Pacers Pulse: Plenty of Optimism Around the Indiana Pacers

While there are reasons to be skeptical, there are also plenty of reasons to be excited about this Indiana Pacers team.

We’ve been cautiously optimistic (and pessimistic) around here this summer, but there are plenty of people saying things are looking up for the Indiana Pacers.

Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders sees Indiana as one of the teams on the rise in the NBA. Blancarte says Jeff Teague is a perfect fit for the Pacers at point guard while Thaddeus Young is one of the most underrated forwards in the NBA.

He noted that, yes, there have been some departures, but the overall change for the Pacers has been a net positive.

"The Pacers did lose some players, such as Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill and Solomon Hill. However, with Paul George playing at a high level, Myles Turner showing great promise in his development and an infusion of quality veterans, the Pacers could make some noise in the Eastern Conference next season."

Now if the Pacers and Paul George can agree on a contract extension, then fans will be very optimistic about Indiana’s future.

The young and the relentless

The biggest reason to be excited is Myles Turner.

Turner’s success with the USA Select Team has me wondering if he’s the key to Indiana’s success this season.

Another good reason for that optimism is the fact it hasn’t just been one good week of practice for Turner. Along with a few of the Pacers younger players, Myles was training and actively working on his game will before Team USA met in Vegas.

Mark Montieth said in last week’s mailbag that Turner’s work ethic is something worth praising.

"I can’t offer much that you don’t already know, if you have followed his off-season in the media. Bird, for one, has had high praise for Turner throughout Turner’s time with the Pacers. Before last season, he called him the team’s best shooter. This summer he raved about his work ethic.All I can tell you is that we saw Turner – and Joe Young, Shayne Whittington and Rakeem Christmas – walk onto the practice court after nearly every pre-draft workout. Turner was said to be there nearly every day."

Indiana Pacers Courtside Club gets renovated

If the indiana Pacers do take step forward this season, fans might look forward to using the new Lightbound Courtside Club.

Looks swanky.

The former Locker Room Restaurant will be renovated to give fans quicker service and a new menu of food and drinks to choose from.

"The LightBound Courtside Club is just steps from the court and will cater to courtside ticket holders before, during, and after each Pacers home game. Among the many improvements is a new location for a feature bar which allows more fans to be served in a quicker fashion. Refreshed food and drink menus will be available and guests will enjoy even more visibility into the TCU Court to watch pregame activities.“We are very proud of our building,” said PS&E President Rick Fuson. “But one of our main concerns each and every day is to make this place not only the best in the state of Indiana but one of the best in the nation for our fans. This is their building. Through the cooperation of our partner, the CIB and our friends at LightBound, these new amenities will make our events even more special for our patrons.”"

Perhaps this could help Indiana’s 18th ranked attendance?

What can you make with 6,000 cans of food?

This.

So what is that?

"The Indiana Pacers, in conjunction with Kroger, RATIO Architects, Turner Construction Company and Beyond Countertops, took part in the CANstruction competition at the 2016 Indiana State Fair.The competition attracts several groups each year and challenges them to build a structure wholly out of canned food. Once the State Fair has come to an end, all the cans will be donated to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.This year’s competition features a theme revolving around honoring Indiana’s bicentennial celebration. Keeping in line with the historical theme, the Pacers decided to honor the franchise’s history in the American Basketball Association.The Pacers were members of the ABA from the team’s founding in 1967 to 1976, when the league merged with the NBA. The team won three ABA championships in 1970, 1972 and 1973.This year’s entry features a giant basketball nestled in the palm of a hand. It features the iconic red, white and blue basketball used in the ABA, and the hand is modeled after Darnell “Dr. Dunk” Hillman, the Pacers’ Associate Director of Camps & Clinics/Alumni Relations, and a former ABA Pacers player.The structure is made up of approximately 6000 cans. Hillman was on hand to assist the Canstruction team on Friday, the opening day of the State Fair. His 6-foot-9 frame and long reach was necessary at times to place cans atop the structure.“This is going to be an impressive display,” Hillman said during the building."

Next: Myles Turner Is the Key to Success for the Pacers

That is what you can do with 6,000 cans.