Indiana
Pascal Siakam hosting and motivating Indiana Pacers teammates for minicamp in Orlando
Pascal Siakam is nearing the end of his first full offseason with the Indiana Pacers, and he’s flashing his off-court value. The two-time All-Star, who was traded to Indiana back in January, is hosting his teammates for a mini camp in Orlando ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Indiana’s head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about the minicamp on 107.5 The Fan Tuesday morning. He said that 18 or 19 players are participating, and the event is being held essentially at Siakam’s home. Earlier in the offseason, the two-time All-NBA forward posted a few videos training with younger Pacers players. This time, more of the roster is together.
Last year, the team went to Nashville, Tennessee for a minicamp ahead of the season. They discussed their goals for the campaign and what it would take to get there, and they relied on the veteran leadership of 2023 NBA Champion Bruce Brown to prepare for the coming campaign.
This year, it’s Siakam taking on a leadership role — fittingly, a player that Brown was traded for. “The fact that we have more continuity is great. It’s a players only retreat in Orlando,” Carlisle said. The head coach shared that Siakam has a separate building by his house with a court that can be used for training. “It is a beautiful facility,” Carlisle said.
He then detailed that there’s a strength training area at the facility and that it could host a real NBA training camp if need be. The players organized this trip on their own — it’s a players-only camp, Indiana’s coaches are also doing their coaching meetings ahead of the coming campaign.
Siakam took on a leadership role in the postseason for the Pacers last year. He wanted to lead by example. In the past, he won a title and has earned individual accolades. He’s been where the rest of the Pacers want to be, and he’s powered through low points in his career.
He’s also fallen short after tremendous seasons. The Raptors haven’t made it back to the conference finals after winning the Finals in 2019. Siakam and his team wanted more, but it never happened. He knows what it takes to get back to high highs, and he’s sharing that wisdom with the Pacers.
“We can’t go into [the season] thinking ‘Oh, we did so well last year. We got to the Eastern Conference Finals, and we’re going to be back at it’. It doesn’t work like that,” Siakam told his teammates, per a video he posted on his Twitter feed. “Have the mindset from the beginning that whatever we did last year, we’re going to have to do that sh*t triple to even get to where we were at last year. Just continue to f**king build on that.”
Caught a feeling on some @ricohinesbball sh*t pic.twitter.com/KukiMpOx9n
— pascal siakam (@pskills43) September 12, 2024
Siakam noted that the Pacers still have to hunt. They can’t be the hunted even after a lengthy playoff run. He doesn’t want his team to get comfortable.
Their quest to do what they did last season starts in Orlando. The team was seen together at a WWE event Tuesday night as they continue to bond, an important part of the minicamp experience. They’ll eat as a group and learn more about each other — especially the new guys in James Wiseman, Cole Swider, and the 2024 draft class.
Siakam recalled getting somewhat complacent after a title with the Raptors and thinking the team would get back to that high peak at some point. It didn’t happen. Now, he’s worked hard to be a talented enough player that can help guide a team to postseason series wins. He wants the Pacers to get there again, and if they do, it will have all started at this minicamp in Orlando.
RIPLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — A statewide Silver Alert has been issued for two young children in Indiana.
Police in Ripley County, southeast of Indianapolis, are looing for the children who may be siblings.
The first child is 3-year-old Aaliyah Buckingham.
She was last seen wearing a pink cat shirt and tie-dye shorts.
The younger child is 1-year-old Shane Buckingham, last seen in a red shirt and diaper.
Police think both are with 45-year-old Timothy Buckingham, who was last seen driving a brown GMC truck.
Timothy is described as a 6′ 3″ white man weighing 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Photo of Timothy Buckingham provided by Indiana State Police
Police have not confirmed the relationship of the three, or why the children are believed to be in danger.
Anyone who sees the three are asked to contact the nearest police department.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A firefighter for the Indianapolis Fire Department was sent to the hospital Wednesday after battling a fire at a vacant house.
According to a Facebook post made by IFD, the fire happened around 10:15 a.m. at a house on Bluff Rd. IFD says that there were several complications, including limited access to fire hydrants and “interior hoarder conditions” that IFD says was due to squatters.
The injured firefighter received “slight injury,” the Facebook post said.
It took over an hour and a half to get the fire under control, according to IFD, and another hour to put out all the remaining hot spots in the building.
According to IFD, the cause of the fire is currently unknown. Their Fire Investigations Unit is working on figuring out what caused the fire.
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