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	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
Local media
Television	WXIN (Bill Hazen, Clark Kellogg)
Radio	WNDE (Mark Boyle, Bobby "Slick" Leonard)
< 1987–88 1989–90 >

The 1988–89 Indiana Pacers season was the 13th season for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association, and their 22nd season as a franchise. ^[1] Despite finishing with a 38–44 record the previous season, the Pacers received the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected 7' 4" Dutch center Rik Smits out of Marist College. ^{[2] [3] [4]} Before the regular season began, center Steve Stipanovich was out due a left knee injury, and would be sidelined for the entire season after undergoing knee surgery. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

The Pacers went through four different head coaches this season; head coach Jack Ramsay resigned after an 0–7 start, ^{[8] [9] [10]} 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. ^{[11] [12]} At mid-season, the team traded Wayman Tisdale to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for LaSalle Thompson and Randy Wittman, ^{[13] [14] [15]} and dealt Herb Williams to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for German small forward Detlef Schrempf. ^{[16] [17] [18]} The Pacers held an 11–35 record at the All-Star break, ^[19] but played slightly under .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the regular season, finishing in last place in the Central Division with a 28–54 record. ^[20]

Chuck Person averaged 21.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while second-year star Reggie Miller showed improvement becoming the team's starting shooting guard, averaging 16.0 points and 1.3 steals per game, plus leading the Pacers with 98 three-point field goals, and Vern Fleming contributed 14.3 points and 6.5 assists per game. In addition, 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, and Scott Skiles contributed 6.8 points and 4.9 assists per game off the bench. ^[21]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Miller participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout. ^{[22] [23]} Following the season, Stipanovich retired after five seasons in the NBA with the Pacers; Stipanovich had gone through two knee operations, and doctors discovered he had a "dead spot" in the bone of his left knee. ^{[24] [25] [26]}

Also following the season, Skiles was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Orlando Magic expansion team. ^{[27] [28] [29]}

Draft picks

Main article: 1988 NBA draft

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. Player Height Weight DOB From C 54 Greg Dreiling 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1962–11–07 Kansas G 10 Vern Fleming 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1962–02–04 Georgia F 22 Anthony Frederick 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1964–12–07 Pepperdine C 55 Stuart Gray 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1963–05–27 UCLA G 31 Reggie Miller 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1965–08–24 UCLA F 45 Chuck Person 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1964–06–27 Auburn F 11 Detlef Schrempf 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1963–01–21 Washington G 3 Scott Skiles 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1964–03–05 Michigan State C 24 Rik Smits 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1966–08–23 Marist G 15 Everette Stephens 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1966–10–21 Purdue C 40 Steve Stipanovich   (IN) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1960–11–17 Missouri C 41 LaSalle Thompson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1961–06–23 Texas F 14 Randy Wittman 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(s) Mel Daniels George Irvine Dave Twardzik Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: February 21, 1989

Roster notes

• Center Steve Stipanovich was on the injured reserve list due to a left knee injury, and missed the entire regular season. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	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 e
	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

Player statistics

Regular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Rik Smits	C	82	71	2,041	500	70	37	151	956	24.9	6.1	.9	.5	1.8	11.7
Chuck Person	SF	80	79	3,012	516	289	83	18	1,728	37.7	6.5	3.6	1.0	.2	21.6
Scott Skiles	PG	80	13	1,571	149	390	64	2	546	19.6	1.9	4.9	.8	.0	6.8
Vern Fleming	PG	76	69	2,552	310	494	77	12	1,084	33.6	4.1	6.5	1.0	.2	14.3
Reggie Miller	SG	74	70	2,536	292	227	93	29	1,181	34.3	3.9	3.1	1.3	.4	16.0
Stuart Gray	C	72	0	783	245	29	11	21	188	10.9	3.4	.4	.2	.3	2.6
Greg Dreiling	C	53	4	396	92	18	5	11	129	7.5	1.7	.3	.1	.2	2.4
Wayman Tisdale †	PF	48	5	1,326	310	75	35	32	768	27.6	6.5	1.6	.7	.7	16.0
Herb Williams †	C	46	46	1,567	396	88	31	80	578	34.1	8.6	1.9	.7	1.7	12.6
Anthony Frederick	SF	46	0	313	52	20	14	6	152	6.8	1.1	.4	.3	.1	3.3
John Long †	SG	44	1	767	66	65	29	1	323	17.4	1.5	1.5	.7	.0	7.3
Everette Stephens	PG	35	0	209	23	37	9	4	65	6.0	.7	1.1	.3	.1	1.9
LaSalle Thompson †	C	33	29	1,053	326	37	33	39	413	31.9	9.9	1.1	1.0	1.2	12.5
Randy Wittman †	SF	33	11	704	54	79	13	2	173	21.3	1.6	2.4	.4	.1	5.2
Detlef Schrempf †	PF	32	12	1,005	229	93	29	10	475	31.4	7.2	2.9	.9	.3	14.8
Richard Morton	PG	2	0	11	0	1	0	0	6	5.5	.0	.5	.0	.0	3.0
Sedric Toney	PG	2	0	9	2	0	0	0	2	4.5	1.0	.0	.0	.0	1.0

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Pacers only.

Awards and records

• Rik Smits, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References

1. 1988-89 Indiana Pacers
2. Goldaper, Sam (June 29, 1988). "N.B.A. Draft; Manning, Then 3-Way Trade Give Hope to Lowly Clippers". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
3. Baker, Chris (June 29, 1988). "1988 NBA DRAFT: Clippers Choose Manning, Then Play for Position: They Trade Cage, End Up with Smith and Grant". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
4. "1988 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
5. "Sports Digest". United Press International. October 30, 1988. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
6. "Pacers' Stipanovich Still on Sideline – Bears' Tomczak May Return". Orlando Sentinel. January 2, 1989. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
7. "Indiana Pacers Center Steve Stipanovich, Who Has Yet to..." United Press International. January 23, 1989. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
8. "Ramsay Quits as Pacers Coach". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 17, 1988. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
9. "An 0-7 Start Is Too Much for Pacers' Ramsay, He Quits". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 18, 1988. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
10. "Ramsay Resigns as Pacers Coach". The Washington Post. November 18, 1988. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
11. "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Pacers Pick Versace in Third Change". The New York Times. January 6, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
12. McManis, Sam (January 10, 1989). "The NBA; Sam McManis: Dick Versace Brings Many Faces to Pacers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
13. "The Indiana Pacers Traded Forward Wayman Tisdale..." Los Angeles Times. February 20, 1989. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
14. "Tisdale Reportedly Traded for Wittman, Thompson". Deseret News. February 20, 1989. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
15. Goldaper, Sam (February 21, 1989). "Pacers Deal Tisdale to Kings; Eye Move to Get Vandeweghe". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
16. "IN BRIEF: Schrempf Traded for Williams". Los Angeles Times. Times Staff and Wire Service Reports. February 21, 1989. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
17. "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Mavericks Trade Schrempf for Williams". The New York Times. February 22, 1989. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
18. Aldridge, David (February 22, 1989). "Notebook". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
19. "NBA Games Played on February 9, 1989". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
20. "1988–89 Indiana Pacers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
21. "1988–89 Indiana Pacers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
22. "All-Star Lineups". Ocala Star-Banner. February 11, 1989. p. 5D. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
23. "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
24. "It Looks Like Stipanovich's Career Is Over". Deseret News. September 27, 1989. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
25. "THE SIDELINES: Knee Prompts Stipanovich to Retire". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. September 28, 1989. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
26. "Sports People: PRO BASKETBALL; Stipanovich Retires Because of Bad Knee". The New York Times. September 29, 1989. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
27. Brown, Clifton (June 16, 1989). "Knicks' Green Is Taken First in N.B.A.'s Expansion Draft". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
28. Howard-Cooper, Scott (June 16, 1989). "NBA Expansion Draft: Timberwolves Get Mahorn; Lakers Lose Rivers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
29. "1989 NBA Expansion Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 13, 2022.

See also

• 1988-89 NBA season