Time to TINKER

Sporting News, The, June 26, 2000 by Sean Deveney

After nine seasons together in Indiana, Reggie Miller, Rik Smits and Dale Davis made it to The Finals, but the old gang may be busted up this offseason.

Dale Davis is sporting a goatee on his strong chin and a T-shirt bearing the silhouette of Fat Albert. Reggie Miller is wearing a floppy hat pulled hard over his forehead and reflective sunglasses that hide his eyes. Rik Smits, as always, is wearing a Pacers warmup tank top, socks pulled to his knees, hair feathered like a bad class picture from fifth grade.

These three have little in common. Davis, 31, is a forward from rural Georgia, a town called Toccoa. Miller is a guard and an L.A. guy, and his demeanor is all Southern California. Smits is a laid-back 7-4 center from Holland.

"The three of us don't hang out very often," Smits says. "We're very different people."

You might not see the three of them together sipping martinis at Nicky Blame's in downtown Indianapolis, but they have been working together for the last nine seasons, and during that time they have gotten to know each other pretty well. There is no trio of NBA starters that has been together with the same team so long.

"It's to the point where I don't know if we even need to practice with each other," Davis says. "We always know where each other will be on the court."

The knowledge the three players have of each other is a critical part of the Pacers' success. Each player adds an element that helps the other two players, and, having spent so much time together, they know how to exploit that element.

Much of Miller's success, for instance, starts with the high screens Smits sets near the foul line. Smits, 33, is a good shooter from 12 to 15 feet, and that is enough to draw his man out. When Miller, 34, cuts across the court and rubs off a Smits screen, Miller's defender can either fight through the screen or switch with Smits' defender, leaving the Pacers with a favorable mismatch--Miller defended by a center and Smits defended by a guard. Most often, the screen frees Miller for an open shot.

Davis also benefits from Smits' shooting ability, because it usually leaves him alone under the basket with the opposing power forward. Davis is 6-11, strong and has a nasty disposition, making him a tough matchup for most power forwards.

"I think we work pretty well together," Smits says. "I'm not a great rebounder, but Dale is. And Reggie can stretch defenses, and that leaves me open for outside shots. I think we all make each other better."

But this NBA Finals--the first for Smits, Miller and Davis--may have been the last time they play together. At least, that's the fear in Indianapolis. The Pacers have stockpiled some talented young players like Austin Croshere, Jonathan Bender and Al Harrington, and with Miller and Smits free agents this summer (and Smits contemplating retirement), it seems like the next few years will be a time of transition for the Pacers.

Not so fast. The epitaph for the current edition of the Pacers seems to have been written prematurely. Miller is almost certain to be resigned, and if Smits decides to play, it will be in Indiana, though at significantly less than his current salary ($12.25 million).

Two other starters--Jalen Rose and Mark Jackson--are free agents as well as sixth man Croshere. Rose is making $2.4 million and will almost surely sign with the Pacers--with a raise. Croshere also is a good bet to stay and get a raise on his $1.6 million salary. Jackson ($4 million) likely will be the odd man out, with Travis Best, or perhaps Rose, taking over at point guard.

"I would like to keep our older players around, to help the younger guys develop," says Pacers president Donnie Walsh. "I mean, it may not be possible to keep everyone. But we would like to keep as many as we can. They're free agents, though, and they can go where they want, and if someone offers them something better, I expect them to take it."

Though Smits, Miller and Davis have been the foundation for the Pacers, Rose is the team's free-agent priority. He was the Pacers' leading scorer during the regular season and should have an increased role if he chooses to stay. Coach Larry Bird, who is retiring after The Finals and likely will be replaced by Isiah Thomas, Rick Carlisle or Byron Scott, says the development of Rose is the proudest achievement of his three-season coaching career. But he says Rose can get better.

"He has worked pretty hard," Bird says. "But his concentration is key. If he could concentrate through practices and games, I think his game would improve 15, 20 percent, and that would put him over the top. The one thing about Jalen, some days in practice he's just not there. He won't work on his game as hard as I would like him to. He'll tell you he doesn't practice hard every day."

Players like Rose, 27, and Croshere, 25, are the future of the Pacers, and they will become stars for Indiana in coming seasons. But, if Smits decides he is healthy enough to keep playing, the Smits-Miller-Davis foundation of the Pacers will remain intact, at least for next year.