WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.737 >>I NEVER HAVE SAID THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY FOR THE PACERS OR BE IN THIS ORGANIZATION. 2 00:00:03.737 --> 00:00:11.711 I'M JUST FOCUSED ON ME, IMPROVING. FOCUSED ON MY TEAM, BEING THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF SO I CAN 3 00:00:11.711 --> 00:00:16.983 HELP THIS TEAM, THIS ORGANIZATION, THIS CITY WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. >>INDIANA PACERS STAR VICTOR 4 00:00:16.983 --> 00:00:23.623 OLADIPO ON HIS COMMITMENT TO STAY WITH THE BLUE AND GOLD. THE PACERS BEGIN THE 2020-21 REGULAR SEASON IN JUST A FEW 5 00:00:23.623 --> 00:00:28.128 WEEKS. THEY HAVE A NEW COACH IN NATE BJORKGREN AND ALMOST ALL THE PLAYERS ARE BACK FROM LAST 6 00:00:28.128 --> 00:00:33.833 SEASON. WHAT IS NOT CLEAR IS WHETHER FANS WILL BE ALLOWED INTO BANKERS LIFE FIELDHOUSE TO WATCH 7 00:00:33.833 --> 00:00:39.873 THE TEAM PLAY. BILL BENNER HAS A PREVIEW OF WHAT'S TO COME...INSIDE INDIANA SPORTS...BILL 8 00:00:39.873 --> 00:00:46.479 >>BILL: GERRY, THANKS. AFTER AN ABBREVIATED OFFSEASON UNLIKE ANY OTHER, THE PACERS HAVE BEGUN TRAINING CAMP LOOKING 9 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:52.852 AHEAD TO A SEASON OPENING GAME POSSIBLY AS SOON AS DECEMBER 22ND. TWO POSITIVES: DOMAS SABONIS, 10 00:00:52.852 --> 00:00:59.225 FOOT INJURY, IS BACK, AND THE AFOREMENTIONED VICTOR OLADIPO APPEARS TO BE 100 PERCENT. AND JOINING US TODAY TO OFFER A 11 00:00:59.225 --> 00:01:09.235 PRESEASON ASSESSMENT IS PACERS GENERAL MANAGER CHAD BUCHANAN ... CHAD, WELCOME, AND THANKS FOR MAKING TIME TO JOIN US ... 12 00:01:09.235 --> 00:01:18.378 >> LED TO JOIN YOU GUYS TODAY, BILL. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NEW THING IT'S NATE COMING IN FROM 13 00:01:18.378 --> 00:01:26.619 TORONTO WHERE THEY HAD A FANTASTIC SUCCESS WE HEARD ABOUT THE OFFENSE AND DISRUPTIVE DEFENSE SO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU 14 00:01:26.619 --> 00:01:34.894 THINK NATE WILL BRING TO THE PACERS. >> HE BRINGS A LOT OF ENERGY TO THE TABLE FIRST OFF. 15 00:01:34.894 --> 00:01:43.169 HE'S A GLASS HALF FULL PERSONALITY AND A DREAMER AT HEART, WHICH EALLY MADE AN IMPRESSION ON US IN THE 16 00:01:43.169 --> 00:01:51.010 INTERVIEW PROCESS AND HIS BELIEF AND HOW HE COACHES AND WHAT HE EMPHASIZES AND HOW HE DEALS WITH PLAYERS, THE POSITIVE TONE TO 17 00:01:51.010 --> 00:02:00.386 THAT WILL RESONATE WITH THIS GROUP AND HE HAS A LOT OF IDEAS AND OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKER WORKING UNDER NICK FOR AS LONG 18 00:02:00.386 --> 00:02:12.398 AS HE DID WHO HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW HIM VERY CREATIVELY AND I THINK NATE REFLECTS THAT AND 19 00:02:12.398 --> 00:02:18.972 THAT'S WHAT WE PRIORITIZED WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS WAS FINDING A COACH WILLING TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY 20 00:02:18.972 --> 00:02:25.778 AND WILLING TO TRY TO PLAY DIFFERENT GUYS IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS AND DEFEND DIFFERENTLY AND I THINK THE PLAYERS WILL 21 00:02:25.778 --> 00:02:32.986 TAKE SOME TIME GETTING ADJUSTED TO THAT BECAUSE COACH MCMILLAN AND HIS STAFF DID A GREAT JOB ESTABLISHING PRINCIPLES AND 22 00:02:32.986 --> 00:02:43.596 FOUNDATION WITH THIS TEAM AND I THINK NATE HAS A LOT OF IDEAS HE WILL IMPLEMENT, BUT WE ARE WILLING TO HELP THE GROUP. 23 00:02:43.596 --> 00:02:53.773 >> THE PACERS HAVE -- LET'S START WITH WE HEARD FROM VICTOR OLA DEPOT THE OTHER DAY HE SAYS HE'S COMMITTED AND WON A 24 00:02:53.773 --> 00:03:00.813 CHAMPIONSHIP HERE AND HOPEFULLY 100 PERCENT AND THEN WE MENTIONED IN THE TEES THAT HE MISSED THE PLAYOFFS AND 25 00:03:00.813 --> 00:03:11.491 CERTAINLY WILL BE GREAT AND HAVE YOUR ALL-STARS BACK AND LEADING THIS ROSTER. >> ABSOLUTELY BOTH THOSE GUYS 26 00:03:11.491 --> 00:03:21.000 ARE CORE PLAYERS TO THIS GROUP IN THIS TEAM AND VICTOR NEVER WAS COMPLETELY HEALTHY LAST YEAR HE PLAYED, BUT HE WOULD SAY HE 27 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:30.743 WAS NOT HIMSELF AT THAT POINT PHYSICALLY AND THEN NOT HAVING HIM IN THE BUBBLE OUR TEAM RESPONDED WELL IN THE SEATING 28 00:03:30.743 --> 00:03:39.018 GAMES WITHOUT HIM AND HAVING EVERYBODY HEALTHY AND WE ARE MISS ANY -- MISSING JEREMY UNTIL VICTOR CAME BACK AND WE DIDN'T 29 00:03:39.018 --> 00:03:47.827 HAVE HIM AS WELL. SO WE DID NOT MAKE A LOT OF CHANGES TO THE ROSTER AND LOOKED AT DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND FREE 30 00:03:47.827 --> 00:03:54.867 AGENCY, BUT ULTIMATELY DECIDED THIS GROUP HAS HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS LAST YEAR AND WE GET EVERYBODY HEALTHY AND A NEW 31 00:03:54.867 --> 00:04:01.841 COACH WITH A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND NATE WAS ADAMANT ABOUT WANTING TO KEEP THE TEAM TOGETHER AND COACH THIS GROUP 32 00:04:01.841 --> 00:04:10.583 AND THAT FACTORED INTO DECISION-MAKING, BUT THIS TEAM HAS GREAT CHEMISTRY TOGETHER. VICTOR I THINK WILL BE HEALTHIER 33 00:04:10.583 --> 00:04:19.592 THIS YEAR AND IS MOTIVATED TO PROVE HE IS BACK TO WHAT HE USED TO BE AND I THINK DOMAS WANTS TO BUILD OFF THE BREAKOUT SEASON HE 34 00:04:19.592 --> 00:04:30.303 HAD IN OTHER PLAYERS AROUND HIM ARE PRIMED TO PLAY BETTER UNDER THE NEW COACH AND I THINK THIS TEAM HAS MADE CHANGES TO MAKE 35 00:04:30.303 --> 00:04:38.011 CHANGE WITH THE ROSTERS AND THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT MOVE AND WE WANT TO SEE THIS GROUP TOGETHER AND SEE WHERE WE CAN GO. 36 00:04:38.011 --> 00:04:48.187 >> TO OTHER MAINSTAYS WITH THE CAREER HIGHS LAST YEAR AND POINTS AND REBOUNDS AND ASSIST AND TJ REALLY STEPPED FORWARD IN 37 00:04:48.187 --> 00:04:55.795 THE PLAYOFFS AND UNFORTUNATELY A LOSS TO MIAMI, BUT TJ WARD WAS TERRIFIC. >> TJ THRIVED ON THE BUBBLE I 38 00:04:55.795 --> 00:05:02.168 THINK HE WAS HOPING WE WOULD BE BACK THERE THE REST OF THE SEASON, BUT IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. 39 00:05:02.168 --> 00:05:10.209 HE PLAYED A POWER FORWARD POSITION AT TIMES AND WITHOUT DOMAS ON THE FLOOR WE NEEDED SOMEBODY ELSE TO STEP FORWARD 40 00:05:10.209 --> 00:05:20.186 AND BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE OFFENSIVELY AND TJ WAS PHENOMENAL FOR US AS WAS MILES. HE HAD GOOD STUFF IN THE BUBBLE 41 00:05:20.186 --> 00:05:27.960 AND I THINK TJ THIS YEAR WANTS TO BUILD OFF THAT AND I THINK HE WILL HAVE A TARGET ON HIS BACK THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS 42 00:05:27.960 --> 00:05:36.536 IN ORLANDO AND I THINK HE WILL BE READY FOR THAT AND HE WANTS TO BE A KEY PIECE OF THE TEAM MOVING FORWARD AND NATE 43 00:05:36.536 --> 00:05:43.009 BJORKGREN COACHED HIM WHEN HE WAS COACHING IN THE LEAGUE WHEN TJ WAS ASSIGNED AS A MEMBER OF THE SUN SO THERE WAS A 44 00:05:43.009 --> 00:05:52.085 RELATIONSHIP ETWEEN THOSE TWO GUYS AND NATE KNOWS WHAT TJ IS CAPABLE OF DOING AND I THINK YOU WILL MAXIMIZE HIS TALENT. 45 00:05:52.085 --> 00:06:04.764 >> WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING ON THE SHOW AND WANT TO MENTION BREAKING NEWS THE CITIZEN SHIP AWARD SO TREMENDOUS HONOR. 46 00:06:04.764 --> 00:06:12.972 WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE BASKETBALL BACK AT THE FIELDHOUSE AND GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE AS THE SEASON UNFOLDS. 47 00:06:12.972 --> 00:06:16.275 >> THANKS AND STAY SAFE ALMOST TIME FOR PACER HOOPS. >> THANKS CHAD.