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Indianapolis Star
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Rick Carlisle says post-surgery call to Tyrese Haliburton 'was one of the most uplifting moments in my entire coaching career'
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said on his weekly radio interview on 107.5 The Fan it was "very unlikely" Tyrese Haliburton will play at all next season after his Achilles tendon tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but said he had an "uplifting" call with Haliburton immediately after the All-Star point guard's surgery in New York on Monday night. Carlisle said he was on a long car ride and called Haliburton at 8:49 p.m. thinking he would be out of surgery. "He answered the phone on the first half ring," Carlisle said. "He said, 'Hey coach how you doing?' He sounded totally upbeat. I said, 'I'm doing great, how are you doing?' He said, 'I'm gonna be good. I'm gonna be good.'" 'I don't regret it.' Tyrese Haliburton writes post on social media after surgery 5 offseason questions: How Haliburton injury forces Pacers to reconsider all of what they planned Carlisle said he noticed at that point that Haliburton had sent a picture in the group text including all the players on the roster and the assistant coaches of him in his hospital bed after surgery. The combination of the call and the picture were deeply meaningful, but Carlisle acknowledged Haliburton and the Pacers have a daunting task ahead. "I really want the fanbase to understand this," Carlisle said. "The exchange on the telephone last night at 8:49 p.m. Eastern Time was one of the most uplifting moments in my entire coaching career. People should be very hopeful. This is going to be a long haul, a long road back. Obviously, very unlikely that he'll play at all next year. I don't think I'm speaking out of school as a non-medical person." And the Pacers are of course, ready with contingencies and looking to build in more. Haliburton has missed time in the past and that has led to Andrew Nembhard being moved into a starting role and more responsibility being placed on T.J. McConnell. "This will allow Andrew Nembhard to step into a different role, that's pretty obvious, and one that he's proven very capable of," Carlisle said. "T.J. McConnell was signed by ownership and (president of basketball operations) Kevin (Pritchard) and (general manager) Chad (Buchanan) last summer to be with us hopefully through the end of his career. Those two guys will lead us in that position and I know Kevin and Chad will find ways to get us other help."
Indianapolis Star
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Rick Carlisle says Tyrese Haliburton likely 'game-time decision' for Game 6 of NBA Finals
INDIANAPOLIS – Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton "probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6" of the NBA Finals, coach Rick Carlisle said in a radio interview on 107.5 The Fan on Wednesday morning after Haliburton reportedly had an MRI for a calf strain on Tuesday. Haliburton has been dealing with a lower leg issue since Game 2 but appeared to either aggravate the injury or suffer a new one in the Pacers' Game 5 loss Monday night when he tripped attempting to drive to the lane in the first half. He was dealing with "lower leg tightness" according to Pacers public relations staff and wore a wrap around his right leg on the sidelines. There was discussion at halftime about him sitting out the rest of the game, but Carlisle said Haliburton was adamant about staying in the game. Still, he scored just four points in the Pacers' 120-109 loss, missing all six of his field goal attempts. He did record six assists and seven rebounds. ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday Haliburton was scheduled to have an MRI and that he had suffered a right calf strain. Carlisle didn't exactly confirm that Wednesday morning, but indicated Haliburton's status is in limbo with the Pacers down 3-2 in the series and facing elimination with Game 6 coming Thursday. "He is going to be carefully evaluated over the next 36 hours and will likely be listed as questionable on the injury report and probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6," Carlisle said. "Everything is on the table." Carlisle said the Pacers do have to be prepared for the possibility Haliburton will not play. The Pacers went 4-5 this season in games in which Haliburton did not appear. In such a case, Andrew Nembhard would likely move from shooting guard to point guard leaving a wing position open. In most cases this season when Haliburton did not play, Bennedict Mathurin moved into the starting lineup at shooting guard. Carlisle wouldn't say whether or not Haliburton would be at practice Wednesday with the last 30 minutes being open to the media. "It's pretty simple, we have to prepare for both," Carlisle said. "Today, when we meet with the team before, we go on the floor and practice is going to be more of a walkthrough at this point of the series. We'll do a walkthrough, we'll have some shooting. We'll have some open practice the last 30 minutes with the media at the end, yeah, we have to prepare for two scenarios: one where he plays and one where he does not." Asked about how to handle rotations and minute counts, Carlisle stayed to the same line. "Everything is on the table," Carlisle said. "... It's pretty simple. Tomorrow night our task is to take care of homecourt, which is what they did in Game 5 and get to an ultimate game, which is Game 7. That's the task in front of us. We have to figure out exactly what tools are in front of us as a team and we have to consider everything. Minute count, throwing that out the window is easy to say, but if you have guys out there that are more fatigued than they should be, that's not good and against this team, that's very difficult." Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game in the regular season to earn third-team All-NBA honors for the second straight season and is averaging 17.9 points and 9.1 assists per game in the playoffs. He's hit game-winning or game-tying shots in four remarkable playoff comebacks for the Pacers in these playoffs to help them reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 and the second time in franchise history.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo in 'open competition' for Colts' kicker job
Spencer Shrader, Maddux Trujillo in 'open competition' for Colts' kicker job As Colts' special teams coordinator Brian Mason mentioned on Wednesday, kickers Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo are in an "open competition." Spencer Shrader may be the favorite to be the Indianapolis Colts' kicker for the 2025 season, but as special teams coordinator Brian Mason said on Wednesday, this is still an open competition. 'Spencer certainly has a little bit of a step up in that," said Mason, via 107.5 The Fan. "He's already been in the league, already been here, but it is definitely an open competition. That's how I view it." Competing with Shrader is undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo. This past season at Temple, Trujillo made all 21 extra point attempts and he was 16-for-22 overall, which included going 5-for-5 from 40-49 yards and 5-of-8 from 50-plus, per PFF. 'We think (Trujillo is) very similar to what Spencer was last year,' special teams coordinator Mason said earlier this offseason via the Indy Star. 'Maybe, statistically, wasn't what you'd think you'd be looking for from a college standpoint, less than an 80% kicker. … But you can see a lot of guys — even Harrison Butker was less than 80% in college — if they have the talent and mental makeup, be able to take the next step.' Shrader, meanwhile, joined the Colts last offseason as an undrafted rookie as well. He would spend the summer with team and was their kicker in Week 1 while Matt Gay was sidelined. Through the first half of the 2024 season, Shrader was on and off the Colts' practice squad before briefly catching on with Kansas City and the New York Jets in the latter portion of the year. Appearing in four total games between his three stops, Shrader was 5-for-5 on field goals and 9-for-9 on extra points. His ability to bounce from one team to the next, while working with different holders and long-snappers, while remaining consistent, caught GM Chris Ballard's attention. "He leaves us and performs and performs at two different teams –you know how hard that is?" GM Chris Ballard said. "That's difficult now, to go to two different teams and have to perform – that is not easy. You're working with a totally different operation at both – different snapper and different holder – and to go in and be successful." So far, both kickers are off to strong starts during offseason programs. Ultimatley, consistency will determine who the Colts' kicker is come Week 1. "Both these guys are talented young kickers and we're going to end up going with whichever guy performs the best under pressure, both in training camp and joint practices," added Mason.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pacers' Rick Carlisle reveals player who will miss first 2 games of NBA Finals
The post Pacers' Rick Carlisle reveals player who will miss first 2 games of NBA Finals appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Indiana Pacers will not have one of their big men in the early goings of the 2025 NBA Finals versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Monday, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle shared that power forward Jarace Walker is going to be absent for at least the first two games of the Thunder series due to a lower-body injury. Advertisement Carlisle also said that there is no definite return date for the former Houston Cougars star. 'He's going to be out for a while,' Carlisle said of Walker during an appearance on 107.5 The Fan (h/t ESPN). 'I don't know how long. He certainly will not play in the first two games of the Finals,' the 65-year-old mentor added. Walker, who was taken in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft by the Pacers, sustained a right ankle injury in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's series-clinching 125-108 Indiana win over the New York Knicks. He was trying to defend a shot in the paint when he seemingly landed awkwardly. He stayed on the floor as play continued before getting helped off the floor. He did not return for the remainder of the contest, where he had two points and a rebound in seven minutes. Advertisement Given Carlisle's news about Walker, Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals will be the soonest the player can see action. The series will kick off on Thursday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Game 2 will be on Sunday at the same venue, while Game 3 is scheduled on June 11, Wednesday, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana. The 21-year-old Walker has a minimal role for the Pacers, but his versatility can be missed by the team. So far in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, he is averaging 11.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per 36 minutes while also shooting 40 percent from behind the arc on 6.2 attempts. During the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Walker mostly played as a power forward but also saw action as a small forward and center. Freshly minted 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Most Valuable Player Pascal Siakam may see more minutes on the court without Walker. Athletic forward Obi Toppin could also see an uptick in his minutes.
Indianapolis Star
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Warren Central High School graduate will become lead WNBA announcer on Amazon Prime: Report
A play-by-play announcer with Indianapolis roots is growing his national profile. Michael Grady, a Warren Central High School graduate who had a daily sports talk show on 107.5 The Fan, will be the lead play-by-play announcer for WNBA games on Amazon Prime, according to a story in Front Office Sports. Grady is the lead TV play-by-play voice for the Minnesota Timberwolves and called many NBA games this season for ESPN. He and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White called the Pacers' opening playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks for ESPN.
