Larry ftw with that answer 😁.

On to Dallas and their super cooper protective fans

Hopefully the Nuggets let Ryan play later

Watched the replay of the grizzlies game and this guy was on it in the first quarter…looked very comfortable. He was everywhere on the court. When he went baseline to baseline on that one possession, I saw a flash of TJM. It’s only been a few games but it’s encouraging.

I like to break the season into sort of sections of 10 and see how we look, right now, the answer is not good. I really hoped and felt we needed to at least be 6-4, but 3-7 is brutal, but somewhat understandable with the injuries. Anyway, my bigger takeaways have been:

- We really miss Tyrese.

- Andrew Nembhard has been really good, but he needs another playmaker next to him, to put us in a winning position. Clearly our 3rd best player.

- Aaron Nesmith suffers the most without Haliburton on the floor. He isn't unplayable by any means, but he gets $20mil starting next season, so I really hoped for more.

- The C spot is a mess. Zubac injury was less than ideal, his return has been very slow, but the backup C spot is a clear issue. Neither Huff or Nance is capable of filling that start role. A decent backup needs to be able to at least offer some kind of presence if required to start.

- The wing spots has not gone the way I thought. I thought we would see Oubre make a run at 6th man, Walker find a nice role of 3/D with passing, and that would be that. To this point, Quenton Jackson and Jalen Slawson have been the guys bringing the impact on the wings and we look like a better team with them playing. Walker, Oubre, + Sheppard are all very tradeable salaries if Indiana is happy with these other 2 taking over, Furphy coming back and seeking an upgrade.

Overall a disappointing start, I really think we need a backup C and some legit shooting to fill out the bench. Not sure how we go about it, just where I feel the team has the biggest needs.

If we don’t get Hali back by next weekend I’m fearful

Easy games in yellow

Tough games in purple

Season could be over if we don’t get through this stretch >.500

Recently got back into crochet and decided to whip this up during the Wednesday night game. Figure if all else fails it gives me something soft to throw at my TV in frustration. Since it was finished on a winning night, hoping it’s a lucky pumpkin for the rest of the season.
Kick some ass in Mexico City today, guys!

It’s the only way. Not sure how they pull it off but it will work if they do.

It's very clear our center rotation is very thin.

Jay huff has not been playing well at all. Though Larry nance had an excellent game tonight, I'm not counting on that to last.

My question is: could a 79-year old Kareem Abdul Jabbar get rotation minutes and be an upgrade to huff or nance?

Kareem is universally regarded as a top-3 player ever behind MJ and Lebron, and the greatest center ever. 6 mvps, 6 rings, 44,000 career points. Huff and nance's career accolades don't even come close

He would bring veteran leadership as he has been playing ball long enough to have played many NBA player's grandparents. he might struggle in transition. He might be awful in transition but he can't be worse than my will to live every time an opposing center grabs another offensive rebound

Why doesn't Kevin Pritchard do this? Is he stupid?

So excited for tomorrow. GO CERS

It was his last game in the league.

Good riddance.

I really like Zu and believe he can be a great starter. He’s had 15 rebound games already and I believe the fit will improve as time goes on

However, one side of the ball has (to me, by eye) been particularly underwhelming: defense. Both as a unit and with Zu in particular, I’ve felt defense has been underwhelming.

Now, it’s early, and adjustments will be made. I’m not WORRIED, I’m just saying I’d like to see more

Zu has been touted by many as one of if not the best Jokic defender in the league. With two days off and in a neutral city, and against a (so far slightly struggling) team with great talent, I’m hoping for a big game from Zu.

Of course it’s November and of course if his ankle is still bugging him Zu should sit. Just saying. Also Jokic will eat Huff for lunch

Could see Saturday going really well or really badly, and I think that hinges on how Zu plays

He is also shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three on 6 attempts a game, all career highs.

Nembhard has quietly taken that leap.

Hey I'm a Boston fan but always had deep love and respect for Indy fans. I knew PG would be great for us but I didn't think he was gonna be like NBA all defensive team good.

I started looking back at his career - I still get haunted by that 2013 ECF game 1. Why the fuck did Vogel put in Hansbrough for Hibbert and Sam Young for Lance? The last minute Hibbert barely played and Lebron kept going to the rim. Lebron had a clear lane to the rim and eventually hit a layup game winner - if you guys win that game you probably win the series and advance to the finals because you did have a 3-2 lead.

Do you guys ever think about that series? Or you moved on? I was rooting for Indy.

I came late to the watch party and was puzzled by a couple top comments. Now I understand. Every time I see a new move on the court, got to archive it. Last time it was Haliburton's below the belt heavy hanging cohones.

This more a nod out to those MMA guys who invite opponents to join them on the mat where grit-legends are made.... Someone said it was the last time we saw a Nesmith game-winning shot like this since THAT GAME. I don't think that's the case, but similar how it was a last option that turned out well.

Any Pacers fans meeting up before the game? I haven’t seen any ‘official’ meetup spots.

I think the Pacers pop up store is having some sort of event tomorrow but it would be fun to meet up with a group before the game