Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says his players have taken more than a dozen head shots from the Indiana Pacers this year. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra drew attention Thursday to the number of shots to the head he says his players have taken from the Indiana Pacers this season, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman. 

In particular, he seemed irritated that officials have ignored hard fouls against Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

“The league does not have a problem with hard fouls on our two main guys. In nine games now, there’s been over a dozen hard fouls to the face, some of the tomahawk variety,” he said of his team’s regular-season and postseason games against the Pacers. “Some of them have drawn blood.”

The comments come in the aftermath of a physical Game 5. Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough drew a flagrant foul for a hard hit on Wade. Less than a minute later, Heat forward Udonis Haslem committed a flagrant against Hansbrough.

James blamed the escalation on the referees not ejecting Hansbrough. “I mean Hansbrough, it’s not the first time that he went after one of our players this year,” James said. He added. “He definitely wasn’t going for the ball. All you’ve got to do is look at the play and see exactly where he was headed for. He walked right away. He knew exactly what he had done.”

Later in the game, Miami’s Dexter Pittman leveled Lance Stephenson with a forearm to the chin. Stephenson had drawn attention for making a “choke” sign after LeBron James missed a free throw in Game 3.

Haslem was suspended for one game, and Pittman was suspended for three.

Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough goes to the basket against the Heat’s Udonis Haslem. (Issac Baldizon/NBA/Getty Images)

The NBA suspended Miami Heat forwards Udonis Haslem for one game and Dexter Pittman for three games stemming from flagrant fouls charged to both players during Tuesday’s Game 5 Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with the Indiana Pacers.

Both players will sit out Game 6 in Indianapolis on Thursday and were initially accessed a flagrant-1 fouls. Haslem fouled Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough in the second quarter and Pittman fouled Lance Stephenson late in Game 5 after the contest was well in hand. Miami won the game 115-83 and lead the series three games to two.

“I felt like I got hit in the face,” Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough said of the foul after the game. “Should it have been the stiffer flagrant-2? “That’s for you guys to decide.”

Larry Bird thought his Pacers were “soft” against the Heat on Tuesday. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

After the Miami Heat’s 115-83 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, Pacers team president Larry Bird was upset with the way his team played, reports Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.

“I can’t believe my team went soft,” Bird told Wells over the phone. “S-O-F-T. I’m disappointed. I never thought it would happen.”

Tuesday’s game was marred by three flagrant fouls, two on Miami players.

Miami’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had another strong game, scoring 58 combined points despite sitting out parts of the fourth quarter. Pacers center Roy Hibbert told reporters afterwards that the Miami duo looked like they were in an “And-1 mix tape out there. They were just dunking, having fun and doing whatever the hell they wanted.”

The Heat will look to close the series Thursday in Game 6 in Miami.

The most flagrant of the flagrant fouls delivered in Game 5 of the Heat-Pacers series came just before the final buzzer, when Miami center Dexter Pittman threw a flying forearm at Indiana guard Lance Stephenson with 19.4 seconds remaining.

As with an earlier foul by Heat teammate Udonis Haslem, the officials only whistled Pittman for a Flagrant 1, but the outrage on Twitter from media members seemed even greater.

My god, what does it take to get kicked out of a playoff game? Dexter Pittman should get three games for that shot to Stephenson's throat.—
Pat Forde (@YahooForde) May 23, 2012

Pittman just guaranteed Haslem's suspension for game 6…. What Pittman just did worse than Metta.—
Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) May 23, 2012

Trying to think of dirtier play than the Pittman clothesline – and am drawing a blank….—
Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) May 23, 2012

To compound matters, Pittman apparently winked after the infraction. If both Pittman and Haslem are suspended for Game 6, the Heat — already without Chris Bosh — will be seriously short on big men.

Meantime, Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD offered this update on Stephenson:

Doctors are evaluating Lance Stephenson. He's getting x-rays and a concussion test. He may have a broken collarbone, says Danny Granger.—
Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 23, 2012

As if the Pacers weren’t in a bad enough way with leading scorer Danny Granger day-to-day after spraining his left ankle in the second quarter of Game 5 of Indiana’s series against the Miami Heat, Granger’s frontcourt bookend, power forward David West, sprained his left knee late in the third quarter of the same contest.

West was cleared to return to action, but with the game all but out of reach he was held out for the remainder of the night. Coach Frank Vogel confirmed after the game that West was available, and said that he had no concerns about West’s availability for Game 6.

The Pacers’ second-leading scorer (12.8 ppg), West signed as a free agent last fall after recovering from a torn left ACL. It’s unclear if this sprain might be related to the previous injury, and how much it might impact his play in Game 6.

Early in the second quarter of Game 5 of the Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers playoff series, Miami forward Udonis Haslem was called for a hard foul after dropping both arms across the head and shoulders of Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough. On the TNT broadcast (see below) analyst Steve Kerr immediately says, “That might be a Flagrant 2.”

After the officials discussed the play, however, Haslem was only charged with a Flagrant 1, which does not include a mandatory ejection from the game. The perception, from Kerr and other NBA experts, is that Haslem got off easy, and that the league may yet suspend him from Game 6 of the series.

The league will take a look at that Haslem flagrant, as it does all. Winning here just became crucial for Miami, because he may get a game.—
Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) May 23, 2012

Heat might get to keep Haslem around tonight but that sure looked like a flagrant 2 to me, possible G6 suspension?—
Steve Aschburner (@AschNBA) May 23, 2012

Flagrant 1 or 2, Haslem isn't playing Game 6.—
Beckley Mason (@BeckleyMason) May 23, 2012

Haslem may have been retaliating against Hansbrough for a Flagrant 1 the Pacer committed a minute earlier.

The Indiana Pacers were without leading scorer Danny Granger for most of the second half of Game 5 of their series with the Miami Heat. After launching a three-pointer midway through the second quarter, Granger landed on LeBron James’ left foot and rolled his own left ankle.

Granger started the second half with his ankle tightly wrapped, but he tweaked it again a few minutes into the third quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the night. He finished with 10 points in 20 minutes of playing time.

Indiana director of media relations David Benner later updated Granger’s status:

Granger X-Ray negative on sprained left ankle. He will be day to day.—
David Benner (@PacersDMB) May 23, 2012

Granger led the team with 18.7 point per game this season, nearly six points better than David West and Roy Hibbert (both at 12.8). He also averaged 21.4 points in Indiana’s opening-round series against the Orlando Magic, although he had been held in check (13.8 ppg) in the first four games against the Heat.

With the Heat apparently on their way to a win, the Pacers will have to deal with a hobbled Granger — if he’s able to play at all — as they try to stave off elimination in Game 6.

LeBron James of the Miami Heat moves against Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. (Getty Images)

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger has drawn a technical foul in the last three games of his team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat. Those technicals were issued because of altercations between Granger and Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. At Tuesday morning’s shootaround, James fought back verbally against Granger, according to USA Today.

“It’s not going to work, whatever he’s trying,” James said. “It’s not getting me off my game either. I don’t know what he’s trying, honestly. It doesn’t matter to me.

“Nobody’s fighting on the basketball court. C’mon. No one’s going to fight. I’m not going to fight because I mean too much to our team, and I can’t afford to be suspended for a game or do something stupid to get me kicked out of a playoff game.”

“If he’s trying to do it for his own self confidence … He’s told you guys already, ‘I’m not scared of LeBron.’ So I guess he’s doing it for his own psyche. I don’t know. It’s stupid.”

In the same article, Granger admitted that his on-court attitude is meant to act as an inspiration for his team.

“There is a line, and I’m tiptoeing it,” Granger said. “But I think it’s just a product of the chip that I think I have on my shoulder, that we have on our shoulder as a team of not being respected, not just this series but all year.”

Game Five of the best-of-seven series tips off tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The series is currently tied at two games apiece.

Dwyane Wade refused to make excuses, injury-related or otherwise, after he stunk up the joint in the Miami Heat’s ugly Game 3 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. But now an injury explanation has snuck out of the woodwork anyway — sources tell ESPN’s Michael Wallace that Wade had his knee drained on Wednesday before the loss.

Wade had one of the worst games of his career in Game 3 — he went scoreless in the first half for the first time in 95 playoff games, and he finished with just five points on 2-of-13 shooting with five turnovers. He declined to comment on injuries playing a part in his struggles, despite the weeks of left knee soreness he’s battled this season.

“If I’m in uniform, I’m ready to play,” he snapped.

Wade returned in full force for Game 4, teaming with LeBron James to form an unstoppable one-two punch that destroyed the Pacers in the second half and evened their Eastern Conference semifinal series, 2-2. Wade started slow but scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half; he added nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks in 41 minutes. Wade and James scored 48 of Miami’s 50 points over one stretch.

“The last two days have been mental,” Wade said of his recovery. “It was great for me just getting away and to get that energy that I needed. I know I was struggling on the offensive end, but I didn’t want that to affect my overall game.”

Veteran forward Juwan Howard of the Miami Heat confronted Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson prior to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, according to ESPN.com.

The report states that the players had to be separated.

Stephenson apologized after making a choking gesture towards the end of the Pacers’ Game 3 win.

Howard, for his part, reportedly went looking for Stephenson near the Pacers’ locker room, but the two never spoke.

The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat have had a hotly contested series, complete with altercations between the teams’ stars Danny Granger and LeBron James.

Granger, for his part, told ESPN that he doesn’t plan to back down from LeBron.

“That’s part of basketball. That’s part of two men battling,” Granger said of the altercations. “I’m not going to back down from anybody and he’s not going to back down from anybody. And when you get that, you’ll get some altercations.”

The Pacers have a surprising 2-1 series lead.

Indiana Pacers backup guard Lance Stephenson has apologized to his coach for making a choking gesture at Miami Heat forward LeBron James during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, according to the Associated Press.

Stephenson made the gesture after James missed a technical free throw.

His coach, Frank Vogel, expressed remorse for his player: “[He] knows it was wrong and I agreed with him 100 percent that it was wrong.

The Miami Heat have cancelled their practice and media availability today, according to ESPN.

DEVELOPING STORY: @MiamiHEAT cancel practice & media availability today

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 18, 2012

The Heat lost 94-75 to the Indiana Pacers last night in Game 3 of their second round series. Miami, who was heavily favored to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals this year, is now down 2-1 in the series.

Tensions appeared high on the court yesterday when head coach Erik Spoelstra and star Dwyane Wade were seen having a verbal argument during a timeout. Wade would not comment about the incident following the game.

The Pacers and Heat will play Game 4 on Sunday afternoon in Miami.

Larry Bird has been named the NBA Executive of the Year, according to the Indiana Pacers’ official Twitter account.

BREAKING NEWS: Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird is the recipient of the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year award.

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 16, 2012

The Pacers improved to 42-24 this season, after finishing last year with a below .500 record of 37-45. They are currently tied 1-1 in their playoff series with the Miami Heat.

With the award, Bird becomes the only person in league history to win an Executive of the Year award, a Most Valuable Player award, and a Coach of the Year award. Bird has also won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Award.

The NBA will not upgrade the Flagrant 1 foul committed by Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade last night on Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

The NBA will not upgrade or further punish Dwyane Wade for his flagrant foul on Darren Collison last night.

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) May 16, 2012

Wade will not be fined or suspended for the shove to the back on Collison which sent him sliding across the court on a fast break in the fourth quarter of last night’s Game 2 match up. Due to the severity of the foul, some had called for the NBA to upgrade the foul to a Flagrant 2.

Below you can see the foul in question.

In winning the NBA MVP trophy this weekend, his third such honor in the last four seasons, LeBron James entered into an elite group of the NBA’s all-time greatest players. That being the case, another member of that group praised LeBron for his magnificent season — Larry Bird, one of the other seven players in history to win three MVPs.

“LeBron is just spectacular,” Bird told Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun Sentinel today. “He’s had a great year. He’s our best player in the league. This is his time of year.”

Bird and James share the exclusive three-MVP club with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone. Bird won his three awards consecutively, in 1984, ’85 and ’86; James has nearly equaled that feat with MVPs in 2009, ’10 and ’12 with a second-place finish in 2011.

While Bird lauds James this week, he’s also trying to beat him. Bird’s Indiana Pacers currently trail LeBron James’ Miami Heat 1-0 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh has an abdominal strain and is out indefinitely, but to his credit, he faced the media at practice today and spoke openly about his injury. But the news wasn’t good, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:

Bosh: "This season has to be extended for me to play again."

—
Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) May 14, 2012

Bosh suffered the ab strain during the second quarter of Miami’s 95-86 win yesterday over the Indiana Pacers. The Heat are known for being extraordinarily tight-lipped about the specifics of injured players, but Bosh’s words don’t sound encouraging.

The Heat host the Pacers in Game 2 tomorrow night at American Airlines Arena.

An MRI has confirmed that Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh has a strained abdominal muscle, according to ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh. He is out indefinitely.

Heat announce MRI on Chris Bosh revealed a strained abdominal muscle. Out indefinitely. More later.

—
Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) May 14, 2012

Bosh suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Heat’s 95-86 win yesterday in Game 1 of their series with the Indiana Pacers — he was fouled by Indy center Roy Hibbert, he went down, and he didn’t return to the game. He finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

The All-Star power forward’s status is unknown going forward, but we can speculate. As Adrian Ruhi of the Miami Herald noted this morning, a strain is much better news than a tear — Utah Jazz big man Al Jefferson suffered a similar injury earlier this season and managed to fight through it without missing a game.

The Heat’s series with the Pacers resumes tomorrow night, as Miami hosts Game 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has been fined $15,000 for making suggestive comments about officials rewarding flopping in his team’s upcoming playoff series with the Miami Heat, the NBA has announced.

“They are the biggest flopping team in the NBA,” Vogel told reporters earlier this week. “It’ll be very interesting how the referees officiate the series and how much flopping they reward.”

Vogel’s Pacers took down the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, punching their tickets to the second round of the playoffs. The Heat downed the New York Knicks one round later to lock in their matchup for round two.

Vogel may have made his comments knowing full well he’d be fined; it may end up being worth it. It might be worth a few grand for the young Pacers coach to impose his will on the officials through the media before the series gets underway. Indy and Miami tip things off tomorrow in South Florida.

Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel called the Miami Heat the “biggest flopping team in the NBA” and said that he’ll be interested to see “how much flopping [the officials] reward,” according to ESPN.com.

“They are the biggest flopping team in the NBA,” Vogel told reporters at Thursday’s practice, according to ESPN. “It’ll be very interesting (to see) how the referees officiate the series and how much flopping they reward.

According to ESPN, the Heat drew the fourth-most charging calls in the NBA during the regular season.

“Every drive to the basket, they have guys not making a play on the ball, but sliding in front of drivers,” Vogel said. “Oftentimes they’re falling down even before contact is even being made. It’ll be interesting to see how the series is officiated.”

NBA discipline czar has handed down a handful of penalties for the scuffle that ensued last night between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers — Bucks forward Larry Sanders has been suspended two games, while the Pacers’ Danny Granger and David West have been fined, according to Inside Hoops.

A conflict broke out between Sanders and the Pacers with 3:29 left in the game and Indiana leading 107-94; a heated Sanders had to be restrained multiple times from several Pacers. He was ejected and failed to leave the court in a timely manner. He will be suspended two games without pay — tomorrow against the New Jersey Nets and Monday against the Toronto Raptors.

Granger and West have each been fined $25,000 for instigating and adding to the escalation of the incident.

The Pacers ultimately finished off a win over the Bucks, 118-109.

The Indiana Pacers have been looking to add one more piece as they make their push to be a serious threat in the Eastern Conference playoffs — and now it appears they’ve got it. Leandro Barbosa is heading to Indy, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

Sources: Toronto trading Leandro Barbosa to Indiana for second-round pick and cash considerations.

—
Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) March 15, 2012

Barbosa signed a five-year, $33 million extension with the Phoenix Suns back in October 2006. He’s currently playing out the final season of that deal with the Toronto Raptors, making $7.6 mil this year on his expiring deal — but the Pacers, being significantly under the salary cap with Danny Granger and David West as the only big-money players on their roster, are able to deal for Barbosa with just a pick and cash.

The 29-year-old Brazilian shooting guard is averaging 12.2 points per game off the bench for the Raptors this season. He should slide into the Pacers’ rotation nicely as the backup for two-guard Paul George.

The Pacers are 25-16, fourth-best in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics attempted to trade shooting guard Ray Allen to the Indiana Pacers in exhange for forward Tyler Hansbrough and a first-round draft pick, according to NESN.com.

The deal was killed, according to reports, because Larry Bird — the Pacers’ president of basketball operations — thought the price was too high.

“Here’s the thing,” Bird said. “When Danny (Ainge) and I talked about trading for Ray, he wanted Tyler Hansbrough and a first-round pick. If that’s the value he’s putting on Ray Allen, he ain’t getting it. That tells me he’s in no hurry to trade him.”

The NBA trade deadline is March 15.

The Indiana Pacers are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, looking to get over the hump, and they’re looking at a couple of different ways to help them get there. Reports have linked Indy to both Chris Kaman and Jamal Crawford.

Indianapolis Star beat writer Mike Wells reports that Kaman, the New Orleans Hornets’ center, is at the top of the Pacers’ wish list. The sticking point is that the Pacers don’t want to give up a first-round pick for Kaman, who turns 30 next month and is headed for free agency.

As for Crawford, ESPN’s Chad Ford has mentioned the Pacers’ interest in the explosive scoring wingman. Crawford is making $5 million with the Portland Trail Blazers this season and has a player option to make $5.2 million next year; the Pacers would have to build a sizable trade package to land the 31-year-old veteran.

The Pacers are 23-14 heading into Saturday night’s showdown with the Miami Heat. Their top seven players have been outstanding this season, but they could use a little extra depth to become real contenders in the East playoffs this spring.

Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird told NBA.com that his team is well under the salary cap limit and are willing to make a deal for the right player.

“We want to continue to get better, we want to continue to draft well and we’re still looking. We’ve got $15 million under the cap and I’m not afraid to make another move now to strengthen our bench or maybe even (add) one or two guys. We’re still out there looking and whatever we can do to make this team better, we’re going to do.”

The Pacers are currently in second place in the Central Division with a 21-12 record. Despite having the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference, they are currently ranked fifth behind the Atlantic Division leading Philadelphia 76ers in the standings.

The Pacers made the decision to retain Bird after the Pacers finished last season with a 37-45 record, earning them the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Bird, an Indiana native, has been the President of Basketball Operations for the Pacers since 2003.

New Orleans Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon told the Indianapolis Star that he has interest in potentially joining the Indiana Pacers when he becomes a free-agent this offseason.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Gordon told the paper. “It’s all about whatever happens, happens. Coming back here would be a lot of pressure, but I think it would be good for the fans. We’ll see. You never know where this summer will take me.”

Gordon, 23, grew up in Indiana and spent one season at Indiana University before being entering the NBA draft. In his sole season with the Hoosiers, he averaged 20.9 points and 1.3 steals per contest.

Following this season, Gordon will be a restricted free-agent, meaning that the Hornets can match any offer given to the fourth-year-pro. New Orleans acquired Gordon this offseason as part of the deal that send star point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers. Due to a knee injury, he has only been able to play two games this season.

Last year in 56 games played for the Clippers, he averaged 22.3 points and 4.4 assists per contest.

Indiana Pacers guard George Hill will be out indefinitely with a chip fracture in his left ankle, according to the Indy Star.

Hill had two points and three assists before hurting himself when landing awkwardly in the third quarter of a 106-99 victory over the New Jersey Nets. Hill’s off-the-bench role will reportedly be filled by Lance Stephenson and A.J. Price.

“He will be missed,” head coach Frank Vogel told the Star. “But I believe guys will fill in for him.”

Through 19 games this season he has averaged 9.3 points and 1.6 assists per game in 24.41 minutes per contest. Last year he averaged 11.6 points and 2.5 assists per game for the San Antonio Spurs.

Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel defended his team’s reaction to their victory against the Chicago Bulls earlier this month on  ESPN Radio’s “Scott Van Pelt Show.”

“I think there is a little dispute about how much we really celebrated,” Vogel said Monday. “We were excited. We’re excited every time we get a win. In particular any road win and against a team that we struggled to close out some games against last year…”

Vogel’s comments came several days after Bulls star Derrick Rose expressed his dissatisfaction in the way the Pacers celebrated their victory. “”I’ll never forget how they celebrated just from winning this game, I can’t wait to play them again,” Rose told the media following the game.

The Pacers’ win in Chicago on Jan.26 ended the Bulls’ 12-game home winning streak.

The Bulls, who ousted the Pacers last year in the first round of the playoffs, currently have a record of 18-5, placing them first in the Central Division.  The Pacers hold the second spot with a 14-6 record.  The next meeting between the two teams will be in Chicago on March 5.

After the first home loss of the season against the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls’ star Derrick Rose and his teammates were not too thrilled about the Pacers’ celebration on their home court according to ESPN.

“I’ll never forget how they celebrated just from winning this game,” Rose told reporters. “I can’t wait to play them again.”

“When you’re walking off the court, you’re in the same corridor,” Bulls’ Guard Ronnie Brewer said on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “And we were walking into our locker room, and you could hear those guys celebrating, cheering, screaming, and that kind of hit home with a lot of guys on our team. We’re all competitors. They’re in our division. Every time we play them it’s a tough matchup. And especially in front of our fans, you don’t want to have a letdown and lose at home. To hear them do like that adds a little fuel to the fire. We talked about it after the game.”

With Rose playing through turf toe and Luol Deng sitting out with a torn ligament in his left wrist, the Pacers defeated the Bulls 95-90 handing Chicago their first home loss of the season.

The Bulls next face the Pacers on March 5 in Chicago at the United Center.  Currently, the Bulls lead the NBA with a 16-4 record.  The Indiana Pacers trail one place behind Chicago in the Central Division at 12-5.

Despite having his best season to date it is unlikely that Roy Hibbert will get a contract extension by next week, according to Indystar.com.

“My personal gut feeling is that we’ll do something in the summer, because the max guys are the ones that get extensions right away,” Hibbert told Indystar.com. “I’m just going to follow my agent’s lead.”

“I have every intention of staying,” Hibbert said. “Indiana is my home.”

With no contract extension Hibbert will become a restricted free agent following this season, which allows the Pacers an opportunity to match any offer made to him.

Through 12 games this season Hibbert has averaged 13.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

The Indiana Pacer’s arena will be renamed to the Bakers Life Fieldhouse, according to the Associated Press.

The club’s arena had been previously known as the Conseco Fieldhouse since the 1999 season. Conseco Inc., an insurance company, changed its name last year to CNO Financial Group. Bankers Life is one of the groups major product lines, according to the AP, and as such the group decided to give the stadium its name.

The CNO Financial Group  has had the naming rights for the arena since its opening. In 1999 the group signed a 20-year, $40 million deal with the Pacers for the naming rights.

The Pacer’s first game in their newly named stadium will come this coming Monday as they open their season at home against the Detroit Pistons.

The Indiana Pacers have traded guard Brandon Rush to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward Lou Amundson, according to the Associated Press. The trade was officially announced Monday.

Rush averaged 8.9 points a game over three seasons with the Pacers, but Indiana’s depth in the backcourt made him solid trade bait.

Amundson has played for three teams in his five seasons in the league, averaging just over four points a game.

Power forward Josh McRoberts will sign a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, a source has told Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

F Josh McRoberts to sign two-year deal using mini mid-level exception with @lakers, source tells Y! Avg 7.2 pts, 6.2 rbs w/Indy last season.

—
Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) December 13, 2011

McRoberts, 24, averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in a limited role with the Indiana Pacers last season. The move by the Lakers was believed to have been made to regain some size after trading Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend.

It was reported previously that McRoberts would be part of a sign-and-trade deal that would help the Pacers acquire O.J. Mayo from the Memphis Grizzlies, however that deal fell through over the weekend.

The Indiana Pacers have decided to waive James Posey and his $6.9 million contract under the league’s new amnesty clause, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement agreed on by the owners and players earlier this month, teams are allowed to waive one player from their team and remove that contract from their salary cap. Teams will now soon be allowed to place bids on Posey during the amnesty waiver process.

The Pacers’ move to waive Posey under the amnesty clause comes after they have reportedly traded for former first round pick OJ Mayo.

The 34-year-old veteran has played with seven different NBA teams since being drafted in the first round by the Denver Nuggets in 1999.  Over his career, Posey averages 8.6 PPG, 1.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

The Memphis Grizzlies have traded former first round pick OJ Mayo to the Indiana Pacers, Hoopsworld.com reports. The Pacers will reportedly send Josh McRoberts and Brandon Rush to Memphis in return.

The Pacers have been attempting to acquire Mayo for some time now. At the trade deadline last year, the Pacers set up a three-team deal with the New Orleans Hornets but the Hornets pulled out of the negotiations.

Mayo, 24, has averaged 16.0 points per game in his first three seasons since the Grizzlies selected him No. 3 overall in the 2008 NBA draft. The former USC standout saw his role with the club decline last season, however, seeing his minutes per game drop from 38:00 in 2009-10, to 26:28 in 2010-11. Mayo averaged just 11.3 points and 2.4 assists per game in limited playing time, marking career worsts in every major offensive category.

With the acquisition of Mayo, the Pacers have no added to players in two days who have averaged 17-or-more points per game within the last two seasons. The club also signed Hornets star David West to a two-year deal this weekend.