Move over Cody Zeller. Unlike last year, you’re not the focus on the Hornets as you play tonight in Indy.
Lance Stephenson, instead, takes center stage.
George Hill and Lance Stephenson at a local basketball event in Indy this past summer.
The former Pacer opted to move on this past July and sign with the Charlotte Hornets. Team owner Michael Jordan, $27 million over three years, and a larger role enticed Stephenson, who was drafted by the Pacers in 2010.
And yet, since signing with Charlotte, he still hasn’t talked with Pacers President Larry Bird, who was a mentor and a big believer in Lance and his talents. (By the way, the outfit Lance wore the day he signed with the Hornets was French Deal, Ian Mahinmi’s clothing line.)
Stephenson is still close with many in the organization, however, including George Hill, Paul George, Ian Mahinmi, and Roy Hibbert. When the Pacers were in Charlotte for a preseason game in late October, Stephenson took a group out to dinner and finally picked up the tab.
“It was amazing,” George Hill told me afterwards. “We miss him being around here and things like that, all the fun laughter and times that we had. To finally go out to dinner with him — it was the first bill that he paid so it was a great, free dinner. We tried to order the most expensive steaks.
Tuesday night, hours after landing in Indianapolis, he was back in Bankers Like Fieldhouse and courtside with Paul George to watch Kentucky and Kansas squared off.
PG and Lance back together Tuesday night at the Fieldhouse. (Photo via @VashtiHurt on Twitter)
“Good catching up to my brother Born Ready,” George wrote on an Instagram post. “Happy for the kid even tho we know where he should still be lol.”
Already, the players in the Pacers locker room have been laughing and joking about what Lance’s return may be like … and what tricks ol’ Born Ready has up his sleeve. One thing is for sure: he’s aiming to impress the 18,165 packed in the Fieldhouse.
“Just joking that he’s going to come with all this extra flopping and all this other stuff,” Donald Sloan said. “We just cracked jokes about him coming back. We’re all excited to see him.”
And, surely, he’ll also be trying to show the Pacers franchise what they missed out on by not offering a lucrative contract.
“Any guy that was in his situation last year going into the offseason and was able to do the things that he did, he’s definitely going to try to come back and send a message like, ‘I’m Born, baby.’ I expect to see something,” Sloan continued.
Roy Hibbert remains in contact with Stephenson, but not quite like before when he was across the same locker room.
“Every now and then when I see one of his flops, I want to text him,” he joked. “I know he has a lot of his mind. We text every now and then but we don’t stay in touch like we usually do.
“I’m always happy for Lance, for him and his family to be able to grow as a player but we have to move on. It’s going to be a battle on Wednesday. I have a lot of love for that kid. I’m sure the crowd will show him a little bit of respect.”
During their preseason game in Charlotte, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel visited with Stephenson for about ten minutes and then brought him back into the locker room for another ten minutes to say hello to everyone.
“I’ll be excited to see him,” he said. “Obviously he’s one of my favorite players that I’ve ever worked with. We were sorry to see him go but this is a business. We understand that. [Wednesday] night he’s the enemy so we’re coming out to beat him.”
Vogel isn’t sure if the theatrics will come from Lance, who may try to show off and please the fans.
“I don’t know,” coach said. “It’s tough to say. With Lance, he’ll probably want to play the right way even more. I would guess we’ll probably see less of the extracircular stuff and just more on a focus on trying to win the game. I think that’s what is most important to him. That’s what’s always been most important to him. I think the fans will enjoy seeing him here, but hopefully seeing him here losing.
One thing the guys are hoping not to be on the other end of is having Lance blow into their year, which took off during last postseason against LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
“I hope not,” Luis Scola said with a smile. “I hope he doesn’t do that.”
Stephenson is still trying to fit in and get on the same page with everyone on the Hornets. He’s still rebounding very well (9.2 per game), but his offensive game has slipped. He’s shooting under 38 percent and averaging 9.5 points per game. That will come in time, when his teammates become more accustom to his creative movement and no-look passes. He led the Pacers in both assists and rebounds during the 2013-15 season.
As much as he’s excited for tonight’s game (7 p.m.), he surely has a nervousness feeling running through him.
“I’m very excited, happy to be going home,” Stephenson told reporters before flying to Indiana (via the Charlotte Observer). “Well, not home, but Indiana, to see where I really grew up and learned the NBA basketball game. It will be fun to see all the fans.
“I was really into it with the fans,” he said. “They really believed in me and we connected.”
The 24-year-old should get a well-deserved applause during introductions, and then he’s the opponent. … I’m sure Area 55 and the G2 Zone have a few things planned.
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