Lavoy Allen is a prankster, he’s a comedian always offering a joke or making a noise to bring laughter to a room or to a teammate at an adjacent locker. Like when he wrote “Go Pacers!!!” on the Cavs’ court during the playoffs.
That’s why it’s funny, but also interesting, that the Pacers big man has changed his bio on Twitter. There’s no mention of the Pacers, his employer for the last three-plus years, nor the NBA.
Instead, less than a week before the Pacers have a decision to make and less than 10 days before free agency, Allen’s Twitter profile reads “Official twitter of _______ _______ Lavoy Allen”
The missing pieces are either “Indiana Pacer” or “Pacers forward.”
From July, 2015: Affable Lavoy Allen happy to re-sign with Pacers
And over on Instagram, where Allen’s account (@chef_voy_ardee) is private, his name is the only thing in the bio.
The Pacers must decide whether or not they will exercise their team option on Allen’s contract worth $4 million for next season. It would be the final year of a three-year, $12 million deal he signed in 2015. With the team working to trade Paul George, they want young players with potential in return. That signals a change in their goals, and means they likely won’t pick up Allen’s team option.
A decision must be made by Monday, June 26 — four days after the 2017 NBA Draft.
When we spoke after the final game of the season, he was obviously upset. They had just been swept by the Cavaliers in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs despite putting up a fight. Looking back at the season, all that was on his mind was defense.
“Get better defensively,” he said of priority number one. They ranked 16th in defense during the 2016-16 season with a defensive rating of 106.3. The previous season, Frank Vogel’s final one with the franchise, they were third (100.2).
“I wouldn’t say horrible,” Allen said of my description of their defense. Then added, “I would say horrendous. We were so inconsistent.”
The Pacers went 42-40 during the regular season and narrowly qualified for the playoffs, but then failed to even win a game. It was an up and down season that failed to meet expectations.
“It just sucked, really, not being able to find a groove,” Allen said. “Just to know we built this team to compete in the East and we failed to do that. That really sucked.”
Allen, who’s 28, appeared in 61 games, starting in just five after 28 games the year prior under Vogel. His point per game (2.9) was the lowest in more than three seasons in Indy.
I also asked him about Paul George’s future with the franchise and whether that was a topic of conversation in the locker room. At the time, whether or not George would be voted to one of three All-NBA teams was the center of conversation at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. (PG did not make it.)
“Nah, not really,” Allen quipped. “I’m worrying about getting All-NBA myself.”
He then asked longtime head locker room attendant Rick Rowe, “You think I’ll be in the running, Rick?”
[Photo: Frank McGrath/PS&E]