The 1996–97 Indiana Pacers season was the 21st season for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association, and their 30th season as a franchise.
Season summary
Off-season During the off-season, the Pacers acquired Jalen Rose and Reggie Williams from the Denver Nuggets; the team also received the tenth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft from the Nuggets, and selected center Erick Dampier out of Mississippi State University. However, after only playing just two games for the Pacers, Williams was then traded to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Vincent Askew.
Regular season The Pacers dealt with injuries all season long, as Rik Smits only played 52 games due to a foot injury, while Derrick McKey only appeared in just 50 games due to a foot injury, and a ruptured Achilles tendon, and Haywoode Workman was out with a season-ending knee injury after only playing just four games. With the addition of Rose and Dampier, the Pacers struggled losing eight of their first eleven games of the regular season, then posted a five-game winning streak afterwards, but continued to struggle playing around .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, holding a 23–23 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Askew, and Eddie Johnson to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for former Pacers guard Mark Jackson, and former Pacers forward LaSalle Thompson. Despite the return of Jackson after a brief stint with the Nuggets, the Pacers finished in sixth place in the Central Division with a disappointing 39–43 record, and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1988–89 season.
Reggie Miller led the Pacers in scoring with 21.6 points per game, and also led the league with 229 three-point field goals, while Smits averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and Antonio Davis provided the team with 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In addition, Dale Davis provided with 10.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, while second-year guard Travis Best contributed 9.9 points, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, Jackson averaged 9.0 points, 9.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 30 games after the trade, and McKey contributed 8.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Rose contributed 7.3 points per game, while Duane Ferrell provided with 6.4 points per game, and Dampier averaged 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Dampier was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team. Despite a stellar season, Miller was not selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game. The Pacers finished 21st in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 636,735 at the Market Square Arena during the regular season.
Aftermath Following the season, head coach Larry Brown, who won his 600th game during the regular season, was forced to resign after coaching the Pacers for four seasons; he would later on take a coaching job with the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, Dampier and Ferrell were both traded to the Golden State Warriors, and Thompson retired after playing in his second stint with the Pacers.
Offseason
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 10 Erick Dampier C Mississippi State 2 52 Mark Pope PF/C Kentucky
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Player statistics
Regular season PlayerPF82 28 2,335 598 65 42 84 858 28.5 7.3 .8 .5 1.0 10.5SG 81 81 2,966 286 273 75 25 1,751 36.6 3.5 3.4 .9 .3 21.6PF 80 76 2,589 772 59 60 77 832 32.4 9.7 .7 .8 1.0 10.4PG 76 46 2,064 166 318 98 5 754 27.2 2.2 4.2 1.3 .1 9.9C 72 21 1,052 294 43 19 73 370 14.6 4.1 .6 .3 1.0 5.1SF 66 6 1,188 121 155 57 18 482 18.0 1.8 2.3 .9 .3 7.3SF 62 18 1,115 141 66 38 6 394 18.0 2.3 1.1 .6 .1 6.4C 52 52 1,518 361 67 22 59 887 29.2 6.9 1.3 .4 1.1 17.1†SG 51 1 692 65 109 27 0 164 13.6 1.3 2.1 .5 .0 3.2SF 50 49 1,449 241 135 47 30 400 29.0 4.8 2.7 .9 .6 8.0SG 47 0 572 81 41 27 6 224 12.2 1.7 .9 .6 .1 4.8†SG 41 0 822 98 90 17 6 233 20.0 2.4 2.2 .4 .1 5.7†PG 30 30 1,053 124 294 46 3 271 35.1 4.1 9.8 1.5 .1 9.0†SF 28 0 306 40 17 5 1 147 10.9 1.4 .6 .2 .0 5.3PF 16 0 55 9 3 1 1 19 3.4 .6 .2 .1 .1 1.2†C 9 0 35 8 2 0 0 3 3.9 .9 .2 .0 .0 .3PG 4 2 81 7 11 3 0 22 20.3 1.8 2.8 .8 .0 5.5†SF 2 0 33 7 2 0 0 5 16.5 3.5 1.0 .0 .0 2.5†SF 1 0 5 0 0 1 0 3 5.0 .0 .0 1.0 .0 3.0
Transactions
Overview Players added Via draft Erick Dampier Mark Pope Via trade Jalen Rose Reggie Williams Mark Jackson LaSalle Thompson Darvin Ham Via free agency Jerome Allen Brent ScottPlayers Lost Via trade Reggie Williams Jerome Allen Vincent Askew Eddie Johnson Via free agency Scott Haskin Dwayne Schintzius Adrian Caldwell
Trades June 13, 1996 To Indiana PacersReggie Williams, Jalen Rose and the draft rights to Erick Dampier To Denver NuggetsMark Jackson, Ricky Pierce, and a first-round draft pick November 4, 1996 To Indiana PacersVincent Askew To New Jersey NetsReggie Williams February 20, 1997 To Indiana PacersMark Jackson, LaSalle Thompson, and Darvin Ham To Denver NuggetsVincent Askew, Eddie Johnson, Jerome Allen, and 1997 and 1998 Second Round draft picks
Free agents AdditionsPlayerDate signedFormer teamJerome AllenAugust 17, 1996Minnesota TimberwolvesBrent ScottSeptember 27, 1996Olitalia Forli (Italy) SubtractionsPlayerReason LeftNew teamScott HaskinUnknownNoneDwayne SchintziusFree AgencyLos Angeles ClippersAdrian CaldwellFree AgencyNew Jersey Nets
Player transactions citation:
See also 1996–97 NBA season
References