I might be dead. I'd ask you to come check on me but – well, I guess that's one of the drawbacks of pseudonymously blogging on the internet. It makes welfare checks tricky. If you're wondering about the afterlife, I can't say for sure that what I'm experiencing is heaven. Things are just bizarre... but in a good way.

For my entire earthly existence, I've known three things to be true: time waits for no man, the government wants a cut of what you make, and the Pacers are not a destination for top free agents.

Strangely the first two seem unchanged, but fear not, we Pacers fans have plenty to look forward to once we bite the dust. In the bardo, Indy is not just attractive, it's a top free agent's first choice. If you believe all the reports on Purgatory X, formerly known as Purgatory Twitter, the Pacers had leverage over the Raptors in negotiations for Pascal Siakam because the rest of the league feared he would sign with Indiana in the summer regardless.

(Hold on, I'm checking for a pulse...)

Not only that, serious basketball people can, with a straight face, describe playing for the Pacers as a "life-changing and career-changing situation."

(I'm not feeling much...)

The real cherry on top – and I mean the sweetest dang maraschino you've ever tasted – is that Myles Turner ranks second (only behind Durant) on a top-free agent's list of "Dream Teammates." MYLES TURNER. During my living years, Turner was on the trade block for multiple season with no team willing to offer anything of much value for him. In the afterlife, he's the ideal running mate for an All-NBA caliber player.

(Yeah, I'm f***in' dead.)

If you want to read more about Siakam's desire to play in Indianapolis, I highly suggest the article below (pro tip: use reader mode). It may make you question whether you're in a liminal state as well.

Amick: Can the Pacers make Indiana Siakam’s permanent home?
Deals like this don’t happen unless an organization’s best player gives a hearty thumbs-up. And league sources say that’s what happened here
The AthleticSam Amick

The Kings

I wouldn't blame you if you've had this game circled for a while. It's hard to tell the story of the current-Pacers without bringing up the current-Kings. After all, the trade that brought Haliburton to Indy and sent Sabonis so Sacramento was franchise altering for both clubs.

Nevertheless, in light of the injuries the Pacers are dealing with – and the fact that Siakam still needs to be brought into the fold – this game feels almost like an afterthought.

Both teams come into the game with 23-17 records. While last year the Kings were a lot like the Pacers are this year – a historic offense that doesn't defend all that well – their stats are far less shiny this season. So far, they have only the 14th ranked offense in points per possession and the 20th ranked defense. In fact, based on those numbers, you could call the Kings lucky to have 23 wins. The Cleaning the Glass model estimates that they've won about 3 games above expectation, one of the highest marks in the league.

Over the last two weeks, the Kings have been slightly worse than their averages. Their offense and defense have each fallen a spot in the rankings (15th and 21st respectively) and they've only won three of their last seven games.

Regardless, the Pacers are in for a tough night as the majority of the team in on the injury report.

Tonight might just be another schedule loss, which frankly, won't dampen my excitement from the Siakam trade one bit. Reinforcements are on their way. Even Haliburton's return seems imminent as he isn't ruling out playing on this road trip.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 10:00 PM ET.

TV: Bally Sports Indiana, NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya late night in the comments!

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