Notebook: Pacers piling up losses, Tony Bradley waived, Benn Mathurin to miss time
Indiana sits last in the NBA amid a 12-game skid, waives Tony Bradley ahead of guarantee deadline, and braces for an extended absence from Bennedict Mathurin.
Good afternoon and welcome back to Fieldhouse Files, I’m Scott Agness.
Please excuse the lack of stories over the last week. I spent much of that time across the country in Pasadena, with family, to enjoy Indiana University football’s first Rose Bowl win. It rained heavily as we arrived for pre-game festivities, then cleared up an hour before kickoff and turned into a spectacular evening.
You don’t truly understand the magnitude of the event — and how special it is — until you experience it firsthand. The only downside: getting to and from the Rose Bowl.
Now, it’s on to Atlanta for the Hoosiers — just about the only team winning right now in central Indiana.
The Pacers (6-30) have dropped 12 straight games. Their last win came Dec. 8 against Sacramento, just before the brief but much-needed pause for the NBA Cup.
Unlike last year, there has been no turnaround since that break.
To make matters even more painful for Indiana sports fans, the Colts went from a 7-1 start to a 1-8 finish — including seven straight losses to close the season — missing the playoffs yet again. Ownership — The Big Three — elected to run it back once more, this time citing a greater sense of urgency.
Sometimes a harsh reality check, along with real change, is needed. That will have to wait another year.
More Pacers Notes:
The Pacers aren’t the only team in the organization making transactions. Their G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, completed a trade with Capital City Go-Go to acquire guard Cody Martin. He spent a brief stint with the Pacers in early November on a 10-day contract, appearing in four games.
In exchange, the Boom traded away a 2026 first (via Long Island Nets), 2027 second, and the returning rights to Kaiden Rice.
The Boom are now without guard Steven Ashworth. The rookie guard out of Creighton has elected to go overseas, signing with Gladiators Trier in Germany.
Another color way of Tyrese Haliburton’s Hali 1 shoe, which was designed by Salehe Bembury, will soon be available. PUMA Hoops says that his Smoke model — all gray — will go on sale Jan. 30. He’s had blue and pink for sale before this.
Today marks 26 weeks since Haliburton had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon.
The Pacers’ Sense of Urgency (and ‘Too Much Petty Nonsense’)
I’ll be fine if I don’t hear that phrase again for a few months. I counted nine instances of Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon saying “sense of urgency” during a 23-minute press conference that didn’t start on time.
The Pacers are not in the same situation — even though neither team has won a game in six weeks.
Everyone understood the Pacers would take a step back this season. Few could have predicted what has unfolded through the first two-plus months.
The Pacers sit at 6-30, last in the NBA. Meanwhile, their 2025 NBA Finals opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are a league-best 30-6.
Two franchises that veered sharply in different directions following Haliburton’s injury in the first quarter of Game 7 last June.
It’s imperative that the Pacers not accept their current circumstances and preserve the culture — while playing up to the standard.
It caught my attention when head coach Rick Carlisle offered a candid assessment last week, following a home loss to Orlando. Asked about defensive improvements in the second half — after surrendering 68 points in the first — he didn’t mince words.
“We were tied together,” said Carlisle. “We were concerned with the play that was happening right now and the play that was gonna be immediately happening next. And not whether or not we were touching the ball or getting a shot or not getting a shot, just that kind of stuff.
“It’s not what this organization’s about. It’s not what this team is about. It’s not what this franchise is about. It’s not what this ownership has stood for for more than four decades. And everything from little distractions with officials to everything else, it’s just that stuff’s gotta go away. It’s pretty clear our margins for error are really non-existent. And we get distracted by unnecessary things that are unrelated to the urgency required in NBA basketball to move from event to event.
“We’re having too much petty nonsense going on during games that needs to go away.”
(Click here to watch the full press conference)
This last month — really, this entire season — hasn’t been easy on anyone, players or fans alike. The Pacers are getting healthier, allowing players to return to more natural roles, but internal issues remain.
They’ve been competitive in most games. Still, one bad quarter — or a single devastating run, such as Orlando’s 17-0 burst in the second quarter Sunday — has been enough to derail them.
Tony Bradley Waived
The Pacers now have more transactions (seven) than wins since their last victory on Dec. 8.
The latest move: waiving center Tony Bradley, who signed a two-year, non-guaranteed contract on March 23 of last year.
