Q. Is Reggie Miller going to continue to start at shooting guard until he retires or will Fred Jones or someone replace him (as) starter and (Reggie) come off the bench? (From Alicia in Kokomo, IN)
A. I see Reggie as a starter. As long as I’m here coaching and he’s here playing, my feeling is he will be the starting shooting guard. I believe that Reggie will continue to play as long as he can play at a high level. He’s playing at a high level now. When he gets to the point where he doesn’t feel like he can play at that level, that’s probably when he’ll decide to call it quits. But I see him as a starter this year, and I see him as a starter for us next year.
Q. We moved to Indiana from Germany last October and from the beginning we have been watching the Pacers (on TV or if possible in the wonderful Conseco Fieldhouse). And we really have become fans of our team (in Germany, we used to watch and play soccer). Sometimes, I don’t understand how you decide who plays or not. Does it depend on how they practice or on the way the other team plays? How often do they practice? Sorry about my English, it’s not that good. I know there are a lot of questions and perhaps some of them could (be) answered (by) a little child. But I still try to understand the team ... better. We watch every game, we read the Pacers news on the homepage every day and sometimes the other moms can’t believe how much I know about this game. (from Sibylle in Carmel, IN)
A. Decisions on playing time are generally made based upon who’s playing well. Oftentimes, there are decisions based up on matchups. And a lot of times, substitutions are made based on time and score. We practice often, but once the NBA season starts, the frequency of games is so high that we may only have one or two regular practices per week, sometimes less. So it’s important, early in the season, for players to establish themselves during training camp and the exhibition games because once we get into the regular season there aren’t as many practice situations where they can earn playing time and prove that they should be playing.
Q. Have the young players such as (Jermaine) O'Neal, (Jonathan) Bender, and even (Ron) Artest been able to establish a better relationship with the referees? (From Steven in Cincinnati)
A. As a whole, our team has done a great job with the officials this year. As has been documented many times, there were a lot of technical fouls last season. Looking at the statistics, we found that there was a strong correlation between getting technical fouls and losing games. It was something we addressed as a team before training camp began and the players have done a great job of communicating with the officials without getting into nearly as many technical-foul situations. There are going to be some because that’s just how it is in this league but our team this year has done a great job of knowing when to back off and stay away from technical fouls.
Q. I was just curious about your feelings when you play against former teams (Detroit and Boston)? (From Jimmy in Indianapolis)
A. I try to approach those games the same as the others. You can’t get too emotional about one game moreso than another. I believe that’s counterproductive. There are so many things that go on during a game, if you allow yourself to be at all distracted by who the opponent is, rather than concentrating on the things you need to do as a coach in order to put yourself in position to win, then you may compromise your team’s ability to win – particularly if it’s a close game. So I try to treat ‘em all the same.
Q. How do you schedule practice time in between games? Does it vary based on how well, or poorly, the team is playing? Now that it is getting deep into the season, how do you schedule to rest "dead legs" and getting ready for the playoffs? (From David in Cedar Rapids, IA)
A. Generally speaking, the schedule will determine when we have practices. There’s a fine line between knowing when the team needs to work and get a good sweat and do some banging and when the team needs to back off and try to freshen up their legs. Generally, the schedule will dictate which days are contact, and which are weightlifting, film session, shooting-type days.
Q. I was just wondering what your plans are for Primoz Brezec? You played him a lot in the preseason and I think he responded well to the faith you showed him then. But in the regular season he hasn't played that much. What are your thoughts on him? (From Jacob in Copenhagen, Denmark)
A. I believe Primoz is a guy that’s going to be an important player for our future. I like what he did in training camp. I like what he’s done when he’s had opportunities to play quality minutes this year. Unfortunately, our roster situation is such that it’s hard to get him minutes because of the fact we have guys like Jermaine O’Neal, Jeff Foster, Scott Pollard, Austin Croshere and Al Harrington. Primoz is one of the best workers I’ve been around in pro basketball over a 20-year period. He really wants to play. He’s a 7-2 guy that can post up, who’s active around the basket and who can shoot the ball out to about 20 feet. I see him as a guy that’s an important piece to the puzzle in the future of this franchise.
Q. I am wondering what kind of sophisticated statistical analysis you use? Do you for instance take player plus-minus and five-man unit performance data seriously? What kind of stats would you love to see that you don't currently have? (From Roland in Aptos, CA)
A. I’ve seen a lot of statistical information over the years. When you get right down to it, the most important statistic is wins and losses. And quantifying who’s playing well can be done, I believe, much more accurately by watching film and watching games and evaluating practices moreso than dealing with statistics. That’s not to say those types of stats aren’t helpful. Sometimes they may reinforce something you believe to be a trend. But I would never use that type of information to determine whether a player should or shouldn’t be in the rotation.
http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/ask_c...e_march04.html
A. I see Reggie as a starter. As long as I’m here coaching and he’s here playing, my feeling is he will be the starting shooting guard. I believe that Reggie will continue to play as long as he can play at a high level. He’s playing at a high level now. When he gets to the point where he doesn’t feel like he can play at that level, that’s probably when he’ll decide to call it quits. But I see him as a starter this year, and I see him as a starter for us next year.
Q. We moved to Indiana from Germany last October and from the beginning we have been watching the Pacers (on TV or if possible in the wonderful Conseco Fieldhouse). And we really have become fans of our team (in Germany, we used to watch and play soccer). Sometimes, I don’t understand how you decide who plays or not. Does it depend on how they practice or on the way the other team plays? How often do they practice? Sorry about my English, it’s not that good. I know there are a lot of questions and perhaps some of them could (be) answered (by) a little child. But I still try to understand the team ... better. We watch every game, we read the Pacers news on the homepage every day and sometimes the other moms can’t believe how much I know about this game. (from Sibylle in Carmel, IN)
A. Decisions on playing time are generally made based upon who’s playing well. Oftentimes, there are decisions based up on matchups. And a lot of times, substitutions are made based on time and score. We practice often, but once the NBA season starts, the frequency of games is so high that we may only have one or two regular practices per week, sometimes less. So it’s important, early in the season, for players to establish themselves during training camp and the exhibition games because once we get into the regular season there aren’t as many practice situations where they can earn playing time and prove that they should be playing.
Q. Have the young players such as (Jermaine) O'Neal, (Jonathan) Bender, and even (Ron) Artest been able to establish a better relationship with the referees? (From Steven in Cincinnati)
A. As a whole, our team has done a great job with the officials this year. As has been documented many times, there were a lot of technical fouls last season. Looking at the statistics, we found that there was a strong correlation between getting technical fouls and losing games. It was something we addressed as a team before training camp began and the players have done a great job of communicating with the officials without getting into nearly as many technical-foul situations. There are going to be some because that’s just how it is in this league but our team this year has done a great job of knowing when to back off and stay away from technical fouls.
Q. I was just curious about your feelings when you play against former teams (Detroit and Boston)? (From Jimmy in Indianapolis)
A. I try to approach those games the same as the others. You can’t get too emotional about one game moreso than another. I believe that’s counterproductive. There are so many things that go on during a game, if you allow yourself to be at all distracted by who the opponent is, rather than concentrating on the things you need to do as a coach in order to put yourself in position to win, then you may compromise your team’s ability to win – particularly if it’s a close game. So I try to treat ‘em all the same.
Q. How do you schedule practice time in between games? Does it vary based on how well, or poorly, the team is playing? Now that it is getting deep into the season, how do you schedule to rest "dead legs" and getting ready for the playoffs? (From David in Cedar Rapids, IA)
A. Generally speaking, the schedule will determine when we have practices. There’s a fine line between knowing when the team needs to work and get a good sweat and do some banging and when the team needs to back off and try to freshen up their legs. Generally, the schedule will dictate which days are contact, and which are weightlifting, film session, shooting-type days.
Q. I was just wondering what your plans are for Primoz Brezec? You played him a lot in the preseason and I think he responded well to the faith you showed him then. But in the regular season he hasn't played that much. What are your thoughts on him? (From Jacob in Copenhagen, Denmark)
A. I believe Primoz is a guy that’s going to be an important player for our future. I like what he did in training camp. I like what he’s done when he’s had opportunities to play quality minutes this year. Unfortunately, our roster situation is such that it’s hard to get him minutes because of the fact we have guys like Jermaine O’Neal, Jeff Foster, Scott Pollard, Austin Croshere and Al Harrington. Primoz is one of the best workers I’ve been around in pro basketball over a 20-year period. He really wants to play. He’s a 7-2 guy that can post up, who’s active around the basket and who can shoot the ball out to about 20 feet. I see him as a guy that’s an important piece to the puzzle in the future of this franchise.
Q. I am wondering what kind of sophisticated statistical analysis you use? Do you for instance take player plus-minus and five-man unit performance data seriously? What kind of stats would you love to see that you don't currently have? (From Roland in Aptos, CA)
A. I’ve seen a lot of statistical information over the years. When you get right down to it, the most important statistic is wins and losses. And quantifying who’s playing well can be done, I believe, much more accurately by watching film and watching games and evaluating practices moreso than dealing with statistics. That’s not to say those types of stats aren’t helpful. Sometimes they may reinforce something you believe to be a trend. But I would never use that type of information to determine whether a player should or shouldn’t be in the rotation.
http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/ask_c...e_march04.html
Comment