Jul 09
28

The Indiana Pacers sign guard Earl Watson to a multi-year deal.
Terms were not disclosed as of Tuesday.
The 6-foot-1 veteran was waived earlier this month by Oklahoma City. He also has played with Seattle, Memphis and Denver in eight NBA seasons.
Watson adds depth to an Indiana team that has already lost one guard, Jarrett Jack, in free agency and is likely to lose another, Marquis Daniels, this offseason. Last week, the Pacers declined to match Toronto’s $20 million offer sheet for Jack. Daniels’ agent has said he is heading to Boston.
Watson has averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 assists over his career, including 6.6 points and 5.8 assists last season for the Thunder.
Earl Watson chat on NBA.com/Pacers
| 4:28 |
[Comment From Omar]
What have you learned through your long career that you will bring to the Pacers? |
| 4:28 |
 |
A lot of experience. Mental toughness. Emphasizing defense. And team unity. Also leadership and being resilient, bouncing back quick instead of letting losses linger. |
|
| 4:28 |
[Comment From Reece]
Hey Earl welcome to Indiana, i was wondering what type of player the Pacers will be getting? |
| 4:29 |
 |
I think someone who’s going to hold himself accountable on and off the court. I’m a player that’s going to be versatile and determined to help this team win, and always looking for the opportunity to make this team better. |
|
| 4:29 |
[Comment From jason]
earl, do you think you will earn back the minutes that you were playing while in okc before the youth movement? |
| 4:29 |
 |
I think the opportunity is realistic. With an organization that’s looking to win right now, it’s great for me as well. |
|
| 4:30 |
[Comment From Luke]
What would you say the strengths of your game are? |
| 4:30 |
 |
I think playing in transition offensively and defensively setting the tone, being aggressive and physical on the ball, and also making my teammates better. |
|
| 4:31 |
[Comment From Eric]
Was your signing with Indiana an indicator of your belief that the team is playoff bound? |
| 4:31 |
 |
Absolutely. I emphasized to my agent I wanted go to a team that was on the verge of winning if not already winning, a team that could play deep into the playoffs, but at the same time exciting to play with — character guys, organization, city. |
|
| 4:31 |
[Comment From Kyle]
Earl, I’m glad the Pacers added you to our roster. Your veteran presence along with T.J., Danny, Mike, Troy, Dahntay, and Jeff should help tremendously to our young and improving roster. I look forward to seeing you on the court. Any clue as to your jersey number? |
| 4:32 |
 |
No. 2. I’ve known Brandon Rush since he was about 5 years old. He wears my number 25. I don’t know if he copied me and wanted to be like me or because I love him like a brother — honestly, we’re like family. I just decided to let him represent it to the fullest and I’m just going to take the two part of it. LOL. |
|
| 4:32 |
[Comment From anthony]
i just wanted 2 know what intangibles do u think u can bring to the pacers. |
| 4:33 |
 |
For me, intangibles are mental toughness, determination, will to win, leadership, defensively being an x-factor throughout the game. |
|
| 4:33 |
[Comment From Jon]
Have you looked at any film of the Pacers from last season? What can they do to improve their defense, it was AWFUL last year? |
| 4:34 |
 |
Facint them last year, I think the transactions that happened this summer, the players that were brought in will balance it, thus giving the team a balanced attack which is difficult to content with. Guarding the ball will be a priority, but also havnig a defensive presence, mentally. It doesn’t take different players to do that, just emphasis. |
|
| 4:34 |
[Comment From Evan]
Did any Pacer players contact you prior to your signing that encouraged you to join the Pacers as opposed to some other team? If so, who? |
| 4:36 |
 |
I actually play pickup with Danny Granger all the time at UCLA so I see him a couple fimtes a week. It was pretty much a done deal so he didn’t have to recruit me. And I talked to Brandon on the phone. He was excitted till I asked for my jersey number, then he hung up and I haven’t heard from him since. LOL. |
|
| 4:36 |
[Comment From dcgin]
How about your offensive skills? |
| 4:37 |
 |
In this offensive system I think everyone grows. It’s going to be fun for me to go back to my Denver days and early Seattle days and shoot a lot of threes. And also scoring in traisition, mid-range jumpers in transition which P.J. Carlesimo emphasized, really help me grow. |
|
| 4:37 |
[Comment From Zach]
do you want to be the starting point guard for the Pacers or would you care o let TJ Ford start and you come off the bench? |
| 4:38 |
 |
It’s a decision for the coaching staff to make. A lot will depend on rotations, matchups or strategy. When you get to the NBA, it’s so deep. You look at guys like Jason Terry and Ginobili, who come off the bench and play the whole game. What I want to do most is make the playoffs and make a push, more than start. |
|
| 4:38 |
[Comment From Alex]
How long do you see yourself playing as a pacer |
| 4:38 |
 |
I would like to finish my career here. The team is dedicated to winning a championship and they’re making changes for the better and you want to be a part of that. |
|
| 4:38 |
[Comment From matt]
Any lingering problems from last year’s fractured thumb? |
| 4:39 |
 |
No, it’s finally healthy. My doctor said it would take a year and he was pretty accurate. I’ve been working really hard to get back to the year where I had my career numbers. If you look at my stats over last season, the longer the season went the better my percentages got. I came back too early but that’s the type of player I am. I’m addicted to the game that I love. |
|
| 4:40 |
[Comment From Meredith]
Easy question for ya…What’s your favorite food? |
| 4:41 |
 |
Since the pregnancy of my wife, my favorite foods have been everything strange that I’m not used to eating. Lately, it’s been anything spicy with noodles. The other day we tried popcorn with ice cream shortly afterward. It didn’t work out too well. Two more months to go and I’m back to eating normal foods. |
|
| 4:42 |
 |
Thanks a lot for all the good questions and I look forward to more of these chat questions. I hope to hear from everyone soon. And if anyone sees Brandon, tell him to please call me. |
|
This entry was posted
on July 28, 2009 at 5:13 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Posted in Basketball Pro by Bryant