Indiana
1 Pacers Bargain-Bin Free Agent Still Worth Targeting 💭
Eight-time NBA All-Star and 2020 NBA champion, Dwight Howard, believes that he still can make an indelible impact for several teams if rostered by a team.
Having last played for the 6-24 Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan’s T1 League (the league’s second year in existence), leading the league with his rebounding and assist averages while ranking third with his scoring and block averages, Howard is understandably confident in his abilities. Furthermore, looking at the NBA landscape, there are several teams lacking in big man depth.
However, the team that Howard may fit on best isn’t one that would be relying on him to help bring them a championship next season.
It’s one that simply needs what he brings to the table: the Indiana Pacers.
Interior Force
Although Dwight Howard is a long way away from the days that he was leading the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals or donning the Superman nickname, the 37-year-old is still more than capable of pulling down boards and affecting shots around the rim.
Of course, averaging 23.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 blocks in 34.9 minutes per game for the Taoyuan Leopards in the 2022-23 season isn’t really going to blow anyone’s mind. In most cases, American-born players — especially those who made it to the NBA — excel in international settings. However, those numbers are relevant in the sense that Howard’s activity, desire and experience clearly still shine through.
Howard still believes he can play around 25 minutes of dominant basketball, likely in a second unit role. Despite the negative reputation the big man has garnered over the years, the idea that could still excel in a bit role — perhaps 15 minutes per game — isn’t unfathomable. In his last three NBA seasons, Howard averaged 6.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 17.5 minutes per game, and helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a championship.
Depth
With the current depth behind Indiana Pacers starting center Myles Turner featuring 21-year-old Isaiah Jackson and veteran Daniel Theis, there’s arguably no need for Dwight Howard. After all, Howard was out of the NBA entirely last season, giving him an uphill climb towards a rotation spot.
However, when considering the constant rumors surrounding Turner and some that have featured Jackson, there’s no guarantee that either of them will remain on the roster long-term. Theis himself is a midseason trade candidate due to his veteran status and the number of playoff contenders that need to address their center depth.
Ultimately, Howard very well may not play. Nonetheless, he gives the Pacers the option of trading one of their big men for draft capital or a backcourt piece and not being overly concerned about it regardless. Especially if he stands out in training camp, the preseason, in practice, or some combination of all three.
Experience
Looking over the Indiana Pacers’ roster, they have multiple players that are at least 30 years old in Buddy Hield (30), T.J. McConnell (31), and Daniel Theis (31). However, Theis is the only player out of this trio that’s made it to a Conference Finals and Hield has never been to the NBA Playoffs. With that in mind, Dwight Howard would come to the team not only as the elder statesman, but as the only NBA champion rostered by the Pacers as well.
To that point, Howard’s perspective and experience should help elevate a young Pacers team that’s amassed one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the NBA. Even without a true superstar, the Pacers should be in playoff contention next season, and Howard could be one of the pieces that help them reach that goal not only on the court but behind-the-scenes as well.
Lastly, as one of the NBA’s best players for over a decade, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-NBA selection should have plenty of sagacious advice for two outstanding young shot-blockers in Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson.
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Indiana
Caitlin Clark Sets Indiana Fever Franchise Record in Half a Season
Caitlin Clark broke an Indiana Fever rookie record with half of the WNBA season still to go.
The No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft notched her 129th assist in a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, June 30. The helping hand came on a well-run pick-and-roll with center Aliyah Boston.
After Boston set a screen for a rapidly advancing Clark, the rising star found Boston as she peeled away and ran toward the basket. The end result was an easy layup for Boston and Clark’s new record.
Clark’s record is only within the Fever organization, and specifically for rookies, but she’s playing well enough to avoid needing any qualifiers. Her average of 6.6 assists per game is good for 4th-best in the entire league. She’s on pace to blow past the Fever’s all-time single-season assists record – 201, set just last year by Erica Wheeler – before the season is out.
Clark brought newfound attention to the WNBA after setting the NCAA record for points scored in basketball, men or women’s. She led her Iowa Hawkeyes to two straight NCAA championship games in 2023 and 2024, which they lost to the LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks, respectively.
At the first of those two championships, a seeming rivalry was born between Clark and her superstar counterpart on the Tigers: Angel Reese. While the pair have long denied that there’s any rivalry between them, games where Clark’s Fever play Reese’s Chicago Sky set ticket price and TV viewership records. Reese denied the rivalry in an interview in March.
“I don’t think people realize it’s not personal,” Reese said. “Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it’s like, ‘Hey, girl, what’s up? Let’s hang out.’ I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that.”
Clark agreed earlier this month, speaking during a post-game press conference.
“I’m pretty sure the only people that view this as a rivalry is all of you,” she said. “Like, to us it’s just a game of basketball.”
Reese set a rookie record on June 23 in a game against Clark when she recorded her eighth-straight double-double. She broke the single-season WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles on June 30 when she managed a 10th straight double-double. Prior to her 10-point, 16-rebound performance, she was tied with two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker.
Indiana
Apparent fireworks malfunction leaves 7 injured, several homes damaged in Griffith, Indiana: police
ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team
Sunday, June 30, 2024 5:45PM
Live streaming newscasts, breaking news, weather & original, local programming.
GRIFFITH, Ind. (WLS) — A fireworks incident left seven people injured and several houses and vehicles damaged in Northwest Indiana on Saturday night, police said.
Griffith police said officers were dispatched to the 900-block of North Arbogast Street at about 9:30 p.m.
It appears that a private fireworks show at home there had an accidental malfunction, injuring seven people and damaging four houses and 10 vehicles, police said.
Information about the ages and conditions of those injured was not immediately available.
Police are investigating the incident and asked anyone with information to contact them at 219-924-7503. Anonymous tips can be left by calling 219-922-3085.
Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Indiana
Pleasant air moves in
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Many locations in central Indiana picked up beneficial rain with yesterday’s storms. Pleasant air will now move in following this system.
TODAY: Mostly sunny skies. Dew points will drop into the comfortable category by the afternoon. Winds will be sustained out of the north at 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph. High temperatures in the mid-70s.
TONIGHT: We will have our coolest morning since June 11. Mostly clear skies remain. Low temperatures in the low to mid-50s.
TOMORROW: Another refreshing day. The first day of July will feature plenty of sunshine with high temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.
8-DAY FORECAST: Our pleasant air is only temporary. Temperatures will build after Monday as a warm front crosses Indiana. This will also drive up our rain chances Wednesday to Friday with the frontal boundary stalling out in the Midwest. Unfortunately, the 4th of July will be included in these rain chances, but we should know more about the timing of rain as we get closer.
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