Fieldhouse Files: Scott Agness on the Indiana Pacers

Nate McMillan, on Frank Vogel’s staff for the last three seasons as associate head coach, was introduced as the Indiana Pacers’ 15th head coach in franchise history at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

[Pacers go old school, seek accountability in promoting McMillan to head coach]

The press conference with McMillan and President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird lasted nearly 30 minutes. Here is the full audio.

(Or, click here to watch it.)

The Pacers — more specifically, Larry Bird — are in search of the 15th coach in franchise history. The coaching search is five-plus days in and there hasn’t been any names tied to the jobs.

There are dozens of names of former head coaches that are mentioned with the Pacers, but Bird is diligent in the process and very likely has zeroed in on the next guy he wants to direct the team.

[Paul George thanks Frank Vogel, calls him ‘one of the most influential men’ in his life]

Three possible candidates that have been mentioned in the lists are Brian Shaw, the Pacers associate head coach from 2011-13, Jeff Hornacek, and veteran coach Mike D’Antoni. To learn more about each of their coaching styles and how they might work with the Pacers, I reached out to two reporters who cover NBA teams regularly.

First, Jeff Morton in Denver. He writes for DenverStiffs.com and co-hosts the Colorado Sports Guys podcast. Morton provides terrific insight into what went wrong with Shaw and the Nuggets and why that marriage didn’t even make it two seasons.

[Is Brian Shaw the motivator, fresh voice the Pacers need?]

Then, I’m joined by Paul Coro, the longtime beat reporter covering the Phoenix Suns for the Arizona Republic. Coro analyzes Hornacek, the Suns coach from 2013-16, and Mike D’Antoni, who has been the lead man four different teams.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, if you like the podcast, please leave a review.)

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Morton on how Shaw’s stint as head coach was doomed from the start

* What Shaw initially said that soured Nuggets players on him

* Why Indiana makes sense for B-Shaw

* Coro on Hornacek offensive and defensive principles

* Why D’Antoni is frequently mentioned for coaching jobs

* If it is either coach’s style to motivate players

The Pacers 2015-16 season is complete after a first-round exit to the Toronto Raptors in Game 7. A few days later, Pacers President Larry Bird decided to change head coaches after Frank Vogel led this team for five and half seasons.

On this week’s podcast, hear highlights of what Bird said at his 23-minute press conference and I’m joined by Bob Kravitz to break it all down.

Kravitz, who has been here for over a decade, has a great pulse on the Indianapolis sports landscape. He’s currently a sports columnist for WTHR.com and he frequently appears on the network for his opinion and insight.

[Frank Vogel releases statement on his time with the Pacers]

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, if you like the podcast, please leave a review.)

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* On how much blame Bird deserves for the Pacers’ season

* If Bird is misguided in believing players tune coaches out after three seasons

* Bird informing Vogel he was done … on the phone

* Bird’s record in the draft and free agency

* If Vogel learned from Colts coach Chuck Pagano to fight for his job

* Vogel’s impact on the franchise

* What type of coach would be best

There’s plenty to talk about now five games into the Pacers’ first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.

On this week’s episode of the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com joins to analyze the series and the Pacers’ big collapse in the fourth quarter of Game 5 that cost them a lead in the series.

Mazzeo has been covering the series from the Raptors’ perspective. During the regular season, he’s a beat reporter covering the 21-win Brooklyn Nets. That said, there’s no doubt he’s having a good time covering a series between two quality teams.

With Game 6 set for 7:30 pm ET, the Pacers face elimination down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

See Also: ESPNEWS to televise its first live NBA Playoff game Friday: Pacers-Raptors Game 6

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, if you like the podcast, please leave a review.)

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* His expectations entering the series

* If the players feel the weight of Toronto lacking a series win in 15 years

* The Pacers’ meltdown in Game 5

* The chess match between the head coaches

* Contrasting bench contributions

* Paul George’s amazing season

On this week’s episode of the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, Scott Agness covers the Pacers’ first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. As of the recording, the Raptors have a 2-1 lead on the series.

Scott talks with Luis Scola about facing his former team and then dives deep into the series with NBA.com’s John Schuhmann.

See Also: 2016 NBA Playoffs: Pacers-Raptors Round 1 dates set

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, if you like the podcast, please leave a review.)

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Scola on Paul George and Jonas Valanciunas’ impact

* Schuhmann on his focus in analyzing the numbers, like plus/minus

* The impact of Toronto’s bench in the series

* What gaps the Pacers need to fill this offseason

* The challenges of being a head coach

* The lack of competitive games in the NBA Playoffs so far

Ahead of the Indiana Pacers’ first-round playoff series, Michael Grange of Rogers SportsNet joins Scott Agness on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast to offer insight from the Toronto perspective.

The Pacers are in the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, this year as the No. 7 seed. The Raptors, winners of 56 games, are having the best season in its franchise’s 21-year history.

But they have only won one playoff series.

[Click here to read Grange’s stories on SportsNet.]

An interesting nugget about the teams’ benches: Pacers head coach Frank Vogel, the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in April, is the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the NBA having been with the Pacers for six seasons. Raptors coach Dwane Casey, in his fifth season, is No. 5.

The best-of-seven series begins at 12:30 pm ET on Saturday, April 16th at the Air Canada Centre and then it will move to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

See Also: 2016 NBA Playoffs: Pacers-Raptors Round 1 dates set

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, if you like the podcast, please fill out a review.)

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Fan support in Toronto

* How the Raptors get to the foul line better than every team but Minnesota (27 FTA/game)

* The outstanding job fifth-year head coach Dwane Casey has done

* Why Kyle Lowry may have had a better season than LeBron James

* The emergence of rookie Norman Powell

* Ex-Pacer Luis Scola’s impact on the Raptors

This week on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, Matt Dollinger of SI.com joins to discuss the push to the playoffs, the Pacers’ season, and big storylines around the NBA. Dollinger, who has worked at SI since 2010, is an Indiana native and a graduate of Indiana University.

Also, hear from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

He was at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday for the NCAA Women’s National Title game, seated beside NCAA President Mark Emmert. Silver discusses his visit to town and his message to several Pacers execs regarding the possibility of Indy hosting an NBA All-Star game.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, please — pretty, pretty please — fill out a review.)

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* Dollinger on his role at SI and covering the NBA

* Attending the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

* The use of biomechanics and wearable technology in the NBA

* Kobe’s farewell tour dragging on

* The Warriors and the all-time regular-season wins record

* Why Draymond Green is his favorite college basketball players of all-time

* The challenge of writing weekly NBA power rankings

On this week’s episode of the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I go one-on-one with the best interview in the Pacers locker room, C.J. Miles … and I talk to the Bad Boy himself, Rick Mahorn.

With the Pacers’ season wrapping up, it’s a good time to have two individuals on to offer their perspective as a current and former player.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. (And, please — pretty, pretty please — fill out a review.)

I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email.

Topics Discussed:

* C.J. on how difficult it is to face the Philadelphia ‘Tanking’ 76ers

* Health-wise, if he’s where he wants to be this time of year

* Having not attended college, who he roots for in the NCAA Tournament

* Rick on the landscape of the Eastern Conference

* Whether he’d prefer to face the Cavaliers or the Raptors in the playoffs

* And lastly, on his battles with Larry Bird

This week on the Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast, I’m joined by two special guests: Pacers Sports & Entertainment President Rick Fuson and Fever star Tamika Catchings.

The Pacers and the city of Indianapolis would like to host NBA All-Star Weekend, and so Fuson, along with several other city officials, traveled to the 2016 NBA All-Star game across the border in Toronto last month to take notes and see what exactly it would take to do so.

Catchings, meanwhile, has a schedule that nobody could keep track of without a calendar (and maybe even an assistant). She got married, participated in All-Star Weekend, then had USA Basketball Camp, and now is on a book tour as her autobiography hit stores on March 1.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes.

I hope that you enjoy this week’s podcast. My thanks to DJ Bandcamp for contributing music to take the podcast to another level. I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter.

Fuson begins at 2:19, Catchings at 25:39.

Topics Discussed:

* Why the Pacers are now serious about hosting NBA All-Star Weekend

* What Fuson learned during their trip to Toronto and how big of undertaking it truly is

* Bankers Life Fieldhouse hosting 54 games in 43 days

* Whether he’s pleased with Pacers ticket sales and sponsorship numbers

* Changes coming to the Fieldhouse

* Tamika on her whirlwind schedule and what her wedding was like

* Whether she wants to start a family

* How she plans to leave a legacy in her final WNBA season

Scot Pollard played in the NBA for 11 seasons, including three for the Pacers, and he won an NBA Championship in his final season, 2008, while with the Boston Celtics.

He’s on the latest season of Survivor, which currently airs at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS. The group of 18 is gone for seven weeks and isolated on Kaoh Rong, the second largest island of Cambodia. The lone survivor wins a grand prize of $1 million.

Pollard, 41, has always been up for a challenge. At 6-foot-11 he’s obviously long, and being a professional athlete for more than a decade taught him all kinds of lessons. He’s mentally strong and wanted to test his strength.

And his time away led him to having a child on the way with his wife, Dawn.

Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher.

Topics Discussed:

* Why he wanted to be a contestant

* How he declined his first invitation to be on the show

* What life was like for him on this island in Southeast Asia

* How real this reality TV show truly is

* What, if any, interaction he had with the CBS crew

* The three things he’d want if stranded on an island, again