by Kent Sterling
Talking to Isiah Thomas about the “Bad Boys” 30 for 30 and David West about the Pacers playoffs ought to be enough, but there is a lot more going on. Former Indiana guard Austin Etherington is headed to Butler, a seven-footer from Arizona is coming to Bloomington, and Matt Painter may be on his way to Missouri with Frank Haith rolling to Tulsa.
That’s a lot to fit into two hours with the always loquacious Fox 59 sports director Chris Hagan and me on 1070 the Fan (11a-1p) and 1070thefan.com, but that’s not all. The other three Indiana recruits were busy last night as the Derby Festival Classic and Jordan Brand Classic were played. What any of their performances mean for the Hoosiers is anyone’s guess, but it was likely Indiana fans first chance to see Max Hoetzel and Robert Johnson.
And the Butler Bulldogs lost yet another player as Elijah Brown, so of Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, is leaving the program. Brown averaged 6.8 points per game in his only season at Hinkle Fieldhouse. He joins Freshmen Nolan Berry and Rene Castro, and sophomore Devontae Morgan as former Bulldogs.
The biggest story is and will remain the Pacers playoff run as it begins today. The NBA Playoffs are always a maximum of four games being over for every team, and you never know what can happen, but the top-seeded Pacers should find a way to put away the Atlanta Hawks with relative ease. Sounds silly after watching the team finish 23-19 after starting 33-7, but I can’t imagine the Hawks forcing the Pacers beyond a fifth game.
Maybe I’m a cockeyed optimist, I don’t know, but the Pacers looked and sounded ready yesterday at practice. I suppose the Hawks could have looked and sounded as ready, but I didn’t see or hear them.
We’ll hear from Frank Vogel, Roy Hibbert, and Paul George in addition to the interview with David West.
Cannot wait to get started.