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Klay Thompson says Reggie Miller 'the greatest to ever shoot it'
Klay Thompson: One of my favorite memories along this journey was working out for the Knicks in 2011, and Donnie Walsh telling me how much I reminded him of Reggie Miller. That meant the world to me and inspired me to never stop shooting. Saulte to the greatest to ever shoot it @reggiemillertnt. Thanks for the blueprint OG!
What does Pascal Siakam think of the trade? Ramasar: “He’s excited. There are a lot of memories up in Toronto, and a lot of good memories. Although things have changed to where he’s been moved, he’s ecstatic about the opportunity ahead of him in Indiana. First of all, it’s a first-class organization. When you look at [President] Kevin Pritchard and [general manager] Chad Buchanan, these are basketball guys with an organization that always has had basketball executives from Larry Bird to Donnie Walsh that have been there. Their front office is first class."
Weeks later Kahn presided over that fateful draft, choosing Rubio and Flynn; reportedly he told staffers they were reminiscent of Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe. Walsh, now the Knicks’ GM, recalls being frustrated: “I did get mad at him. I understand Rubio. But you took Jonny Flynn! He would have been there at 11. And you wouldn’t trade me [the sixth pick] to get Curry.” Kahn ran the Timberwolves for four years, during which time the team went 89–223. This is not the place to rehash the details—that has been done plenty—but it’s fair to say his tenure was viewed as unsuccessful. In particular, he took a beating from fans and media (“You Realize How Badly the T-Wolves Screwed Up the 2009 Draft, Right?” read a Bill Simmons headline). In exit interviews, he doubled down on his rationale; Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports described Kahn as “absolutely incapable” of saying “my bad.”
Going into the draft, the Pacers needed a point guard, said Walsh, who was then the team's general manager. People in Indiana wanted him to take hometown favorite Steve Alford, who had just won an NCAA title at IU. Walsh said he never entertained that thought. He had his mind set on Kevin Johnson, who in high school led the state of California in scoring (32.5 points) and was named the Northern California Player of the Year. "This kid was good," Walsh said from his Indianapolis home this month. "So if I could have gotten him, I probably would have taken him. But I realized pretty quickly that we weren't going to get him."
Walsh never counted on getting Johnson in 1987. His research told him Johnson would be gone long before the 11th pick. Walsh started plotting. He went to then-Pacers coach Jack Ramsay. "And I had a tape of Reggie and I said, 'Jack, I want you to look at this because I don't know if we're going to get the kid we were looking for,'" Walsh said. "He watched it that night and he came back in and said, 'Yeah, I'd take him.' And I said, 'So would I,' and so that's what we did."
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“As a geeky, no-talent high school kid who was a student manager for the basketball team, everyone told me I would never make it to the NBA. Well, after 27 (and hopefully 28 years), take that,” Benner said. “There are so many people to thank, starting with the Simon family, who made this a great organization to work for; Dale Ratterman and Donnie Walsh, who gave a sportswriter a chance at this dream job; and my wife, my brothers and sister for their guidance over the years. Finally, my co-workers through the years – Tim, MaryKay, Jeff, Krissy and Wes, who carried me every step.”
Scott Agness: I’ve been talking to Pacers people all day about Rick Carlisle. Larry Bird, who hired him on his staff, politely declined an interview. Longtime architect Donnie Walsh to @FieldhouseFiles: “I think it’s a very good hire. And I’m happy to see Rick come back.” Story to come.
On Wednesday, Dec. 30, Donnie Walsh logged onto a Zoom call to share news with his colleagues at Pacers Sports & Entertainment for the final time. He had great memories with them, an organization for which he once ran the basketball and business operations. But it was time. So around noon ET on Dec. 30 — as first reported on Fieldhouse Files — Walsh informed team employees that he was stepping down as a consultant, a role he held since 2013, and was retiring. This was it.
“I don’t know if it’s a good time or not,” Walsh said during our phone interview, his first extensive interview since retiring, “but I had been thinking about doing it since I got back actually from New York (in 2012). I fought against it because my whole life has been in basketball, but the bottom line was, this year in particular, I just thought I’m getting too old for this. I don’t have the same energy, I don’t have the same body, I guess, that I used to have.
“And I think when you’re in a game like the NBA, it really requires a lot of energy, the ability to travel a lot and that kind of thing, and to get up early and go to work every day, and then to stay long for games. I just didn’t have what it took to do that anymore. So I had to admit it. “So I called up (owner) Herb Simon and Kevin (Pritchard), and told them I just can’t come back. That’s all. And also, because of my career — I’ve had 60 years in basketball — and as a result, I’ve always been in and out with my family. I just thought I’d like to spend the complete time with different members of my family and have the ability to do that. So that was the real reason I did it.”
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Donnie Walsh retiring
Longtime Indiana Pacers executive Donnie Walsh, the architect of the franchise’s turnaround, announced his retirement on Wednesday. The 79-year-old Walsh first told The Indianapolis Star of his intention to retire. “Over my 30-year relationship with Donnie, I have been amazed to watch him help lead this organization to what it has become,” team owner Herb Simon said in a statement. “He was certainly the right leader at the right time, and the invaluable wisdom and counsel he has provided over the decades extend well beyond the lines of the basketball court.”
Rick Fuson, Pacers Sports & Entertainment President and Chief Operating Officer, calls Walsh "a pillar of basketball." “His commitment to the game of basketball is nearly unmatched. I believe he’ll be a Hall of Famer," Fuson said of Walsh. "He’s as well-rounded, understood and understanding in the basketball business as anybody around. He’s a pillar in our city. He brought basketball back again to Indianapolis. He stood firm and changed the way we looked at things."
Walsh, 79, has served as a consultant for basketball operations since 2013. Team employees were informed of the news Wednesday during a company call. You can’t tell the story of the Pacers without Walsh, who has a close relationship with team owner Herb Simon.
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