Mark's Mailbag

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The green flag drops on Victor Oladipo's regular season on Friday. The same could be said for the entire Pacers team in fact, now that it's — finally — fully assembled and ready to run without restrictor plates.

vThe limit on Oladipo's playing time — to 24 minutes when he first returned seven games ago and then to 28 for the last two before the All-Star break — has been lifted. He can play as long as his heart and coach Nate McMillan's desire allows when the Pacers resume their season on Friday in New York against the Knicks.

So, the Pacers not only will have the full roster the front office assembled last summer, but they will have no obstacles other than themselves for as long as they can stay healthy. Which is a good thing for them, because they'll need all the positive circumstances they can get to achieve their preseason goal of a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference that will bring homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Wait, did we say top-four seed? Oladipo, being Oladipo, has aspirations well behind that.

"The goal here is to win a championship," he said Wednesday following the Pacers' first post-break workout at St. Vincent Center.

"That's my goal. I know that's this team's goal. Why even play if you're not trying to do that? You want to play for fun? You can play for fun in the rec league. Obviously, it's a fun game to play, but it's about winning. That's how you're defined, that's how you leave your legacy. I'm trying to leave mine for generations to come."

Ok, then. The first objective, however, has to be to get out of sixth place. The Pacers are 32-23, 3.5 games back of Miami in fourth. Fifth-place Philadelphia, 1.5 games back of the Heat, also stands in the way of opening a playoff series at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. McMillan warns, quite logically, that it's going to take time for Oladipo to regain his All-Star form and for him to achieve chemistry with his teammates.

But Oladipo, being Oladipo, isn't in the mood for patience. He missed 46 games last season, including the final 35, and then missed the first 47 this season while recovering from the torn quad muscle suffered on Jan. 23 last year. He hyped his patience during the rehab, making sure his body was ready to return to the NBA grind, but that was about preparing himself to play. Now that he's playing, and has had his personal seven-game sort-of preseason, he's anxious to get going.

He proved that over the break when he spent all but a day or two at St. Vincent Center working out. He said he went from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., focused on getting stronger, improving his cardio, shooting, and receiving treatment. He followed up by being the last player off the practice court on Wednesday.

Asked what was going through his mind during his break workouts, he said, simply, "Killing."

"Not literally," he added. "Being a killer."

The question now becomes how to go about slaying the competition, how to dominate as he did two seasons ago when he averaged 23.1 points and was a first-team all-defense selection. Oladipo has been a high-volume shooter in previous seasons but now is surrounded by more scoring weapons. The Pacers, in fact, are one of few NBA teams to feature five double-figure scorers in their starting lineup.

Domantas Sabonis (who was excused from Wednesday's practice) played in the All-Star Game on Sunday. T.J. Warren, the team's leading scorer (18.5) and Malcolm Brogdon (16.9) aren't far from being All-Star caliber players and Myles Turner (11.9) is capable of high-scoring games despite his role as a shot-blocker and defense-stretcher.

Oladipo had just seven field goal attempts in the Pacers' face-saving victory over Milwaukee before the break. That surely won't be the norm for him going forward but perhaps spoke to his willingness to redefine himself however necessary. He averaged 17.9 shots two seasons ago and 16.3 last season, more than Reggie Miller's peak season for attempts (15.7) in his 18-year career.

"I'm lucky not to have to do too much," he said. "My time is coming. I know when I have to take over. I'm smart. I'm a good player. I can read the game. I know when it's time for me to go get it and make something happen, and when it's time for me to make that extra pass or let somebody else take over the game. I'm just trying to get ready every day."

Added McMillan: "We understand there's only one ball and you have to sacrifice out there," McMillan said. "We'll slowly work into a rhythm with that first group."

Oladipo being elevated to playing typical starter's minutes, between 32 and 34 per game, should hasten that process. Ideally, it will enable him to improve his shooting touch, after hitting just 33 percent of his field goal attempts in his seven games before the break and find chemistry with his teammates.

"We have the weapons," he said, after being the last player off the practice court. "We have the talent to be very successful down the stretch and in the playoffs. But at the end of the day we have to do it. I can sit here and tell you a thousand times we've got the potential, but if you don't put that to use there's no point in me telling you. We've just got to figure it out and do it."

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Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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Unlimited Oladipo Ready to "Kill" Again

The limit on Oladipo's playing time — to 24 minutes when he first returned seven games ago and then to 28 for the last two before the All-Star break — has been lifted. He can play as long as his heart and coach Nate McMillan's desire allows when the Pacers resume their season on Friday in New York against the Knicks.

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Editor's Note: Some Mailbag questions have been edited for clarity and length.

Q. This team has been completely overhauled (for the better) but still seems destined for another first-round playoff exit. The only two variables that could change this are Vic hitting his stride and really elevating his game or Myles playing to his potential (somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 points and 12 rebounds per game). Neither seems likely this year.

The obvious missing piece is a 4 (power forward) that can rebound and play defense all over the court against the best players in the league. Who is a likely offseason addition to fill this need and what might the Pacers have to give up to get such a player?

A. This is going to sound like a copout answer, and it's going to have to be repeated throughout this mailbag, but it's nearly impossible to identify offseason needs with this much time left in the season. The Pacers' season is just getting underway in a very real sense. The intended starting lineup has opened a game twice now. Oladipo's return tweaks everybody's role, so it's too soon to pass judgment.

However, I don't think it's reasonable to expect Turner to average 18 points and 12 rebounds — not unless you're going to direct the focus of the offense his way and reduce the role of other starters.

Here's the dilemma, and why Turner deserves credit for being the "fall guy" in the offense for accepting fewer shots than the other starters: You already have two players averaging more than 18 points — T.J. Warren and Domantas Sabonis. Both are shooting better than 50 percent, so I don't think you want to reduce their roles. Malcom Brogdon averages 16.6 but was at 17.8 after 31 games. As the point guard running off all those high screens, he's going to have plenty of scoring opportunities. And now you have Oladipo, who averaged 23.1 two seasons ago and 18.8 last season. He should be somewhere near 18 as well, shouldn't he? I would imagine he views that as a bare minimum given his previous production.

Which begs the question, can a team have five 18-point scorers in its starting lineup? That's never happened before in the history of the NBA, not even on the historically good teams. I found one, the Philadelphia 76ers of the 1976-77 season, that had four players average at least 18, but even that is highly unusual.

It comes down to the fact someone in every starting lineup is going to have to play a supporting role. This group should have great balance, but I can't imagine all five will average around 18 points. Turner is getting fewer than 10 shots per game. Oladipo should be able to get him some easy shots off penetration, but Oladipo also is going to be taking more shots than Jeremy Lamb took as a starter (10.6) once he gets to playing starter minutes.

You can find a power forward who improves rebounding, someone out of the Dale Davis and Jeff Foster mold, but you're going to give up 3-point shooting and floor spacing that creates penetration opportunities for players such as Oladipo. And to get a high-level player along that line obviously would require giving up a premier player.

Again, we just need to see what this team becomes and reassess in June/July.

Q. Was the losing streak more about: establishing roles, rebounding, perimeter defense, or offensive execution?

The Toronto game hurt worse than the Bogey inbound to Terry.

A. You're referring to the game in Toronto, when the Pacers blew a 10-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. That was indeed painful. Sometimes good things come out of those kind of losses, though. They require self-examination on the part of both players and coaches and can be a motivation for change.

The game you reference when Bojan Bogdanovic threw a panicky lob pass that was intercepted by Boston's Terry Rozier is a prime example. (It wasn't an inbound pass, by the way, although it's often remembered that way.) The players rallied around Bogdanovic and the coaches maintained their confidence in him, and ultimately that seemed to make him feel more of part of the team's fabric and a better player.

As for the losing streak, it was a multiple-choice test. I'd rank establishing roles at the top of the list of answers, but the other factors you listed were certainly part of it. And, you have to give credit to the opponents. If Serge Ibaka and Joe Harris each miss one more 3-pointer or Kristaps Porzingis doesn't have his best offensive game of the season we're having an entirely different conversation.

Q. You think Malcom was tired before the break? How was the locker room during the six-game loss? Also, what is your prediction on how they fair in the playoffs?

A. I do. He didn't use that as an excuse before the break but acknowledged after the game with Milwaukee that he had been worn down by the concussion and strep throat that kept him out of games. His play reflected that, although his was more himself against the Bucks.

As for a prediction, I don't know what to think of the team as currently assembled. We've only seen two games with the intended starters and we don't know (1) how well Oladipo can play this season and (2) how well he can be integrated into the offense. The last pre-break game against Milwaukee was encouraging, I thought.

Regardless, it will be difficult to move into a top-four position in the Eastern Conference unless one of the teams currently in those spots has a major injury issue and falters. They show no signs of dropping as they stand. Miami just lost four out of five games on a Western road trip, but has an easier schedule the rest of the way than the Pacers.

Should the Pacers lose again in the first round of the playoffs I'm sure there will be a lot of anguish among fans, not to mention many of those within the franchise. If so, depending on the circumstances of the exit — who played well, how competitive they were, etc. — it might be a time for (even more) patience and tweaks rather than an overhaul. It's a "new" team that has gone through an injury-plagued season, which isn't generally a prescription for major changes.

In the early 90's, the Pacers endured four consecutive seasons in which they finished within one game of .500 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. There was a major outcry among fans and media for major changes, but general manager Donnie Walsh — whose own job security was called into question — kept his head about him and gradually built the team that reached the conference five times in the next seven seasons.

Obviously, for this team to go beyond the first round it will need to establish a fluid chemistry that brings out everyone's strengths — and have a break or two along the way, starting with the health of the key players.

Q. Have you ever sat in on a Pacers pregame pep talk?

Do they have guests come in and pep up the team ever?

Does the team get pissed off at halftime? Not the pointing fingers type, rather do they ever yell what they need to do the second half?

Do you ever question the rotation during the game? Especially with Victor back. I would hate for them to lose the second rotation spark.

A. I have not sat in on a Pacers pre-game session. I have been in many of those for Purdue teams, having followed three of them while working on book projects. I feel safe in saying that the "pep talks" for NBA teams are more informational than inspirational. The rah-rah stuff doesn't wear well over an 82-game season. That's even true for a lot of college teams, which play fewer than half as many games.

There might be the occasional game when a team has been struggling and the coach shows more emotion while speaking with them, but that approach is generally saved for halftime or timeouts. If you go all-in on trying to fire up a team before the game, it would have to be such a monumental speech that it would be remembered after the lengthy pre-game warmup period and the introduction of the starting lineups.

Besides that, the games are so long that any impact of something that happens before the game is likely to wear off by the end of the first quarter. And, as you might know, I'm not a fan of fast starts anyway. They tend to lead to lulls, and those lulls can be difficult to overcome. Better to fall behind — that can fire up a team as well as anything.  We all sharpen our focus in times of a crisis.

I have not heard of the Pacers or another NBA bringing in a guest speaker before the game. That would be more likely to happen after a practice. But even then, it's rare. The players are adults and less likely to be inspired by an outsider. That would be more common for a college team — and the best guest speaker for a college team likely would be a professional player. It would have to be someone hugely admired outside of basketball to bring energy to an NBA team, I would think. The best example I can think of related to the Pacers is when Muhammad Ali attended a game in the 1999-2000 season. The players seemed excited just to have him there, and were practically showing off for him during the game. Which they won. He came in the locker room afterward and they were like little kids. Jalen Rose was really proud of the fact Ali had come up with a little poem for him on the spot: "Jalen Rose, I'll bust your nose!"

As for becoming angry with one another at halftime, I would hope so. Every team worth anything has a culture in which players are willing to challenge one another and captains who know how to talk with underperforming players.

That, of course, assumes the captains are performing. If not, things get awfully shaky. Most of the halftime anger, though, is going to come from the coaches. The so-called pep talk is likely to have more impact there than before the game. Sometimes the head coach can utilize an assistant coach in that role if he's not the type to go off on a team. I remember Rick Carlisle using Mike Brown that way. Carlisle wasn't a screamer by nature; it just didn't fit his personality. But Brown had enough respect from the players to get after them a few times, either in a huddle or at halftime. My impression, though, is that McMillan is fully capable of handling that task himself.

I don't question the rotation often. I think that's one of Nate McMillan's strengths, in fact. He doesn't stay married to a pre-game plan and goes with the flow of the game. He's not afraid to finish a close game with a lineup that didn't start the game. I know some fans wonder why a certain player doesn't play more, but the follow-up question to that is "Who plays less?" That's usually tough to answer. You can criticize rotation decisions after every loss, but every team loses close games over the course of the season.

As for the current situation, Oladipo has to start for the Pacers to achieve their potential. And there's enough talent on the bench to bring a spark if they're playing as they're capable.

Q. Do you think it is an issue that Domas is top 10 in touches per game in the NBA? Should these duties be more on Malcolm, or are the Domas touches good for the flow of the offense?

A. I believe Sabonis touches are a good thing. He's a capable passer, and from his position in the low post or near the free throw line he has a lot of options. The Pacers need all the ball movement they can get to take advantage of their balanced scoring, and Sabonis is best equipped to facilitate it. His assist-to-turnover ratio isn't great, but he's a willing passer and many of his passes lead to layups or wide-open shots.

Obviously, a lot of his touches become shot attempts, and that's OK, too. He's shooting better than 50 percent from the field. He might want to curtail his 3-point shooting, given his plunged percentage, unless he can get that shot going in practice first.

I also believe his touches will go down a bit as Oladipo establishes himself among the starters. This team will be at its best when everybody is involved in the offense with a roughly equal amount of touches once the first pass has been made.

A. The process will be complete on March 10, when the Pacers play Boston.

Just kidding. It's impossible to predict and will be a gradual process.

We also might disagree on a definition for "fits in." But for it to happen in any form will require some sacrifice on his part, which he showed in the two games leading up to the All-Star break, as well as the willingness of the other players to adjust to his promising presence. The Pacers have always been a far better team when he limits his shot production — not necessarily to seven attempts, which he had in the victory over Milwaukee, but certainly less than the 17 he took in 23 minutes in the loss to Dallas.

Q. I noticed that the Pacers played zone defense a time or two against Milwaukee. Do you think they will start playing more zone?

In my opinion, I think zone may be the best defense when Myles and Domas are on the floor together.

A. They also played zone defense a few times in the game against Brooklyn, which preceded the one against Milwaukee. Nate McMillan and Dan Burke had always been man-to-man coaches, and Brogdon says he has always personally favored man-to-man defense. But they hadn't been defending as well recently and decided to make a change.

I expect it to stay in the game plan if it proves effective, but in limited doses. It could indeed improve rebounding by keepsing Sabonis and Turner closer to the basket. But a lot of coaches believe zones make defenders lazy and slow the pace of the game. A zone is a reactive defense that probably doesn't create as many turnovers. A man-to-man is more proactive and is more likely to lead to a pick-six type of turnover that leads to a layup at the other end. Zones in the NBA usually have the greatest impact as a method of changing the pace of a game and throwing the opponent's offense out of sync, at least temporarily.

Q. After watching Goga now for 50+ games can you access whether he is a legit post player on a contending team in the NBA yet?

A. It's too early, because he's a 20-year-old rookie who is averaging 8 1/2 minutes of action per game. But I do think he will develop into a solid center, at minimum. Although he's not shooting well from the 3-point line, yet his form is good, and he's been at least an average 3-point shooter in the past.

I'm assuming by "post player" you mean center, and not a post-up player. We haven't seen a lot of post-ups from him yet, but he seemed to score well out of the low post in Europe. Given his length, agility, ability to run the floor, and willingness to mix it up around the basket, I see no reason why he can't become a good NBA center.

Q. The Golden State Warriors, mainly out of necessity, have thrown in the towel on this season after opening up a brand new billion-dollar arena in San Franchise and are collecting multiple draft picks. Is there any way the Pacers would ever do this type of total rebuild in your opinion?

A. I doubt it. They haven't been in a situation similar to the Warriors, who are a league-worst 12-43 at the break, since the mid-80's, when they won 26 games or fewer in four straight seasons. They've always had at least a core of players to build around.

As you mentioned, the Warriors aren't tanking by design. It was forced upon them by injury and they are rolling with it. If the Pacers were in a similar circumstance they might do the same, but they've never had a run of injuries such as the Warriors have had.

I still contend tanking is a highly questionable strategy. It's one thing to accept a season as a lost cause and unload some players for draft picks or to dump salary. The only team that's truly utilized it as a long-term strategy is Philadelphia, and all these years later it hasn't yet paid off. Some of the Sixers' high lottery picks are playing elsewhere (Jrue Holiday, Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Michael-Carter Williams, and Markelle Fultz), and this season's team is just two games ahead of the Pacers in the standings.

A large-market team has the population base to support a losing team reasonably well, but small-market teams don't have that luxury. And, there's a lot to be said for the integrity of not tanking.

Q. I know we are trying to win games and McConnell has been very good but are we making a mistake by not giving Aaron Holiday more minutes so he can develop? Is he a likely trade candidate this summer?

Q. Are the Pacers stunting the growth and progress of Aaron Holiday in your opinion now that Oladipo is back and seems to be the odd man out? What is the ceiling for Aaron Holiday? Have we seen it already? Is he a trade piece in the offseason now? He doesn't seem to fit now.

A. McMillan prefers a nine-man rotation and someone had to drop out of it. That turned out to be Aaron Holiday, and I can't argue with that decision. T.J. McConnell has been the better backup point guard and Holiday can no longer play backup shooting guard if Lamb is going to slip to that role.

It is McMillan's job to win games more than develop players. He gets blamed for just about every loss, it seems, so imagine the reaction if he sacrificed wins for the development of younger players. Holiday has played plenty this season and has had ample opportunity to claim a place in the rotation. He's not played as well as McConnell, though, and it's not like McConnell is an over-the-hill veteran. He's 27, well shy of Medicare enrollment, and can still improve.

It's up to Holiday to earn his way into the rotation. The same could be said for other promising out-of-the-rotation players such as Edmond Sumner and Alize Johnson. It's easy to feel sorry for guys like them when you know how hard they've worked and seen their promise, but that's the harsh reality of the NBA. Nobody understands that better than McMillan, who's seen it all in his career as a player and coach and doesn't allow himself to get too sentimental over the players out of the rotation.

Holiday has at times looked like a player with a high ceiling but goes through stretches in which he doesn't seem engaged or makes poor decisions. McMillan hasn't been afraid to bench him at those times, and always seems to get results — for a while, at least. For example, after McMillan benched him in that home loss to the Clippers, Holiday went on a nine-game spree in which he averaged 16.4 points on 52 percent shooting. But that was followed by an eight-game run in which he averaged 8.3 points on 35 percent shooting.

As with every player on the roster, he's a trade piece if he can bring a player who improves the team. But that's too far into the future to even consider.

Q. What is realistically the best-case scenario for this team for the remainder of this season? How far can this team realistically go in the playoffs in your opinion? And what things need to happen to reach that? Does it all come down to Oladipo's continued progress?

A. My story posted on Monday mostly answers these questions. It doesn't all come down to Oladipo's progress, although that's the first order of business. It's also about Brogdon staying healthy and finding chemistry with Oladipo as well as Turner being a greater factor, as he was in the win over Milwaukee before the break.

Let's face it, reaching one of the top four seeds in the East will be difficult, although it could happen if one or two of the teams ahead of the Pacers has major injury issues. Still, the Pacers should be able to compete with any of those teams, with the possible exception of Milwaukee, if they maintain good health and find good chemistry.

Q. If you were the Pacers general manager for a day and the goal was to get this team back to the Eastern Conference Finals, how would you go about it? Trade pieces and collect draft picks and try to get a lottery pick? Or do what the current front office is doing?

A. For now, the best approach is to stay the course. Because — here we go again — we don't know what this team can become. Maybe this is the time to remind that the Pacers team that first reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994 had lost in the first round of the playoffs the four previous seasons. Reggie Miller was then in his seventh season with the team. Rik Smits was in his sixth. Dale Davis was in his third. It had been given time to grow together while the roster was tweaked around those three.

It's awfully difficult to trade for a lottery pick. You would have to give up a star-caliber player to do so, so why would you do that unless you were overloaded at a position? You probably would be hoping to get a player as good as the one you gave away. And if you could do such a trade, you're getting younger and prolonging the building process — and that's assuming you hit on the draft pick.

Q. Do you think there is something wrong with Brogdon? I'm speaking from a physical health perspective. He had a good game (against Milwaukee) but he doesn't look like the same player he was earlier in the season.

A. Brogdon acknowledged after the win over Milwaukee, in which he scored 10 points and passed out five assists in the fourth quarter, that he had felt worn down by the dog days of the season and his health issues — most recently, a concussion and strep throat. He said that game was the first in a while in which he felt like himself.

It's clear the Pacers need him at his best to have a chance to compete with the elite teams in the East. He had health issues with Milwaukee, so that's a major factor going forward.

Q. Myles looked really good (against Milwaukee). Solid on the defensive end as usual, but also aggressive offensively, not passing up open looks. Has the coaching staff been on him to be more aggressive in his ever-changing role?

A. Turner scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Milwaukee. He had 12 of his points in the first half, hitting 5-of-7 shots, and he hit all three of his shots, including a 3-pointer, in the first quarter.

He was clearly more energetic and assertive in that game. The coaching staff has always wanted him to be that way, but he seems to have to remind himself of that now and then. I can understand his dilemma, though. He has had to accept a subordinate role in the offense with this group and has accepted that gracefully. There's a fine line between accepting a role and being too passive, though. He needs to be a scoring threat to keep defenses honest, but if he looks for his shot too aggressively, he might take good shots away from someone else.

The first quarter of the game against the Bucks could serve as a template for the Pacers going forward. Sabonis took six shots, Warren took five, Turner took three, Oladipo took two, and Brogdon took one. I'm not saying Oladipo should take the second-fewest shots in a game, but that kind of balance — regardless of who's taking how many shots — is a good thing. Everyone was involved and the Pacers took a 34-20 lead. Although Brogdon took just one shot (and hit it) he had five assists and just one turnover. He emerged in the fourth quarter, taking five shots and scoring 10 points.

This team needs balance to beat the better teams, and Turner needs to be part of that balance most nights. His primary responsibility is to defend the rim and rebound, but the more he can stretch the defense by posing a 3-point threat and hit midrange shots, the better.

Q. How long into a season before a player realizes he doesn't have a particular shot in his arsenal? Say what you want about Ben Simmons, but he doesn't take shots that aren't high-percentage shots. I don't understand why Sabonis keeps on shooting the 3-pointer.

A. Sabonis' 3-point percentage is one of the Pacers' greater mysteries. He was a good shooter behind the arc his previous three seasons, but suddenly and inexplicably has lost his long-range touch so far this season.

This might be difficult to believe now, but as a rookie with Oklahoma City there was a night when the Thunder went into Boston and Sabonis hit four of six 3-pointers as a power forward playing next to Steven Adams. He scored 20 points, 12 of them from behind the 3-point arc. He only had one rebound, but no worries! He was there to score and spread the defense. At that point of the season, 30 games in, he was hitting 44 percent of his 3-point attempts and seemingly had established himself as a perimeter scoring threat.

But he hadn't. He hit the rookie wall at that point, making just one of his next 25 3-point attempts, and finished the season a 32 percent shooter from behind the arc. He showed more promise after the trade to the Pacers, though, hitting 35 percent of his 37 attempts two seasons ago and 53 percent of his 17 attempts last season.

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Mark's Mailbag: 2020 All-Star Break Edition

Q. Do you expect the Pacers to be in the trade market this year given their depth?

If so, what position may need to be upgraded?

A. This one came in a couple of weeks ago, and I need to congratulate you for asking the first trade question of the season.

While it's impossible to predict now what their needs might be in February, it's safe to say the answer is the same as every season. If there's a deal the front office believes will improve the team, it will be made. That could include anybody, really. While some players are less likely to be traded than others, I consider virtually none to be untradeable. Any player can be traded for a slightly better player in the front office's judgement. And even the best player in the league, whoever that is, could be traded for a package of players that improves the team.

The pressing question for the Pacers at this moment is how well the Turner-Sabonis tandem works out. It's far too early to know now, but it's a promising combination and will be given time to mature.

Q. What is the best-guess timeline return for all of the current injured Pacers?

A. Jeremy Lamb and T.J. McConnell returned against Orlando on Saturday and Malcolm Brogdon is set to play on Monday against Memphis, so that leaves Victor Oladipo and Edmond Sumner on the sideline.

Oladipo is progressing, but nobody is forecasting a return. I'm on record as saying I believe it will be earlier than generally anticipated, but that's just a gut feeling based on nobody's insight.

Sumner had the brace removed from his right hand this week, but he isn't expect to play next week, I don't believe.

Q. Do we know how long VO's #MadAnts stint will be?

A. Oladipo has practiced twice with Fort Wayne, purely out of convenience. On days when the Pacers have a game or are not having practice, he is "sent down" to the Mad Ants to get in a workout. It could happen again as he continues his rehabilitation.

It will be interesting to see if he plays a game with the Mad Ants before returning to the Pacers. It doesn't happen often in the NBA, but it's common in baseball for a Major League star player to play a game or two with a Triple-A team to get back in the groove.

Q. Would you have the time to explain why Sabonis is allowed to extend his hip on screens without penalty sometimes, but he is penalized others? I'm confused on what is a legal screen. He seems to set them exactly the same all of the time.

A. It's confusing for everyone. I've talked to him as well as to Nate McMillan and Detroit's coach, Dwyane Casey, and everybody is confused.

The league has gotten pretty loose about calling them. Just about every screen these days includes some movement. Refs don't want to call it every time and turn the game into a free throw shooting contest, but lately it seems they call it more often. I'm for calling it, because it gives the offense an unfair advantage — there's no way to defend a moving screen. But they have to be consistent with it, and Sabonis has been caught in the trap of inconsistency.

I'm just glad I don't have to make the call.

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Mark's Mailbag: Why is Oladipo Practicing with the Mad Ants?

Darren Collison feels the call. Like a swallow to Capistrano, he has flown to an NBA training camp around this time of the year for the past decade, so the fact his pulse is quickening this week is only natural.

"Best time of the season," he is saying over the phone. "Every team has a chance and every player wants to showcase his talent. Everybody's jockeying for position and trying to be the best player he can be."

Every player planning to play on an NBA team, that is — a group that surprisingly enough does not include Collison, who decided not to heed the call.

The Pacers' starting point guard the past two seasons announced his retirement on June 28. He was just 31 years old at the time and coming off the two most satisfying seasons of his NBA career; perhaps his two best seasons, as well. His agent had fielded interest from a handful of teams that could have made his free agency experience a lively and lucrative one in July, but Collison pulled the plug.

For good and for a good reason, in his mind.

His decision came as a surprise to the NBA world because he had given no hint of being done with basketball after the Pacers' season ended in April with that first-round playoff loss to Boston. Then again, nobody came out and asked if he was thinking about retirement. That would have seemingly gone into the Stupid Questions file, because what 31-year-old, uninjured, starting point guard just gets up and leaves the game?

"It's not something you plan on doing," he said this week from his home in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. "It just happens.

"I didn't think I would retire after 10 years. I thought I would play for a very long time. I still want to. It's my heart and passion."

He wants to, but not as much as he wants to move on to a new life. He reached that decision about a month after the end of the Pacers' season and remains content with it for two reasons: faith and family.

Collison is a Jehovah's Witness, has been for the past few years. He kept his religion to himself with the Pacers, believing it should remain a private matter in the workplace environment, but looks forward to having more time to devote to witnessing. That sometimes includes knocking on doors to pass out literature and speak with whomever answers. Most people would find such an activity too bold or perhaps too annoying, but Collison finds it meaningful.

"You get to meet a lot of different people," he said. "It doesn't have to be reading a scripture from the Bible. Sometimes these people need help when you come to their door. Maybe they just need somebody to talk to. A lot of people are struggling with mental health, a financial crisis or a health issue, and I can be with them a couple of minutes."

Collison also has more time to be with his wife, Keyosha, and their five-year-old son, Kinston. He took the call for this conversation as they were about to watch a movie at home.

"It makes me feel good, just being able to be around my son and groom him every single day and help him grow. I just finished doing homework with him. We spent an hour together. He wants to do more homework because he got a chance to do it with me. He's clinging to me at the hip.

"The amount of time I spend with my family, you can't put a price on that."

He also is devoting himself to Pro's Vision, a training company with the mission of "teaching athletes how to train, recover and think like pros." Most of the clients are younger athletes, but NBA players Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball also have participated.

"I can't stress enough that basketball isn't everything," Collison said. "Athletes think making the NBA is a success story, but a success story is being able to provide for yourself and your family. There are a lot of things you can do to become successful."

Collison is the outlier of last season's Pacers free agent class, which has spread far and wide. Thaddeus Young is in Chicago, Bojan Bogdanovic is in Utah, Cory Joseph is in Sacramento, Kyle O'Quinn is in Philadelphia, and Wesley Matthews is in Milwaukee.

Collison, meanwhile, is retiring ahead of schedule but on his own terms. In his mind, that's a success career for someone who had been projected to go in the second round of most 2009 mock drafts. New Orleans took him with the 21st overall pick, a decision greeted without enthusiasm by most analysts.

He made six stops in his 10 seasons, including two with the Pacers. He never played on a title contender and never made an All-Star team, but he was a model of quiet consistency. He averaged between 10.4 and 14 points in each of his seasons and went out on top. His final two, with the Pacers, were by most measures his best.

He barely fell short of the rare 50/40/90 feat — shooting .495 from the field, .468 from the 3-point line and .882 from the foul line — in the 2017-18 season and set a franchise record for 3-point percentage. He also became the second player in league history to lead in 3-point shooting and assist-to-turnover ratio (5.3 - 1.2).

Last season, he averaged a career-high 6 assists and just 1.6 turnovers and still hit better than 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. The advanced analytics thrive on such feats, so his Player Efficiency Rating and Win Shares average the past two seasons were the best of his career. His happiness quotient also peaked in that period, which he says provided him "everything I've ever wanted" regarding his relationship with teammates and the front office.

Reading about all the training camps getting underway this week will feel strange and might even provide a few second thoughts. But not enough to make him turn around and go back.

"In my 10 years I gave the game everything I've got, whether it was on the court or off," he said. "I didn't have to be an All-Star or Hall of Famer. I would have loved to have won a championship, but you can't define your career by that."

collison-not-regretting-retirement-much

Collison Not Regretting Retirement (Much)

Only three of the veteran players did not attend the Pacers' annual golf outing at Brickyard Crossing on Wednesday, but one of them was a strong presence amid his excused absence.

Victor Oladipo, who continues to work out in Miami to rehabilitate the torn quad muscle he suffered last season, was the most talked-about player for obvious reasons. It can safely be reported he is progressing well. But nobody has a prediction for when he'll return to game action.

Coach Nate McMillan spent a couple of days with Oladipo early this month, and Oladipo worked out for a couple of days in the St. Vincent Center practice facility last week. Nobody was left discouraged by what they saw.

"He's doing great," McMillan said. "He's not playing live, but he's moving and he's in a good position mentally. I like what I see with him."

The Pacers open training camp on Saturday, Sept. 28. Oladipo will be on hand and participate as much as he's allowed, but nothing is certain beyond that.

"I just know that the 23rd of October (when the Pacers open their season against Detroit) he probably won't be there," McMIllan said. "But the time frame, honestly, we have no idea."

Oladipo has been in touch with teammates throughout the summer, particularly his future backcourt mate, Malcolm Brogdon, who was acquired in a trade with Milwaukee in July. Brogdon said he texts with Oladipo every couple of weeks. They worked out together in Las Vegas during Summer League play. They also planned to get together in Miami but were not able to coordinate their schedules.

Oladipo has not participated in the scrimmages at St. Vincent Center, nor have Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, who played in the FIBA World Cup in China. All of the other players under contract have done so.

It's only natural for players to speak positively of pre-training camp sessions, but there seems to be an added degree of optimism generated by the workouts so far. The players are playing best-of-five and best-of-seven series, with games to 15. Each game has to be ended by a made foul shot, so if the free throw is missed the game continues. The coaches have picked the squads, mixing and matching lineups.

"This is a super-competitive team," Brogdon said. "People play hard on both ends. You don't see that with all NBA teams, where everybody wants to push themselves on the defensive end as well. It's encouraging."

"We've got a bunch of good dudes who work extremely hard and are coachable," free agent acquisition T.J. McConnell said. "That's all you can ask for. It's cool to see everyone want to be here and be excited and want to get better every day."

"Everybody's really humble and we bring the hardhat to work every day," another free agent, JaKarr Sampson said. "There's great energy in the gym."

Most players hesitated to single out a teammate for playing surprisingly or exceptionally well when asked about the scrimmages. McConnell, however, put in a word for Brogdon.

"He's really good," McConnell said. "Physical freak, great teammate, all the things you want from one of your star players. He's going to be really good for us."

Brogdon passed on a compliment of his own.

"I think T.J.'s taken a step this summer," he said. "He's been dominating in pickup, playing really well."

Brogdon was referring to third-year forward TJ Leaf, one of three T.J.'s on the roster, joined by McConnell and T.J. Warren.

So far, it hasn't been determined who will get to answer to the initials.

"We've been trying to figure it out," Warren said. "It's just really weird, hearing 'T.J.' and everybody turns their head. As the season goes on, I'm pretty sure we'll figure it out. I just turn my head regardless."

McConnell was conducting an interview with a small group or reporters before play began on Wednesday when a newcomer stuck his phone/recorder into the huddle.

"No comment," McConnell said, looking up at first-round draft pick Goga Bitadze.

"I have a question. What do you know about the Republic of Georgia?" Bitadze said, referring to his native country.

"Not a thing. Just that you and Zaza Pachulia are from there," McConnell said.

"You don't know anything about your teammate's country?" Bitadze asked with mock disappointment.

"No. What can you tell me about Pittsburgh, Pennsylania?" McConnell asked. "That's where I'm from."

Bitadze's natural sense of humor has been evident since his introductory press conference. It likely will endear him to his teammates, but also make him the butt of many jokes. Such as when McConnell was asked his impressions of the 6-foot-11, 20-year-old center.

"Really soft, can't really shoot it, bad teammate," McConnell said, for Bitadze's benefit.

"No, actually the complete opposite of all those," McConnell added.

Bitadze missed Summer League play because a working visa could not be obtained in time but has made a positive early impression. Teammates have praised his upbeat and outgoing personality, as well as his performance in the scrimmages. He hasn't had to go up against Turner and Sabonis, matching up with smaller players instead, but has shown strength and versatility.

"He's talented," Brogdon said. "There's a learning curve with all rookies. Goga, he's got stuff you can't teach. Touch. He's light on his feet. He moves well. And he has an energy about him that keeps things fun. He's a funny guy. I think he has a lot of stuff going for him that's going to make him a good pro."

McMillan, who works with players in drills but doesn't monitor the scrimmages closely, also likes what he's seen.

"His IQ is very high for a (20-year-old)," McMillan said. "He can shoot it, he can put it on the floor, he can pass it. He goes after everything as far as blocking shots. He's shown some good things since returning early in August."

Added Warren: "I like Goga a lot. He's very, very, very fundamentally sound. He has really good hands, really athletic, good feel for the game."

Free agent signee Jeremy Lamb wore a black hat that read "Dad" to the outing. He's the father of a daughter born earlier this summer, experiencing the joys and tribulations of all men going through the experience for the first time.

"It's different," Lamb said. "Me and my lady are learning together.

"It's good, though. Sometimes you don't sleep, she's just crying and you don't understand what's going on. But it's all worth it. Everything is going smoothly for the most part. She's healthy and that's all I can ask."

Lamb said fatherhood has altered his perspective on many things, basketball included.

"Some people say having the ball late in the game is pressure. No. Having your lady push that baby out and then trying to get her to stop crying on the plane, that's pressure," he said.

"A lot of the things I thought mattered don't matter."

Basketball will continue to matter, but in a different way.

"It will affect me in a good way, being able to play for my daughter," said Lamb, a seven-year veteran who averaged a career-high 15.3 points for Charlotte last season.

"When you have a bad game, she's not going to care. That's going to help me realize (it's about the) next play. You can always come back the next game and do better. Just playing for her and worrying about my family instead of some of the things I worried about."

oladipo-still-a-presence-at-golf-outing

Oladipo Still a Presence at Golf Outing

The calls went out one by one, eagerly and as quickly, long before the ink had dried on a contract. T.J. Warren, Jeremy Lamb, Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. McConnell, and Justin Holiday all received calls from their future teammate Victor Oladipo once word got out they were joining the Pacers.

Never mind that Oladipo had never shared a roster with any of them, didn't know them particularly well and has been heavily immersed in his own world of rehabilitation from the quadricep tendon tear he suffered last January. For anyone wondering to what degree the Pacers' only All-Star selection is supporting all the offseason changes, that's the first clue.

"As a leader I have to go out of my way to make sure my troops are ready and make sure they feel welcome when they come on board," Oladipo said Saturday from the Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield. "I just felt like it was my duty and obligation to tell them I appreciate that they believe in our organization first and foremost and that we welcome them with open arms, and we're trying to do something special."

Oladipo — who worked out with Brogdon and McConnell in Las Vegas during Summer League play — is optimistic about the turnover because of the potential for an improved offense. The Pacers allowed fewer points than any NBA team last season but ranked only 22nd in scoring. Their field goal percentage was fourth best in the NBA but they ranked 27th in field goal attempts and 29th in 3-point shot attempts.

Although departed starters Darren Collison, Thaddeus Young, and Bojan Bogdanovic were high percentage shooters last season, he believes improved athleticism and versatility will manufacture more points.

"We just have a lot of weapons," he said. "Malcolm and T.J. Warren, Jeremy Lamb, all the new guys can pretty much score the ball at a pretty high level. It's going to be fun to watch. It's going to be fun to see how quickly we can come together and how we'll click and work. I'm looking forward to it."

Oladipo said he will soon return to his offseason base in Miami and then come back to Indianapolis for the start of training camp in September. He doesn't know whether he'll be an immediate participant in camp, however.

Mark's Mailbag

Unlimited Oladipo Ready to "Kill" Again

Unlimited Oladipo Ready to "Kill" Again

Mark's Mailbag: 2020 All-Star Break Edition

Mark's Mailbag: Why is Oladipo Practicing with the Mad Ants?

Collison Not Regretting Retirement (Much)

Oladipo Still a Presence at Golf Outing

Oladipo Looking Forward to a Restart

First Impressions from the 2019-20 Pacers Schedule