I know some of you have worried here that I’ve been “away” for about five years, since I left the Pacers in 2004, about four months before the infamous brawl. Not to worry. My company owned four NBA D-League teams the last four years, and that meant seeing a ton of players in person who are now rotation players in our league. It meant hiring nine coaches, from Sam Vincent to Quin Snyder to Michael Cooper to Jay Humphries. It meant constantly working on coach and player matters. So, I really never left.
That doesn’t mean I’m as ready today as I will be on June 25 for the draft. The current staff will stay in place through at least July to help prepare for this draft and for free agency. I told each staffer Wednesday night, when I spoke to them on the phone, that I’m looking forward to watching them work, in this new environment, these next five weeks. This is the best time of year for us – it was always the highlight of my year with the Pacers.
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