1988–89 Indiana Pacers season

1988–89 Indiana Pacers season
1988–89 Indiana Pacers season
Head coach	Jack Ramsay (resigned); Mel Daniels (interim); George Irvine (interim); Dick Versace;
General manager	Donnie Walsh
Owner(s)	Herbert Simon
Arena	Market Square Arena
Results
Record	28–54 (.341)
Place	Division: 6th (Central); Conference: 10th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WXIN; (Bill Hazen, Clark Kellogg)
Radio	WNDE; (Mark Boyle, Bobby "Slick" Leonard)
< 1987–88	1989–90 >

The 1988–89 NBA season was Indiana's 13th season in the NBA and 22nd season as a franchise.^[1] Despite finishing with a 38–44 record the previous season, the Pacers had the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected Dutch center Rik Smits out of Marist College.^[2] The Pacers went through four different head coaches this season; head coach Jack Ramsay resigned after an 0–7 start, then after two games under interim coach Mel Daniels, and 20 games under interim George Irvine, the team hired Dick Versace as their new coach. At midseason, the team traded Wayman Tisdale to the Sacramento Kings for LaSalle Thompson and Randy Wittman,^[3] and dealt Herb Williams to the Dallas Mavericks for Detlef Schrempf.^[4] The Pacers finished last place in the Central Division with a 28–54 record.^[5]

Chuck Person averaged 21.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while second-year star Reggie Miller stepped into the lineup and showed improvement, averaging 16.0 points and 1.3 steals per game, Vern Fleming contributed 14.3 points and 6.5 assists per game, and Smits provided the team with 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.^[6] Following the season, Scott Skiles left in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft.^[7]

Draft picks[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	2	Rik Smits	C	Netherlands	Marist
3	61	Herbert Crook	F	United States	Louisville
3	73	Michael Anderson		United States	Drexel

Roster[]

1988–89 Indiana Pacers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)	From
C	54	Dreiling, Greg	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	1962–11–07	Kansas
G	10	Fleming, Vern	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1962–02–04	Georgia
F	22	Frederick, Anthony	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1964–12–07	Pepperdine
C	55	Gray, Stuart	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	1963–05–27	UCLA
G	31	Miller, Reggie	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1965–08–24	UCLA
F	45	Person, Chuck	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1964–06–27	Auburn
F	11	Schrempf, Detlef	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	214 lb (97 kg)	1963–01–21	Washington
G	3	Skiles, Scott	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1964–03–05	Michigan State
C	24	Smits, Rik	7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	1966–08–23	Marist
G	15	Stephens, Everette	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1966–10–21	Purdue
C	40	Stipanovich, Steve	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	1960–11–17	Missouri
C	41	Thompson, LaSalle	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	1961–06–23	Texas
F	14	Wittman, Randy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1959–10–28	Indiana

Head coach

Jack Ramsay (resigned)
Mel Daniels (interim)
George Irvine (interim)
Dick Versace

Assistant coach(es)

Dave Twardzik

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster
Last transaction: February 21, 1989

Regular season[]

Season standings[]

Central Division v t	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	63	19	.768	–	37–4	26–15	20–10
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	6	37–4	20–21	19–11
x-Atlanta Hawks	52	30	.634	11	33–8	19–22	20–10
x-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	14	31–10	18–23	11–19
x-Chicago Bulls	47	35	.573	16	30–11	17–24	12–18
Indiana Pacers	28	54	.341	35	20–21	8–33	8–22

#	Eastern Conference v t
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Detroit Pistons	63	19	.768	–
2	y-New York Knicks	52	30	.634	11
3	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	6
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	52	30	.634	11
5	x-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	14
6	x-Chicago Bulls	47	35	.573	16
7	x-Philadelphia 76ers	46	36	.561	17
8	x-Boston Celtics	42	40	.512	21

9	Washington Bullets	40	42	.488	23
10	Indiana Pacers	28	54	.341	35
11	New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	37
12	Charlotte Hornets	20	62	.244	43

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents[]

1988-89 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–1	4–1	4–2	4–2	1–1	0–2	1–5	1–1	1–1	5–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	6–0	4–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1
Boston	1–3	—	6–0	1–3	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	5–1	3–3	3–3	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–4
Charlotte	1–4	0–6	—	1–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–4	2–4	3–3	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–5
Chicago	2–4	3–1	4–1	—	0–6	2–0	1–1	0–6	1–1	1–1	4–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	6–0	2–2	3–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–1
Cleveland	2–4	4–1	4–0	6–0	—	2–0	2–0	3–3	1–1	1–1	5–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–3	4–0	2–2	3–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2
Dallas	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	—	3–3	0–2	1–3	1–5	1–1	3–1	0–4	6–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	5–1	2–2	4–2	1–1
Denver	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–3	—	1–1	3–1	4–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	5–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	3–3	2–2	3–3	1–1
Detroit	5–1	3–1	4–0	6–0	3–3	2–0	1–1	—	1–1	1–1	4–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–4	4–0	0–4	5–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–0
Golden State	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–1	—	1–3	1–1	5–1	2–3	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–4	2–3	3–1	2–4	2–2	1–1
Houston	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	5–1	2–4	1–1	3–1	—	2–0	2–2	1–3	4–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	6–0	2–2	2–4	0–2
Indiana	1–5	3–2	2–2	2–4	1–5	1–1	1–1	2–4	1–1	0–2	—	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–3	0–5	0–4	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–5	2–2	1–1	—	1–5	1–3	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–5	1–5	2–3	3–1	1–4	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	3–2	3–1	2–0	5–1	—	4–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–3	5–0	5–1	3–1	4–2	1–3	1–1
Miami	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–6	1–5	0–2	0–4	2–4	1–1	3–1	0–4	—	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–4	0–4	1–5	0–2
Milwaukee	0–6	2–2	4–0	0–6	3–3	2–0	2–0	4–2	2–0	1–1	4–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	—	4–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1
New Jersey	1–4	1–5	4–2	2–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–4	—	2–4	1–5	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–5
New York	2–2	3–3	4–2	2–3	2–2	2–0	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	5–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–2	—	2–4	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–1
Philadelphia	2–2	3–3	3–3	3–1	2–3	1–1	1–1	0–5	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–3	5–1	4–2	—	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–2
Phoenix	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	4–2	3–1	1–1	5–1	3–3	4–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	—	2–3	5–1	3–1	4–1	2–2	2–0
Portland	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–2	1–3	0–2	5–1	0–5	4–0	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–2	—	3–3	4–0	2–4	0–4	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	3–2	2–2	1–1	3–2	1–5	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–5	3–3	—	2–2	1–5	1–3	0–2
San Antonio	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–5	3–3	0–2	1–3	0–6	0–2	1–3	1–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–4	2–2	—	0–4	1–5	1–1
Seattle	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	4–2	2–2	1–1	4–1	2–4	4–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–4	4–2	5–1	4–0	—	3–1	1–1
Utah	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	3–3	0–2	2–2	4–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	5–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	4–0	3–1	5–1	1–3	—	2–0
Washington	1–3	4–2	5–1	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–5	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–4	5–1	1–5	2–4	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	—

Game log[]

Player statistics[]

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season[]

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Chuck Person	80	79	37.7	48.9	30.7	79.2	6.5	3.6	1.0	0.2	21.6
Reggie Miller	74	70	34.3	47.9	40.2	84.4	3.9	3.1	1.3	0.4	16.0
Wayman Tisdale	48	5	27.6	50.5	0.0	79.2	6.5	1.6	0.7	0.7	16.0
Detlef Schrempf	32	12	31.4	51.4	26.3	77.2	7.2	2.9	0.9	0.3	14.8
Vern Fleming	76	69	33.6	51.5	13.0	79.9	4.1	6.5	1.0	0.2	14.3
Herb Williams	46	46	34.1	45.0	0.0	71.4	8.6	1.9	0.7	1.7	12.6
LaSalle Thompson	33	29	31.9	53.8	0.0	80.6	9.9	1.1	1.0	1.2	12.5
Rik Smits	82	71	24.9	51.7	0.0	72.2	6.1	0.9	0.5	1.8	11.7
John Long	44	1	17.4	40.1	40.0	93.7	1.5	1.5	0.7	0.0	7.3
Scott Skiles	80	13	19.6	44.8	26.7	90.3	1.9	4.9	0.8	0.0	6.8
Randy Wittman	33	11	21.3	47.3	50.0	63.2	1.6	2.4	0.4	0.1	5.2
Anthony Frederick	46	0	6.8	50.4	40.0	70.6	1.1	0.4	0.3	0.1	3.3
Richard Morton	2	0	5.5	75.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	3.0
Stuart Gray	72	0	10.9	47.1	0.0	68.8	3.4	0.4	0.2	0.3	2.6
Greg Dreiling	53	4	7.5	55.8	0.0	67.2	1.7	0.3	0.1	0.2	2.4
Everette Stephens	35	0	6.0	31.9	20.0	77.3	0.7	1.1	0.3	0.1	1.9
Sedric Toney	2	0	4.5	20.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

Player Statistics Citation:^[6]

Awards and records[]

Rik Smits, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

Transactions[]

References[]

^ 1988-89 Indiana Pacers
^ "N.B.A. Draft; Manning, Then 3-Way Trade Give Hope to Lowly Clippers". New York Times. June 29, 1988. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
^ "Pacers Deal Tisdale to Kings; Eye Move to Get Vandeweghe". New York Times. February 21, 1989. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Mavericks Trade Schrempf for Williams". New York Times. February 22, 1989. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
^ "1988–89 Indiana Pacers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "1988–89 Indiana Pacers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
^ "1989 NBA Expansion Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 13, 2022.

v t Indiana Pacers
Founded in 1967 Based in Indianapolis, Indiana
Franchise	History ABA–NBA merger All-time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	Indiana State Fair Coliseum Market Square Arena Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Personnel	Owner(s) Herbert Simon President Kevin Pritchard General manager Chad Buchanan Head coach Rick Carlisle
G League affiliate	Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Retired numbers	30 31 34 35 529
ABA Championships	1970 1972 1973
Rivalries	New York Knicks
Culture and lore	Broadcasters Boomer Dancing Harry Indiana Pacers Bikeshare The Knick-Killer The Malice at the Palace Reb Porter