Pre-Season Opener: Injured Nembhard Won't Travel, Wrestling Tyrese to Travel Late

Nembhard To Miss First Two Pre-Season Games

It's been a rough week for Andrew Nembhard. After missing Thursday's practice with a sore neck, the second-year guard had a kidney stone removed on Friday. According to Carlisle, Nembhard was able to attend practice today but will not travel with the team for the first two exhibition games in Memphis and Houston, respectively.

All in all, it shouldn't amount to more than a small setback for a player eyeing a bigger role this season. Carlisle expects Nembhard to rejoin the team on Thursday or Friday and his teammates continue to expect him to flourish playing more with the ball in his hands.

Tyrese to Attend WWE Event

Tyrese will not travel with the team to Memphis tonight, electing to stay behind to participate in the WWE event in Indianapolis. Carlisle says that this was cleared with the team weeks ago and his only concern is whether they put Tyrese in a sleeper hold.

Myles Leadership: More Walk Than Talk

A lot has been said about how loud of a voice Myles Turner is in the Pacers locker room. But, according to his coach, Turner's growth in leadership has more to do with his actions than his words.

More Detail on New Defense

Tyrese gave a bit more detail on the defensive philosophies we'll see the team implement this year, calling it a more "traditional" approach. His description confirms what we've heard from other players, namely that we'll see less help at the nail to dissuade drives and the team won't always rely on a "tag man" to neutralize a roller when defending the pick-and-roll. The aim of the adjustments is to keep the team out of rotation, something that led to umpteen open looks a season ago.