Pacers Notebook: Tyrese Haliburton needs a reset
Haliburton's jam-packed year. New Mad Ant award. Caitlin Clark remains a box office (and TV) hit. New podcast has my interest. Short's Cafe Five. Mathurin has surgery and more notes.
Exactly one month ago, Tyrese Haliburton was up to his head with things to do. Full day after full day. But at least he could sleep in his own bed.
NBA All-Star Weekend was hosted by Indianapolis for the second time and as the face of the Indiana Pacers, he understood and welcomed the obligation to be the unofficial host.
“I've been told I'm kind of like the prom king of the weekend, so just doing whatever I'm asked to do,” he said then.
That meant a full plate while the rest of his teammates had the option of heading out of town to reset. And it started on Thursday after returning from a three-game road trip, making for a long weekend.
Arriving to opening ceremonies in an IndyCar, recording multiple national podcasts, brand appearances, practice, media interviews, attending Rising Stars, winning the Skills Challenge with teammates, then putting on a performance in the All-Star game that should have won him MVP.
Instead of going to the beach or anywhere warm to rest and relax for nearly a week, Haliburton stayed in Indy. Soon after, it was his birthday and then nearly two weeks spent on the road. And he already had a full plate before that.
That, and the bullet points below, all play into why the two-time All-Star point guard isn’t producing like he did earlier in the season. And why he’s acknowledged he’s going through a slump — and needs out of it fast.
The Pacers’ schedule got more difficult and he started to be defended differently. Many teams are applying pressure for all 94 feet.
His best friend on the team, Buddy Hield, was traded. That had as much of an impact on the court as it has off. Haliburton has had him by his side since he entered the NBA in 2020. The veteran guard positively impacted what they could offensively, especially in attracting defenders — whether he was making shots or not. They’re still working through those changes, which took another hit due to Doug McDermott’s injury. Hield also knows how to push Haliburton’s buttons. He was the one Haliburton turned to — for motivation, dunking battles and to bring levity to what can be a stressful season.
The pressure of welcoming new teammate Pascal Siakam and learning to play together. Siakam is a free agent this summer and the two sides expect to find common ground on a contract extension, but nothing is final until Siakam signs. Haliburton’s first game played since his injury was Siakam’s first with the Pacers.
He’s still not 100% back after suffering a left hamstring injury in early January.
That directly impacted his availability — and if not for the financial implications to be eligible for All-NBA and voted on one of three teams, it seems likely that he would have sat out for at least another week or two of games to get right. He has not missed one game since returning for good on Jan. 30.
The Pacers’ special run in the In-Season Tournament and the workload that demanded so early in the season. And since they reached the finals against the Lakers, they’ve played one extra game this season.
Before the season, Haliburton spent six weeks with USA Basketball on the World Cup team.
Leading up to World Cup play, and until July 1, he felt the weight of training while staying healthy knowing a maximum rookie contract extension was in sight. He only did individual on-court work until the ink was dry. Like with Siakam, you don’t want to do anything to screw it up beforehand.
This is not to make an excuse for Haliburton, who is third on the team in scoring since his injury. It’s to provide context and understanding.
I was at every event possible and even I was drained for a few weeks after All-Stars. So I can imagine what it felt like for Haliburton.
His body language has been different. His joy on the court has been absent. There’s been no Haliburton Skips. And in several games, we’ve seen his face buried in his hands due to frustration.
This is another challenge as Haliburton navigates his new reality in elevating the Pacers.
Pre-injury: 23.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 12.5 assists per game; 49.7%, including 40.3% from outside.
Post-injury: 15.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game; 44.5% shooting, 29.3% from outside.
The Pacers close out a three-game homestand on Monday against the Cavs.
They have 14 regular-season games left this season; six at home, eight on the road.
😡🐜 Mad Ants Establish New Annual Award
The Pacers’ G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, have established the “Ron Howard – Mr. Mad Ant Award” for a member on the roster at the end of each season.
Jordan Bell was be a good candidate, but he’s not eligible after departing the team last week to head overseas. Isaiah Wong and Oscar Tshiebwe, both on two-way deals, were eligible as well.
The award was presented pregame on Monday to Stephan Hicks — the franchise’s all-time leader in games played with 249.
It was voted on by the coaching staff and front office.
From the team:
The player will be selected based upon his ability to best exemplify Embracing the Grind and the meaning of what it means to be a Mad Ant. This season's “Ron Howard – Mr. Mad Ant Award” recipient will be announced prior to tip-off of the Mad Ants game vs. the Delaware Blue Coats on Monday, March 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 12:30 PM EST.
The award is named in honor of the legendary player – and now broadcaster – Ron Howard. Ron, notably nicknamed “Mr. Mad Ant” for his illustrious Mad Ants career spanning 2007-2014, who was recognized by the organization by retiring his #19 uniform.
“Ron embodied the grit and grind nature of the NBA G League (formerly National Basketball Development League) and this is a fitting tribute to Ron’s legacy while celebrating a current player for their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to our franchise,” Mad Ants GM Chris Taylor said.
🎟️ Caitlin Clark Continues to be a Hot Ticket
Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes drew a massive audience during the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament last weekend in Minneapolis. CBS says its telecast of Iowa v Nebraska in the championship game averaged 3.021 million viewers, becoming the most-watched women's game on CBS since Tennessee-UConn drew 3.879 million viewers in 1999.
More than that, Big Ten Network’s telecasts of Iowa’s quarterfinal and semifinal games against Penn State and Michigan, respectively, both had more than one million viewers. That instantly makes them the second- and third-most watched basketball games (men’s or women’s) on the network. A men’s game in March 2022 between Michigan State and Wisconsin has the record (1.2 million).
The previous BTN record for a women’s game: 657,000 viewers. Remarkable!
Speaking of Clark and the Hawkeyes, they are the No. 1 seed in Regional 2 and will play Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.
That game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena already sold out.
As for Fever tickets, it’s not clear where they’re at with season tickets. No data points have been provided by the franchise, but demand is sizzling hot.
In the first few days since Clark announced her plans to enter the WNBA Draft, the ticket sales staff was swamped. They put in extra time that Friday night and through the weekend connecting with fans.
Here’s one data point from a subscriber: A full season package for two lower-level seats were quoted at $3,750.
🎧 New Podcast Has My Attention
I look forward to the upcoming podcast launch of “Mind the Game” with LeBron James and JJ Redick on Tuesday. They’re billing this show as strictly basketball talk. I’m all for that over the typical basketball discourse.
There’s already too many podcasts, but this one has a chance to break through because of the hosts and format.
James’ resume on and off the court speaks for itself.
What I also find interesting: Redick became the first active NBA player to have a podcast. It followed then-Colts punter Pat McAfee doing his own show for a while. And that’s obviously become a huge hit.
Back in 2016, when Redick was with the Clippers, I asked him about the why — and what he intended to do with it.
“It wasn’t really about being a pioneer (in the podcast space) or anything like that. I didn’t really care about being the first guy,” Redick said.
“I think, for me, it was just about exploring that avenue and I’m a very curious person. So the opportunity for me to just talk to people. Each guest that I have on, there was always something that I wanted to pick their brain about. The ability to ask questions I think is an important thing and learning from other people. There’s numerous episodes where I got done with the conversation and I was like, ‘Man, I got something from that.’
“It’s taught me a lot about my views on things and it’s taught me how to speak.”
For Redick, who retired in 2021 after a brief stint with the Dallas Mavericks, has quickly ascended in sports media because of his knowledge for basketball and his ability to both discuss and simplify conversations for the audience.
Best of all, he’s authentic.
And not only is he still hosting his own podcast, but he’s also now part of ESPN’s No. 1 broadcast booth, along with Mike Breen and Doris Burke. So he’ll be on the call of the NBA Finals for the first time.
5️⃣ Franklin Short’s Cafe Five
During Black History Month in February, the clothing brand Homage collaborated with the Black Fives Foundation to help pay homage to the original 16 Black Five eras teams and players. There were teams in major cities like Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Chicago.
Along with one in Franklin, Ind. That was Short’s Cafe Five.
George Crowe of Franklin (and Indiana's first Mr. Basketball), and his brother Ray — known, in part, for coaching the Oscar Robertson-led Crispus Attucks High School to two straight high school basketball state championships — organized an African American basketball team with hopes of a bid to represent Indiana in the national AAU basketball championship.
And that team was sponsored by Short's Cafe — which was owned by Archie and Marie Short, and located at the corner of W Jefferson St & W Court St by the Johnson County Courthouse.
(This was all news to me and grabbed my attention.)
"The pioneering teams of the Black Fives Era not only elevated, but shaped the game we know and love today,” said Homage Founder/CEO, Ryan Vesler. “Our hope is that the collection resonates with younger generations, spurring interest and conversation in the Black Fives that continues for years to come."
Homage designers looked through the archives and then created 16 vintage logo tees, which are still available here. A portion of the proceeds benefit BFF to support their commitment to the research, preservation, education, and honoring of these amazing athletes/teams and the impact they had on the sport.
🏀 Tip-ins:
Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner were once again nominees for Eastern Conference Player of the Week, which was won by New York's Jalen Brunson. It's Siakam's fourth nomination since being acquired. And Turner's fifth since January.
Second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin underwent season-ending surgery on Friday in Los Angeles to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Interesting note: Carlisle shared in his pregame TV interview on Bally Sports that head athletic trainer Josh Corbeil was present for the surgery.
Doug McDermott practiced on Friday, but he’s been sidelined for 10 games in a row, including Monday v the Cavaliers, with a right calf strain. His last game played was against the Raptors on Feb. 26.
A good sign for Aaron Nesmith: He’s not on the injury report after exiting last game holding his right shoulder.
While the Pacers are out west for a road trip, the organization plans to have select-a-seat nights for both teams. The Fever are hosting one for prospective season-ticket holders on Monday, March 25; one for the Pacers will be on March 28.
I was very interested to see that a Pacers game was available for free on Amazon Prime members a few weekends ago. I’ve been tracking when that might become an option and what it would look like. Despite being in Indianapolis, I was able to choose the home or away broadcast, just like on NBA League Pass, and it worked great. Prime is working on a partnership with Bally Sports to make games available and my guess is that this was an experiment. Because future games (and replays) are available, but only with a LP subscription through Prime. In today’s current media landscape, it’s important to 1) be available and 2) go where the customers/fans go. Being available on Prime in future seasons helps remove a barrier between the broadcast and fans. And will help keep Bally Sports afloat.
The team’s YouTube page has been restored after it appeared to be hacked last Tuesday by someone pushing Bitcoin.
Fever guard Lexie Hull was named to the executive committee for Athletes Unlimited Basketball. She and Theresa Plaisance join the player executive committee — which helps guide league decisions and the path to success — that also consists of Lexie Brown, Sydney Colson, Kirby Burkholder and Rebecca Harris.
Haliburton has set the dates for his third annual youth basketball camp. Click here for the link to sign up and a special Fieldhouse Files discount.
Lastly, I look forward to Peyton Manning being part of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony broadcast on Friday, July 26 on NBC. He’ll be hosting with Mike Tirico and Kelly Clarkson. Peyton is always entertaining and we can’t get enough. And you know he’ll be prepared with intel, notes, jokes and a quarter-zip sweater.
He certainly doesn’t look healthy. Looks like he could use a break but the NBA schedule never quits. Hope he gets his shot back. We won’t get to far if he doesn’t