Pacers Sign Darius McGhee to an Exhibit-10 Contract

The Pacers are bringing Darius "Mighty Mouse" McGhee to training camp (and likely the Mad Ants, as well). McGhee, though pint-sized at 5'9'', was one of the best scorers in college basketball. A three-time ASUN Player of the Year, he averaged 21.3 PPG while shooting 39.6% from three (on nearly 12 attempts per game!) while at Liberty.

Though he played sparingly for the Summer Pacers in Vegas, he must have made a good impression for the team to give him one of its three remaining (off-season) roster spots. The team now has two more Exhibit-10 contracts it can use to fill out the training camp roster.

Exhibit-10 contracts allow teams to retain control over the players they bring to training camp. The first benefit of an Exhibit-10 is the team has the option to convert it to a Two-Way contract. Of course, the Pacers won't be taking that route with McGhee, considering all three Two-Way spots are already accounted for. As such, we can assume the Pacers are planning to make McGhee a Mad Ant. The second benefit of the Exhibit-10 is that the team gets the right to sign the player to its G-League affiliate. In return for giving up control, the player gets a bonus of up to $75,000 if he lasts 60 days on the G-League roster.

George McGinnis Named to IU Athletics Hall of Fame

George McGinnis the definition of a local legend. Not only does the Indy-native have his jersey retired by the Pacers (winning two ABA titles will get you that honor), he's now a member of the IU Athletics Hall of Fame. Though he only played in Bloomington for one season, he made an unforgettable impact. His per game average of 30 points and (basically) 15 rebounds was enough to see him voted First Team All-Big Ten in 1971.

Enjoy some highlights of the big-fella.

NBA Tournament Schedule Released

The NBA has released the schedule for the inaugural in-season tournament. The Pacers play in East Group A, which consists of four other teams: the Cavs, Sixers, Hawks, and Pistons.

On Tuesdays or Fridays in November (the league designated tournament days) the Pacers will play one game against each of the other teams in the group, otherwise known as Group Play. If they finish with the best record in the group (or if they have the best record in the conference among second-place finishers) they will move on to the single-elimination Knockout Round.

For each round they progress, the players' individual bonuses will increase as follows:

  • Losing in the Quarterfinals: $50,000
  • Losing in the Semifinals: $100,000
  • Losing in the Championship: $200,000
  • Winning the Championship: $500,000

The four Group Play games, as well as the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, will count towards the 82 "regular season" games that each team plays. The teams that do not make it to the Semifinals will play additional regular season games to make up the difference. The two teams that make it to the end will simply play one more game than every other team, though the Championship game will not count towards their records.

According to Scott Agness, the Pacers seem excited about the tournament. He quotes both Carlisle and Andrew Nembhard praising the idea. In Nebmhard's own words:

It’s honestly exciting to me. It gives more excitement to the game. I think it makes the games a little bit more competitive early in the season. I think it’s going to be interesting for the fans. I love it. I’m super competitive so something like that adds something to the fire...

That brings your team closer together, especially putting you in certain situations early in the season where you’re really competing for something that matters a little bit more than a Tuesday regular-season game.
Pacers begin in-season tournament at home on Nov. 3: Full schedule, format and how the team feels about it
β€œIt’s honestly exciting to me. It gives more excitement to the game.”
Fieldhouse Files with Scott AgnessScott Agness

Personally, I still have some questions about timing (would it be better placed during the Spring tankathon months?) as well as the prize. Nevertheless, I like the concept and am excited to see it play out.

Let me hear your thoughts in the comments!

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