Indiana
James Wiseman Another Bet On Indiana Pacers Ability To Develop
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 22: James Wiseman #13 of the Detroit Pistons dunks the ball past … [+]
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers officially signed center James Wiseman on Friday, a move that was necessitated by the reported departure of Jalen Smith. The blue and gold needed a big man, and they got one in Wiseman.
It’s a fascinating signing, and one that is a no-risk, high reward deal for the Pacers. Wiseman was the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and was considered a high-upside big man at the time. So far, that hasn’t come to fruition. But if anyone can turn his fortunes, it’s Indiana.
The blue and gold have improved as a team in the last three years in large part because of their ability to develop players who weren’t panning out elsewhere. Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jordan Nwora all came to Indiana from other places where they either didn’t fit perfectly, didn’t play, or weren’t in the long-term plans. They all got better with the Pacers.
“The most rewarding part of this job has been the player development aspect of it,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said in late May. “When you’re a small market team, there are certain things you’ve got to be great at. You’ve got to be great at player development.”
Another commonality among those players is they were all drafted in 2020. That’s more of a coincidence than anything, but that applies to Wiseman as well. The Pacers new center, along with Haliburton, Nesmith, Toppin, and Smith were all selected in the lottery of that draft.
Wiseman will hope that Indiana can help him find his footing in the NBA. With the Golden State Warriors, he was given chances to play but wasn’t effective or on the team’s timeline. He also missed an entire season due to injury, and he was traded to the Detroit Pistons at the 2023 trade deadline for several second-round draft picks.
With the Pistons, Wiseman struggled. He was out of the rotation early in the most recent campaign. Along the way, there were flashes — Wiseman’s size and speed gave him incredible highs. But his defense, turnovers, and lack of range are limiting.
Wiseman’s contract reflects a player has yet to put it all together. It’s a two-year deal, and the fact that it was signed before the moratorium was complete confirms it’s a minimum salary deal. It is partially guaranteed in the first season, and there’s a team option on year two. There’s almost no risk for the Pacers.
Yet there is upside, certainly, and the fact that Indiana signed Wiseman at all is reflective of their belief that he could turn into something over the life of the deal. The blue and gold are a contending team — they need their reserve players to produce when they are called upon. As the projected third center behind Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson, Wiseman will play when injuries pop up. Indiana will need him to execute, and they wouldn’t have added him without some faith he can perform.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 11: Bennedict Mathurin #00 of the Indiana Pacers drives to the basket … [+]
If he can’t help out, then he won’t play. Wiseman will have to get better as a pick-and-roll defender, a ball caretaker, and a jump shooter. His range is limited, and his defense needs work. The average distance of a Wiseman shot attempt last season was under five feet, and Detroit’s defense was about 3.7 points per 100 possessions worse with Wiseman on the court. He has room to improve around his impressive rebounding and play finishing.
Certain players have seen their skills grow at these traits with the Pacers in recent seasons. Isaiah Jackson has improved as a defender, particularly with his discipline. Smith became a much better shooter with the blue and gold, as did Toppin and Nemsith. Nwora grew as a passer. Any of those improvements happening with Wiseman would be a welcome sight.
It would be a win for both parties. Wiseman needed to find a team that could help him get better and increase his chances of having a long NBA career. The Pacers hope they can turn a young, unproven player into a cheap contributor. Both groups really want this partnership to work.
That’s why it makes sense as a signing, especially if Wiseman is able to get better over the life of the deal. Indiana needs him to produce, but if he does, this agreement will be a win-win as Wiseman bets on himself with a lightly guaranteed contract.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The ‘Big Boy’ Locomotive is making its way back west from Philadelphia, and is in the area on Wednesday and Thursday.
It has a 30-minute stop tomorrow morning at 11:30 in Continental, Ohio, about an hour east of downtown Fort Wayne. Then, it will travel into New Haven from the east.
Recommended viewing spots are along Dawkins Road near Webster Road at Jefferson Township Park or in town at the New Haven City Hall parking lot.
Train officials remind spectators they should remain more than 25 feet away from the tracks to avoid trespassing and to stay safe.
After an overnight stay in New Haven, which is not open to the public, it will travel through downtown Fort Wayne around 9 am Thursday.
It will then make a 30-minute stop in Knox, Indiana, about 2 hours west of Fort Wayne, near South Bend and Valparaiso, which is open to the public at N. Main St. and W. Bender St. from 12:30 to 1p Central Time.
Crowds have been very large and officials suggest arriving early.
In June, Big Boy stopped here on its way to Philadelphia for the Fourth of July as part of the historic coast-to-coast tour in celebration of the United States of America’s 250th birthday.
Union Pacific’s ‘Big Boy’ No. 4014 is the world’s largest operating steam engine, weighing in at a whopping 1.2 million pounds. Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned for Union Pacific, the first being delivered in 1941, where they were used to haul equipment in support of the war at the time.
You can track the historic locomotive through a live map of the train’s location, here.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WSBT) — New standards are now in place for Indiana schools to request four day school week waivers.
Operation Education told you about the pilot program at Vinton Elementary near Lafayette back in 2024.
Operation Education: Indiana elementary pilots 4-day school week
That pilot program ends next spring.
It is the only school in Indiana operating on a four day week schedule.
The state’s new standards mean schools have to earn an “A” grade to be considered.
They also have to offer transportation for students who choose to attend a school on a five day schedule, pay teachers at least $45,000 a year, and offer enrichment and remediation at no cost to parents on the fifth day.
The State Board of Education would then decide if the school can move to a four day week.
More than 800 schools nationwide now operate on that schedule.
MONROE COUNTY, Ind. – The ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit over what it calls “unconstitutional conditions” at the Monroe County Jail.
This comes after the advocacy group previously suggested it would take legal action to resolve a lengthy dispute over the facility’s safety.
The federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of two individuals currently incarcerated at the jail. It cites chronic overcrowding, deteriorating infrastructure, unsafe living conditions and the county’s inability to remedy the problems.
The dispute originally flared in 2008, when the ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit challenging conditions at the jail. That led to a 2009 settlement in which county officials promised a long-term solution. Over the years, the deadline for improvements has been extended multiple times.
While the county appeared to embrace a brand-new justice complex near I-69 and State Road 46, those plans stalled when the county council voted down the project due to cost concerns.
The ACLU said the settlement has expired and the original lawsuit has been dismissed, necessitating the filing of a new one. The lawsuit claims conditions at the jail violate the 14th Amendment rights of people awaiting trial and 8th Amendment rights of people held after conviction.
The lawsuit names the Monroe County Council, Monroe County commissioners and Monroe County sheriff as defendants.
In a news release, the ACLU cited several problems at the jail, ranging from overcrowding to “extreme temperatures, broken plumbing, mold, crumbling walls, limited disability access, and failures to safely separate people with different medical and security needs.”
Ken Falk, legal director for the ACLU of Indiana, said officials have had long enough to fix the numerous issues.
“They have had nearly two decades to find a lasting solution, yet people are still being held in unconstitutional conditions that threaten their health and safety,” Falk said in a statement. “Studies have documented that the jail is dangerous and inadequate, and the sheriff has been candid about its many problems. However, the sheriff’s role under Indiana law is limited, and the county officials who could solve this problem have not listened.”
The ACLU is asking the court to certify the case as a class action and seeks a permanent injunction “requiring defendants to take all steps necessary to ensure that the conditions of confinement at the Monroe County Jail comply with the United States Constitution,” among other relief.
FOX59/CBS4 reached out to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office regarding this lawsuit. Officials with the office stated that they are “declining to comment on pending litigation.”
Read the full complaint here.
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