they're the same height, almost the same weight, and even both graduated from college in '97. Looking at their numbers, Austin stacks up very favorably if you look at per-minute statistics. Why is it, I wonder, that Van Horn gets considerable media attention and is considered a star, but Croshere does not get his due? Is it just (playing time) and position on the team? Do you agree Austin is as skilled or more skilled as Van Horn? (From Jeff in Goshen, IN)

A. Van Horn was the second pick in the (1997) draft, while Austin was the 12th pick in the draft, which meant that Van Horn did get playing time right away and established himself. I do see a big similarity in the way they play in that both are very good outside shooters at 6-10, but also very good rebounders. At this point, Van Horn is probably better with the ball than Croshere is, but they are very similar players.

Q. If you had a chance to get any player in the NBA (that’s not a Pacer already) to play with the Pacers, who would it be and why? (From Brian in Indianapolis)

A. Shaq, because he wins all the games.

R. Miller

Q. I am 11 years old. Why I am writing to you is because I love your ballclub and my favorite player is Reggie Miller. I just wanted to know, is Reggie retiring this year? I have been so confused because I have heard rumors that Reggie is retiring and I have heard that Reggie has signed another contract for 3 years. (From Tyler in Indianapolis)

A. Reggie has indicated to me that he is not retiring and that he’d like to continue to play. I think, at this point, he’d like to play at least two more years.

Q. Do you feel the Pacers should now be considered perennial contenders for the NBA championship? (From William in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)

A. I would hope that’s true, and I think that we certainly have the talent to make that a true statement. But I also think that we have to continue to work on our team to fine-tune it to really think that way. I usually don’t think, ‘We did good last year so we’re going to do good next year.’ I think you have to go out each year with a renewed outlook on each season that you’re going in to try to win a championship – particularly if you feel you have talent.

Brezec

Q. What are your plans regarding Primoz Brezec? Is he going to have a home here for a while or is he going to go after his contract is up? (From Chris in Indianapolis)

A. We think Primoz will get a chance to play. He’s a 7-foot-plus player who has spent two years in the NBA. We think he’s at the point where he’s going to get some playing time. He has a very big presence under the basket, which is something we need.

Q. I'd like to know if there will be a serious effort to acquire a serious contender/superstar point guard this summer - among others, while not a veteran, Tony Parker could become available should (Jason) Kidd go to San Antonio. I can't imagine that this team wouldn't go to the Conference Finals with Parker, and there are several others, including maybe the Glove (Gary Payton)? What is the front office's summer gameplan? (From Rupert in Houston)

A. The answer to the question is yes, but we fully know that a certain number of the players you’re referring to won’t be available to us. Of the ones that would be available, we’ll certainly look into it.