As the media entered the practice court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse through the employee weight room Saturday afternoon, we had to work our way through the injury corner before settling into our spots on the east baseline.
You know the saying, “When it rains, it pours…”
George Hill didn’t have a name for it – so we’ll call it the “Pacers Injury Corner.”
That’s been life for the Pacers since the summer, and now there’s potential for the majority of their expected starting lineup to be in street clothes come Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener.
Paul George, as you know, is out for the foreseeable future; David West’s sprained his right ankle pretty good; George Hill has a bruised left knee; Rodney Stuckey is letting his sprained right foot heal; and C.J. Watson is taking it easy with a sore right foot.
Head coach Frank Vogel says the team must have a no-excuse mentality and that he’s personally embracing the challenge.
“It’s a challenge, but we’re focusing on the guys that are in uniform and focusing on getting them better,” Vogel said Saturday.
Monday and Tuesday will be big days for the team ahead. That’s when the injured corner, if you will, will be evaluated in consideration for opening night.
West is dealing with a “tough, tough sprain,” and is most likely of the guys to be sidelined. He was out of a boot Saturday while observing practice, but his swollen ankle was obvious.
As a group, Vogel and the medical staff are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach.
“As we get closer to opening night, we’ll have a better feel for all of these guys,” he said.
It’s too early to tell whether the Pacers will use the disabled player exception they were granted during the offseason. Team officials are most certainly keeping their eye out for free agents that could help this team, especially as they deal with a handful of injuries.
After practice, they waived their four training camp guys — C.J. Fair, Arinze Onuaku, Chris Singleton, and Adonis Thomas — so their roster stands at 15 with three practices to go before tipping off the new year.
Larry Bird Honored
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird will be honored Saturday night. The 13th-annual Masquerade, the signature fundraising event of Simon Youth Foundation and Pacers Foundation, is being held at the Fieldhouse. Thus far, almost $8.5 million has been raised for the two organizations.
There are many other familiar honorees, including Donnie Walsh, Clark Kellogg, Bobby ‘Slick’ Leonard, Reggie Miller, Melvin and Herb Simon, the Hulman-George family, Jeff Smulyan, Frank Hancock, Steve Stitle, Rick Fuson, Tamika Catchings of the world-champion Indiana Fever, and Deborah Simon and Cindy Simon Skjodt.
Country musical group Sawyer Brown will be performing.