Mike Wells wrote:I had a chance to catch up with some of Pacers officials Monday after talking with coach Jim O'Brien.
I mentioned to them that I heard players have been committed to working out this summer.
One person responded, "It's totally different. You don't have to grab them by the arm and push them into the gym."
That should be good news for Pacers fans.
Roy Hibbert told me last month that he went around the Indianapolis area looking for five-on-five games.
School wasn't in yet when he tried to get runs in at IU and Butler.
Can you imagine the 7-2 Hibbert, sporting Pacers practice gear, walking into the local "Y" and saying he had the next run.
I wouldn't be upset if he swatted my shot in the stands.
Hibbert's addiction to the gym is similar to a former Pacer that's one of the league's best all-around players when he's mentally focused.
Ron Artest would often play pickup games at IUPUI and the Jewish Community Center during the offseason.
"I've never seen a young person - and this is my 12th year in the NBA - work harder and is more opened to being coached than Roy," O'Brien said last month about Hibbert. "If he gets to Conseco at noon, you can be assured that he's going to be drenched in sweat. He's had a remarkable summer from a standpoint of having our staff work with him. He's willing to be open minded to things we want to change in his game."
Despite constant nudging from my editor, "Sunshine," I'm still not sold Hibbert's style will mesh with the way O'Brien plays.
The Pacers coach thinks otherwise.
"I say this, and people think I'm joking, but people of Roy's size are not in the habit of moving as efficiently," O'Brien said. "He's learning that habit through our workouts with our strength and conditioning coach and what our whole staff is putting him through in the individual work. I think he's going to be more mobile than people think he's going to be."
It's going to be interesting to see how Hibbert fits into the frontcourt rotation with Jeff Foster, Rasho Nesterovic and Troy Murphy. Hibbert's presence should be enough to make opposing players think twice about going through the lane for lay up drills like they did last season.
The thing I took away from Hibbert - besides his dedication to the gym - when I talked to him was that he knows it's going to take time for him to become the player he wants to be.
"I think it's baby steps right now," he said. "I'm just trying to get as much info and learning as much as I can in a short period of time. It's going to take some time. I know I can do it as long as I stay positive and continue to learn from the coaching staff."
What a stud.
