Vigilant Sports Pacers Podcast

Sarah Kustok is part of the NBA's best local TV broadcast, serving as the Nets game analyst on the YES Network. She's covered the Nets since 2012 and was there when Caris LeVert joined the franchise in 2016. Since the Pacers acquired LeVert in a four-team trade, the first call I made was to Kustok to learn even more about what the Pacers were getting. “I don’t even think he’s scratched the surface of the player that he’s going to become," she said. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all my stories. Sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

This is a news-packed episode of the Fieldhouse Files. I start off with updates on my own work, then get into the Victor Oladipo-Caris LeVert trade, the discovery of a small mass on LeVert's kidney, Myles Turner's right hand and other news. ... Then, listen to Pacers president Kevin Pritchard's full conversation with reporters on LeVert's health and why they chose NOT to void the trade. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

It's the final episode of 2020. To close it out, I touch on longtime Pacers executive stepping down from his role as Pacers consultant and the role he had in running the franchise and then Jared Weiss of The Athletic joins to discuss the Pacers' early success, new coach Nate Bjorkgren, no trade being completed for Gordon Hayward and Victor Oladipo's options in the offseason. Thanks for listening this year, and Happy New Year! ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

It was a positive first week of the season for the Pacers: 3-0, Sabonis was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and the roster is impressed with its coach. On this episode, I catch you up on a couple transactional moves, then discuss the first week of games, adjustments made and a couple role players who have excelled. Then, I share what it's like being at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for a game under the current conditions — and without fans. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

Jason Buckner was a manager for IU basketball and coach Knight, he's coached and most recently worked for the Pacers in scouting. He started with the team in Apr. 2012 as the manager of basketball administration and later became one of three regional scouts. Over the summer, he departed and then accepted a job with the Pistons as their director of draft scouting. We'll talk about his career path, being able to work remotely in Indy, his approach talent evaluation and the positive impact his father, Quinn Buckner, has had on his life. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

On this episode: I detail Gordon Hayward's desire to play at home for the Pacers and trade talks with the Celtics were doomed from the start, what the Pacers look like entering camp, Nate Bjorkgren filling out his coaching staff and renovations made to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all of my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

The draft finally happened — five months later than usual and after the date was pushed back twice. I go solo on this podcast to share my thoughts on the night and the Pacers taking Cassius Stanley at 54. Then, I answer key questions on several Pacers and look ahead to free agency. There's mutual interest in Gordon Hayward playing for the Pacers, but what would it take? Take a listen... ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all of my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

Dru Anthrop is a native of Lafayette, Indiana and he played basketball at Purdue from 2009-13. He then was a video intern with the Pacers, and after four other stops, he's now the head video coordinator for the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers — working under Frank Vogel. Anthrop discusses his two seasons with the Pacers, how hard work and a lot of luck are positively impacting his career, his time in the bubble and being part of a championship team. Click here to review this podcast. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all of my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

The NBA officially completed the 2019-20 season and league staffers spent more than 100 days inside the bubble at Walt Disney World. To make it all work, the NBA recruited individuals across the league. Like Pacers PA announcer Tim Sinclair, and dozens of stats crew members. One of three from Indianapolis was Geoff Sherman, who sits at the scorer's table for Pacers games. He worked 38 games over 62 days while in Florida. Sherman discussed the commitment required, his path to working on stats crews (in 2014), "amazing" things heard during games, teaching IUPUI classes remotely and the importance of saying 'yes.' "The one thing about the bubble is that you lost track of your life a little bit," he said. Click here to read his reflection. Also, click here to review this podcast. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the home for all of my stories. Log on, sign up and follow along for complete Pacers coverage. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

After 55 days, the Pacers have a head coach. Kevin Pritchard led an extensive search with more than two dozen candidates. Ultimately, they decided 45-year-old Nate Bjorkgren was their man. He's coached under NBA Coach of the Year Nick Nurse the last several years and previously won a D League title. On this podcast, I share my thoughts on the hire and learn more about Bjorkgren from Raptors reporter Eric Koreen of The Athletic (11:35). Eric wrote a thorough profile on Bjorkgren in February. Also, click here to review this podcast. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

On this episode, I give the NBA credit for its bubble and finishing the season, talk about the Pacers' coaching search, the names I continue to hear (and note the ones I'm not) and what stood out to me about Victor Oladipo's interview just before the NBA Finals started. Plus, notes about Bankers Life Fieldhouse renovations and the first event scheduled since the Big Ten men's basketball tournament last March. Click here to leave a show review. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

On Aug. 26, the Pacers officially parted ways with Nate McMillan as head coach after four seasons. It came less than 24 hours after the team returned from the NBA campus in Orlando. One day later, Nate joins the podcast to talk about the front office going in a different direction, his hope for last season, whether he has any regrets and more. (6:26) My story on his firing: https://fieldhousefiles.substack.com/p/pacers-make-sharp-turn-move-on-from ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

Six weeks after they arrived in Florida and more than four months after the NBA's stoppage, the playoffs are here. The Pacers went 6-2 in the seeding round and face the Miami Heat in Round 1. AP writer Tim Reynolds joins the show to discuss his experience in the NBA bubble, then preview these franchise's fifth time meeting in the playoffs. (10:00) Then, I'm joined by PointsBet VP Ron Shell to talk about the sports gaming boom, their partnership with the Pacers, and a special promotion for Pacers fans. (44:15) ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

Chris Denari is in his 14th season season as the TV play-by-play announcer for the Pacers. He's done it all in Indy — from working at FOX 59 to calling Butler and Fever games. And he remains on the IMS Radio Network. But his new reality, calling games for FOX Sports Indiana from a studio, is much different. On this podcast, we talk about the Pacers' play in the restart and all that goes into Denari calling a game off monitors rather than being courtside. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

My guest on this episode is Kenny "The Jet" Smith. He played at UNC from 1983-87, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings, spent 10 seasons in the NBA and won two championships with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995). And now he's seen weekly during the NBA season on "Inside the NBA" with EJ, Charles and Shaq. He's recently launched The Jet Academy to help train basketball players from anywhere — and he enlisted Victor Oladipo to teach young players this week. We talked about how he got into broadcasting, Oladipo presenting inside The Bubble, the Pacers' potential this season and the job coach Nate McMillan has done. See more of what he's doing at thejetacademy.com and use code BIGSHAQ at sign-up to save $35. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers.

NBA teams began arriving to Disney's campus — in Lake Buena Vista, Florida — on July 7th. The Pacers checked in on July 9th, so they've been in The Bubble for almost two weeks. Nate McMillan said it had a college feel; others, like T.J. Warren, said it felt more like AAU. Keith Smith, who worked there for nearly 20 years, came on the show to explain why it was the ideal location for the NBA's restart and all the amenities available to players. » FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers. Keith's story from April 16th: Why Walt Disney World would be the ideal spot for the NBA to salvage its season. Follow Keith on Twitter: @KeithSmithNBA.

The Pacers arrived in Orlando for the NBA's restart on Thursday and over the weekend, another familiar name made his way down there. Tim Sinclair, the voice you hear inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse for home games, was selected by the NBA to be one of four public address announcers for games. Before the trip, we discussed his decision to go inside the bubble (and away from family), how long he’ll be there, what he packed and what it may be like to do his job without fans. ----- FieldhouseFiles.com is the new home for my stories. Log on, sign up with your email and follow along for complete coverage of the Pacers. Follow Scott on Twitter and Instagram.

C.J. Miles signed with the Pacers in 2014 and spent three seasons in Indy. While his time was relatively short, his impact and wisdom shared was sizable. This podcast was recorded on June 4th — exactly one month before the birth of his second daughter, Nadia Rhea Miles. We opened with a deep conversation about what's on his heart; what it will be like to explain this time to his daughters (9:30); how he had no intention of going straight to the NBA from high school until the day of the 2005 draft (15:44); how the Spurs drafted his close friend Ian Mahinmi over him, a Dallas product (18:00); whether he has always been a comfortable, confident man (20:20); the pressure of being in a contract year (22:00); signing with the Pacers and Larry Bird eating potato chips before dinner (26:15); Lance Stephenson (29:15); Being traded to the Wizards and getting hurt (33:30); George Hill’s ranch (38:35); appearance by Ava, his first daughter (43:40); selflessly playing power forward (44:20); how a lot of people want t

Current Colts beat reporter for The Athletic Stephen Holder joins Scott to talk about his time covering the NFL and NBA, as well as the many interesting jobs he had on his path to becoming a sports journalist.

Scott Agness and Dave DuFour discuss the many scenarios that have been put forward for the structuring of the return of the NBA, and how the Pacers figure into them.