Michael Pointer

michael.pointer@indystar.com

Other than a pair of statements from president Larry Bird, the Indiana Pacers brain trust has been quiet since Paul George suffered a broken leg during a USA Basketball scrimmage on Aug. 1. That changed during a 20-minute news conference today with Bird and coach Frank Vogel.

George is expected to miss the entire 2014-15 season. The shock of that hasn't exactly waned, but the president and coach did provide some levity. Bird was asked if the Pacers planned to wear a patch to honor George -- something that's almost exclusively reserved for someone's death.

"Patch?" Bird said with his usual mischievous smile. "He's still alive.

"I don't think we'll do that. We'll just pat him on the back every once in awhile."

Some observations and opinion from today's gathering:

Pacers fans shouldn't hold their breath on Shawn Marion. The free-agent forward had dinner with Bird on Monday, but it sounds like Marion still has his eye on Cleveland. He likely lands here only if the Cavaliers decide they don't want him. Bird said Marion understands the Pacers probably will not make any more roster moves in the next few weeks and are willing to wait on him.

"What I came away with is that he's undecided with where he wants to play and what he wants to do, but he did say he wants to play for a contender with a chance to win a championship," Bird said.

Losing George at any time obviously isn't good, but Bird agreed this injury happened at about the worst time possible.

"It makes it more difficult, no question," he said. "Everybody has their team pretty much set about now. There's not a lot of talk that we're hearing, but we're still making calls and trying to do things and stay active.

The Pacers are counting heavily on second-year forward Solomon Hill. That was pretty obvious after George's injury and the free-agent departure of Lance Stephenson, but Hill still is something of an unknown after playing sparingly in the second half of his rookie season.

"If he would have been playing 25 minutes a game last year, everyone would be talking about how good Solomon HIll is," Vogel said. "But we were unbelievably deep at the wing positions.

" I think he's really improved his perimeter shooting. I think he's a natural wing defender. He's got the toughness and wing span and the ability to really get under the skin of the guy he's guarding."

Vogel raved about guard George Hill, who was criticized heavily during the playoffs, and the work Hill has put in during this off-season. The coach still plans to use Hill on the point because he's one of the NBA's better defenders there, but the additions of C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey will allow Vogel to use him more at shooting guard, too.

"His role changes not just because of Lance (leaving), or because of Paul, but because of all the work he's done," Vogel said.

Bird and Vogel both made it clear the Pacers aren't going to "tank" the season in order to secure a high draft choice in 2015. In other words, don't look for David West or Roy Hibbert or George Hill to be dealt anytime soon.

"We've got a winning culture here, an approach to bringing it every single night and being the hardest working-team in the NBA," Vogel said. "I think we're going to surprise teams. I think those fans that thought the season was over before it even started are very wrong."

Added Bird: "I know some fans would like us to in a different direction, but but our goal is to win as many games as we can."

Bird made it clear -- again -- the Pacers aren't going to exceed the salary cap and pay the luxury tax.

"We'll never go over the tax," he said. "My owner (Herb Simon) is telling me that's a place he doesn't want to go."

The Pacers will exercise their option to bring back reserve guard Donald Sloan, Bird said.

Bird was watching the scrimmage in which George was injured on television. His initial reaction: "First of all, he didn't give up on the play. That's something we tell our guys all the time. But when he went down and I saw the doctor put a towel over him and one of the players walk away, I knew it wasn't good."

Vogel was vacationing with his wife at St. Martin in the Caribbean when he learned of George's injury. He was asked jokingly when he had a good stiff drink..

"Before," he said with a smile. It was a Friday night in St. Martin, after all.