Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Solomon Hill Serious and Focused During Introductory Presser

by Kent Sterling

First round draft pick Solomon Jones talks about coming to the Pacers.

First round draft pick Solomon Hill talks about coming to the Pacers.

Solomon Hill is the kind of draftee that you feel great about introducing to the media. He is not just articulate – which so often is code for an African-American kid who speaks in the way the white media appreciates – he has a wisdom that will compel fans to believe that He is going to get better.

The vibe is not altogether different from Roy Hibbert when he came to the Pacers. Hibbert appeared to be a genuine young man willing to devote himself to becoming the best he can be. Ditto Hill.

In the interview below, Hill talk about his plans for the summer league, whether he plans to make Indianapolis his permanent home, and about how excited his Dad was to meet Larry Bird.

Indiana Pacers – Free Agent Targets Not High Ticket, But Will Bolster Bench

by Kent Sterling

The Pacers have a lot of decisions to make to prepare for the 2013-2014 season, but all need to be made with an eye on signing Paul George to a long term extension.

The Indiana Pacers have a young nucleus that will allow consistent pursuit of 50+ win seasons and potential trips to the NBA Finals for years to come. The draft and free agent periods will help provide the depth that was so lacking during the Eastern Conference Finals a month ago, and the seemingly narrow ditch between the Pacers and Heat can close.

Owner Herb Simon, or “Herbie” if you’re team president Larry Bird, allowed the Pacers to spend $66 million of his money on player salaries last season, and the team has $49 million currently committed for next year, including the $7 million in qualifying offer situations with Tyler and Ben Hansbrough, and Jeff Pendergraff, which will bring the total down to $42M.

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The salary cap is expected to be $58.5 million, but the more important number is the luxury tax threshold cap that is approximated to be $71.5. The Pacers will exceed the cap, but will under no circumstance as a small market team start paying the NBA money on top of what the spend on players because they overreach on free agents beyond the luxury cap mark.

That leaves roughly $24 million to spend on lone draft pick Solomon Hill and free agents. The first priority is getting power forward David West signed to a new deal. He’ll be 33 next month, so West’s best days are behind him, and that should mean it’s unlikely he’ll draw offers beyond the two years at $10 million per year deal that just elapsed. Assuming that $10M plus the mostly insignificant $1.2 millionish for Hill, Indiana is left with $12.8 million for the four remaining roster spots.

There is also the decision to be made on an extension for Lance Stephenson, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this coming season. There is also the serious need to lock down Paul George after 2014-2015. An extension signed now would likely bring down the cost for seasons following 2015.

Another call to be made by the rested and ready Larry Legend is what to do with Danny Granger. He’s a free agent after next year, and the Pacers will almost certainly allow Granger to walk or trade him to recoup the $14 million Granger will collect next season.

Bird can choose to deal Granger for $12-$16 million worth of players, or he can use Granger for what he’s worth during the season and then reap the rewards of the $14M in dead money. Either way, the Pacers future is bright moving forward as long as George is securely a Pacer.

They need a back up point guard, a scorer who can also defend (wouldn’t that be nice), and neither can be an ass who will booger up the culture the Pacers have worked so hard to create. The names are all over the place from C.J. Watson to Nate Robinson to former Pacer Jarrett Jack to O.J. Mayo.

My guidance, which is rarely sought by Bird, is to run from any potential deal for Mayo. He has always played by a different set of rules – all the way back to when he was a sixth grader. The Dallas Mavericks picked him up for last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2000. It would be as ridiculous to lay all of the blame for that mediocrity on Mayo as assign none of it to him.

The Pacers almost got Mayo in a trade deadline deal with Memphis a couple of years ago, but reportedly faxed the paperwork to the NBA office one minute late. That’s called serendipity, and proves that sometimes the best deals are those you don’t make. I like to believe that the Pacers knew the trade was a turd-in-waiting and doused it by holding the fax.

There are other names like soon-to-be 32 years old Jose Calderon, who would present challenges from a financial standpoint, but would fit what the Pacers like like to do and how they like to do it.

With the core of the team under contract, West likely to return, and the front office set, the Pacers hold a lot of good cards as they try to find a way to take the leap forward necessary to close the gap on the Miami Heat.

Indianapolis Star Sports Shake-up Continues; Michael Pointer Interim Pacers Beater

by Kent Sterling

The rumors about a significant recalibration of assets at the Indianapolis Star’s sports department have come to pass with Mike Wells sliding over to the Indianapolis Colts beat, Mike Chappell continuing to cover the Colts, Terry Hutchens moved from the IU beat, David Woods moved from the Butler beat, and now Michael Pointer being named the interim Pacers reporter.

Rumors about the Star investing in a beat reporter for Purdue and Notre Dame were the two pieces of the puzzle that sadly did not and will not come to pass – at least not in the short term. To expand coverage is not the way print media is headed, so there was significant doubt that the Star would move in that direction.

Moves to evolve coverage forward (whether they actually do that will be left for consumers to determine) should be ongoing, and while that evolution usually happens right over the top of longtime employees, media is in a constant state of change that requires constant maintenance. It’s a shame for the people in the business of creating content, but it’s the reality of the media business today.

The speed with which consumption adjusts to new technologies is mind boggling, and when management stands still for even six months, those who are constantly trolling for new data, perspective, or first person accounts find alternate portals.

It would be great if the Star had the resources to devote to a dedicated Purdue beat reporter, but resources need to be allocated where the greatest interest lies.

As has been discussed before – there are two ways to increase profits in media, or any business – increase revenue or decrease expenses. Alternately, there are two ways to decrease profit margins – decrease profits or increase expenses. A great way to get fired in media management is to increase expenses while not creating a new stream of revenue.

The Indianapolis Star is likely never going to spend more money on content than they do today. They need to be smart, ruthless, and creative if they are going to continue to publish a traditional daily newspaper.

These changes were a step in that direction. It’s sad, but it’s also reality in media today.

To show the difference in how media is consumed and news is reported, I heard about Pointer’s new position through this Facebook post from Michael, “I can report that I will be taking over as the Indianapolis Star’s Pacers beat writer beginning Monday. I’m following in the huge shoes of Mike Wells, who leaves behind an incredibly high standard as he moves over to cover the Colts. For now, it’s an interim appointment. But Frank Vogel was an interim when he was named the head coach and that’s worked out OK. We’ll see what happens.”

We find the news where it is, not by waiting for the morning paper.

Indianapolis Colts – Safety Joe Lefeged Arrested; When Will the Stupidity Stop?

by Kent Sterling

If convicted, Joe Lefeged might be Lef**ked.

Guns can stop arguments, cause death/injury, and get you arrested. For Colts special teams captain Joe Lefeged, it was the latter early yesterday in Washington D.C., and the question will be asked as it is every time an NFL player is arrested, what the hell is wrong with these guys?

It’s not hard to follow the law to the extent that you don’t wind up behind bars, but more and more NFL players are getting arrested, and it seems that an inordinate amount of the arrests involve a handgun.

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I’m not sure what good can come from having a gun under the front seat of a car, but they must do something positive for NFL players because most seem to have one. In Lefeged’s case it is alleged to be unregistered – hence the arrest for carrying a firearm unregistered in Washington DC, possessing unregistered ammunition, presence of a firearm in a motor vehicle, and possession of an open container of alcohol.

The car was reportedly driving erratically, prompting police efforts to stop the car. A chase ensued. The three guys in the car bolted, and police discovered why Lefeged plays defense as he was one of the two that were caught.

With the rash of negative things happening to NFL players as they carry guns, the good that causes them to continue to covet weaponry must be quite profound, although I have no idea what it is. Maybe the violence/crime that is stopped because they pack heat goes unreported. I don’t know.

There is clarity though that NFL players are operating outside of the law with out of whack regularity. Players are being arrested at almost four times the rate of men outside professional football, and that’s a problem because getting arrested isn’t easy.

The laws of the land aren’t difficult to understand, although knowing that a gun carried by a person in Washington must be registered there might escape visitors. But it’s not like trying to figure out the NCAA rulebook. People walking the streets don’t need a compliance office to keep them out of prison.

Lefeged is being held without bail until another hearing on July 2nd, and teams must be sweating bullets (no pun intended) as they hope the important pieces of their roster puzzles find a way to keep their noses clean until camp starts in four weeks.

In the meantime, rich + popular + violent + immature will likely equal more NFL players doing stupid things, running from the police, testing positive for banned substances, and generally making a mess of the off season.

The culture of NFL players is different from all fans, and the culture many of these players grew up in is different than most, so understanding why handguns and mayhem is impossible for us, but the judicial system doesn’t welcome socioeconomic exceptions during sentencing.

What happens with Lefeged is anyone’s guess, but at sometime the consequences of breaking the law must outweigh the advantages of the illegal acts, or behavior will never change.

That consequence can either come from law enforcement or from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who at some point is going to tire of the monotonous routine of players acting like such idiots, police cannot ignore them.

What’s Next for Indiana Basketball’s Jordan Hulls? (Interview)

by Kent Sterling

Jordan was a guest today on “Ahead of the Curve”, and there is no way to not feel good about the Indiana University Basketball program when talking to him. He is exceptionally earnest, and very trusting in his way of playing basketball and living life.

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And why wouldn’t he be. He led his Bloomington South High School team to an Indiana 4A State Championship while earning Mr. Basketball honors, and then went to his hometown university with confidence that he could help change the culture and turn the program around.

While wearing #1 at IU, Hulls teams won 10 tyhen 12 then 27, and finally 29. The Hoosiers climbed the ladder in the Big Ten from ninth during Hulls freshman year to winning the conference title outright – the first title in 20 years.

Hulls knows who he is, what he does, and what he can do to help another team as a professional.

He will undoubtedly be an Indiana University Athletic Hall of Fame, an Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer, and it wouldn’t surprise me if when it’s all said and done he finds another way to help the Hoosiers win as a coach.

Talking to him, as always, was a pleasure. If sports parents need an example for kids to follow – someone who knows cold that hard work yields a positive result, Jordan Hulls is the guy.

Listen to the interview that aired today on “Ahead of the Curve”, which airs every Saturday on 1070 the Fan from 11a-1p. Indiana University alums and fans will be as proud of Hulls as any who has ever played basketball as a Hoosier.

Jordan Hulls interview

“Ahead of the Curve” Keeps Getting Better with Solomon Hill and Jordan Hulls joining Hagan & Sterling

The work in putting together “Ahead of the Curve” never stops. The shows immense popularity is a credit to the work done to prepare each segment for ultimate listener satisfaction and glee.

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Okay, it’s a radio show you listen to when you are in the car running errands or taking the kids to tournaments or practices, but while it won’t cure cancer, it is a fun and informative diversion from real life. At least that’s the effort.

Today, “Ahead of the Curve” welcomes former Indiana guard Jordan Hulls and Pacers first-round pick Solomon Hill.

There are people who think the Pacers overreached, but I like this pick a lot. Hill is versatile, defends well, and has a great attitude. The Pacers weren’t looking for an immediate impact player – they want a worker who can come in off the bench at multiple spots, can shoot it a little bit, and will work hard in practice. Listen at 12:30p to hear from a guy who brings his lunch pail to the gym everyday.

Jordan Hulls is one of the best stories in Indiana Basketball history. All he has ever done is succeed. Mr. Basketball in 2009, he led Bloomington South to a state championship his senior year, came to IU at a time when the program was down, and led the Hoosiers to its first stand alone regular season Big Ten title in 20 years.

Tune in to 1070 AM if you are in central Indiana, or listen to the stream on 1070thefan.com.

As always, I can’t wait for 11 o’clock.

Patriots Exchange Program for Aaron Hernandez Jerseys Is Not Nearly Enough

to Kent Sterling

File this under “Duh.” The New England Patriots are offering fans a chance to come to the Patriots Pro Shop at Gillette Stadium and exchange their Hernandez jerseys for the jersey of a player not charged with murder of a comparable value.

The only mistake is that the Patriots aren’t going nearly far enough. Every single Hernandez jersey that remains on the backs of fans, kids, thugs, and punks is a walking reminder that the NFL is not populated with choirboys.

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That the Patriots are limiting the exchange to next weekend is testimony to the fact that people don’t think clearly during a crisis. The exchange offer should exist in perpetuity because walking billboards touting the former employment of a man charged with one murder – and looking at two more charges straight in the eye need to be liquidated.

The offer is explained by New England Patriots spokesperson Stacey James, “We know that children love wearing their Patriots jerseys, but may not understand why parents don’t want them wearing their Hernandez jerseys anymore. We hope this opportunity to exchange those jerseys at the Patriots ProShop for another player’s jersey will be well received by parents.”

There are several restrictions, which shows the Patriots are hard at work over thinking this jersey amnesty program. If profiteers want to run around New England buying up jerseys, so they can exchange 100s of them for Tom Brady jerseys, that should be the same thing the Patriots would do if they had both the staff and brains to do it. Here are the rules:

#81 Hernandez jerseys purchased from the New England Patriots ProShop ONLY are eligible for the jersey exchange.
Jerseys sold at the Patriots ProShop are officially licensed NFL merchandise and are either Nike or Reebok product.
Exchange is valid for in-stock jerseys only. No customizations or special requests will be accommodated.
Exchange is valid for product of comparable value (jersey for jersey).
Exchange is limited to one (1) jersey per customer.
A receipt from the Patriots ProShop is not needed for the exchange. However, only NFL officially licensed jerseys sold from the ProShop are eligible for the exchange (both Nike and Reebok are acceptable).
Jerseys are eligible for exchange at the Patriots ProShop in Foxborough, Mass on Saturday, July 6th and Sunday, July 7th, 2013. Store hours are Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday, 10am-7pm.
The Patriots ProShop reserves the right to make all determinations regarding program validity. All determinations are final.

Here’s what the rules should look like:

Bring in a Hernandez jersey and you get a jersey of your choice, and we’ll have players here to sign them. Bring in 400 jerseys, and you get 400 jerseys. We screwed up and drafted a kid we knew was trouble, profited greatly from his image, and now make this minimal investment to remind our fans that accused murderers should not be the first thing you think of when you see the Patriots logo.

A herd of emissaries gathering links between gangland style murders and the Patriots brand is a good thing, and the cost of the jerseys as a reward for the goodwill profiteers would be the best money the Patriots ever spent.

But the Patriots would rather limit their paltry financial exposure by hosting the exchange during a very tight window at a single location.

“Ahead of the Curve” with Hagan & Sterling on 1070 the Fan – Saturday from 11a-1p – will feature Jordan Hulls

I love my two hours with Fox 59’s Chris Hagan. He makes me laugh, and we talk sports. How could life get better?

Chris will head to Midwest Sports Complex at Noon, which will leave me to carry the water for the rest of the show, and that could mean anything. I have a gob of stuff prepared – if I had ever worked this hard at Indiana University, they would have named Ballantine Hall for me instead of banning me from walking its halls.

We’ll talk to former Indiana guard Jordan Hulls about where he’ll play next, what he thinks about his former teammates being drafted in the top four, and talk sports. I’m also going to play a game with Jordan where my ability to pre-ordain arcane facts about him will be tested.

Lots to talk about with Larry Bird coming back to the Pacers, Solomon Hill being drafted way ahead of where the talking heads projected him, and Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant among the final 16 that will be narrowed to 12 on Sunday.

I’m also going to talk about how very smart Colts punter Pat McAfee is.

Join Chris and I at 11a, and stay for a dense dose of me about halfway through.

Within 100 miles of Indy, tune to 1070. Outside of that radius, go to 1070thefan.com and click listen live.

Rick Greenspan Finally Out as Athletic Director at Rice University

by Kent Sterling

This is Alan Greenspan, perhaps a distant cousin, who got the brains in the family.

We used to joke about a former music radio program director who went to work for a consultant, “He got tired of ruining radio stations one at a time.” I thought of that joke when I read in the Rice University release announcing the resignation about athletic director Rick Greenspan leaving to “expand his consulting business and explore other professional opportunities that have been presented to him.”

Today is Greenspan’s last scheduled day in the office, and Rice will breathe a significant sigh of relief as he waddles to his car for the last time.

During Greenspan’s three-plus years at Rice, there have been multiple allegations of discrimination against him.

Arsalan Kazemi, the 54th player selected in last night’s NBA Draft, alleged that Greenspan made several disparaging comments about Kazemi’s Iranian heritage, as well as several insulting remarks about Kazemi being affiliated with al-Qaeda.

While at Indiana from 2004-2008, Greenspan’s arrogance was his hallmark. Effective managers surround themselves with smart people, and seek their counsel. Greenspan, according to those who worked with him at Army, Indiana, and Rice thought he was the smartest person in the room.

And so after Greenspan closes this Rice chapter of his career, he is going to avail his talents to all athletic departments who feel they are in such dire straits they might consider allowing him a seat at the table.

To be fair, Greenspan was adept at both Indiana and Rice at getting construction projects completed. Plans to build Cook Hall and the closing of the north end zone at Memorial Stadium were initiated at IU under Greenspan’s watch, and at Rice he earned the approval of a $44 million football facility and a new tennis facility.

He will forever be known for hiring Kelvin Sampson to run Indiana’s basketball program into the ground. Some claim that Sampson’s hire was the work of then university president Adam Herbert, and that may be true, but prior to the announcement to name Sampson, I was in a meeting with Greenspan’s lieutenant Tim Fitzpatrick, and he was giddy that they had landed their whale.

“We got our guy,” Fitzpatrick said excitedly. I asked who, and he turned his head from side to side for dramatic effect before saying slowly with an ever widening grin, “Kelvin (pause) Sampson!”

I knew that Sampson was in deep trouble at Oklahoma, and struggled to congratulate Tim. If this was a Herbert hire, Fitzpatrick did an Oscar worthy job of selling Sampson as the absolute choice of the athletic department.

Greenspan also made a disastrous hire at Army, prior to coming to IU. Choosing Todd Berry over Jim Tressel after the 1999 season certainly cemented Greenspan’s role in wrecking Army football.

Hopefully, Greenspan’s consulting business is limited to facilities, and has nothing at all to do with hiring coaches.

Draft Slots for Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller Bring Good and Bad News for Hoosiers

by Kent Sterling

Victor Oladip[o and his pair of Google Glasses were drafted #2 overall, and IU fans want answers to why two top four picks couldn’t move beyond the Sweet Sixteen.

The emails started as soon as Cody Zeller was announced as the fourth overall pick in last night’s NBA Draft. “How in the hell did the team with the second and fourth best players in college basketball not advance beyond the Sweet Sixteen?” “Crean had 2 and 4 and same outcome as last year? Crean has some splainin to do.” And, “The AD should have asked for Crean’s resignation as soon as Zeller was drafted.”

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Not mentioned in those angry emails was that Victor Oladipo came to Indiana as the 144th ranked player in the 2010 high school class, and developed into a guy who could very easily have been drafted first.

Zeller went fourth after spending two years with Crean in Bloomington. The second year saw Indiana win their first regular season Big Ten title in 20 years before a disappointing finish to the season with early exits in both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.

Indiana University basketball coach Tom Crean and his staff are responsible for a good portion of that development, and the Big Ten title.

Will Sheehey and Yogi Ferrell are both among 16 finalists for the 12-man World University game team, which is also a double-edged sword for Crean depending upon fan’s perspectives.

With two top four draftees and two of the best 16 returnees, crediting Crean with rebuilding the talent pool at Indiana is obvious, but so is assigning some blame for a team that appeared to peak a few weeks prior to March.

The question for Indiana fans who continue to hammer away at the fact that validation of Crean’s reign in Bloomington can only come by hanging a National Championship banner, is what is truly important at IU. Is it banners, titles, graduation rate, a clean record with the NCAA, or all of the above?

The lack of an NCAA banner is an obvious void, but winning championships is not only hard, it requires good fortune. The Hoosiers won the Big Ten regular season title, and that far outweighs any glory that would come in the Big Ten Tourney. For most Indiana fans, the Big Ten Tournament is a sideshow – a money grab by the conference – that is a distraction on the road to the NCAAs.

The graduation rate under Crean is stellar and the NCAA APR has been a perfect 1,000 the last three years. Crean’s team APRs (they run a year behind, so we won’t know 2012-2013 scores for another year) have been 975, 1,000, 1,000, and 1,000. The only blip on the NCAA infractions radar we are aware of was the visit to Hamilton Southeastern High School to see recruit Gary Harris one day after the window for visits closed. It was minor, and appeared to be unintentional.

Minus the NCAA flame outs (one of which was against the eventual champion Kentucky Wildcats), the results Crean has crafted for the program Kelvin Sampson nearly destroyed with the recruitment of players with serious character issues and arrogant indifference to NCAA rules haven’t brought that elusive sixth banner, but they have returned Indiana to a place of prominence and respect in college basketball.

What high school recruits learned during last night’s draft is that the structure is in place in Bloomington for basketball players to reach their potential and shoot for their dreams, while also achieving academically. The number of schools where that combination is possible makes for a very short list. Those who didn’t learn it will definitely be educated by Crean and his staff through the three evaluation periods in July.

For some, that won’t be enough, but it should be.