Indiana Pacers Acquire Scott Skiles

On June 21st, 1987, the Milwaukee Bucks traded guard Scott Skiles to the Indiana Pacers for a 1989 second round draft pick (Gary Leonard).

The Milwaukee Bucks selected point guard Scott Skiles with the 22nd pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. The move was controversial in many circles. Skiles was coming off a standout senior season at Michigan State where he averaged 27.4 PPG on 55.4% from the field and 6.6 APG in his final season. On the flip side, Skiles had been arrested three times in a two-year span before the draft for two drunken driving offenses and possession of marijuana.

Skiles never received a true chance to display his skills. A nagging back injury that was later diagnosed as sciatica limited him to just 13 games in his rookie season. He averaged 3.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 3.5 APG in 15.8 MPG. The Bucks were a very good team in the Eastern Conference during the 1986-87 season. Under coach Don Nelson, the Bucks finished fourth best in the Eastern Conference with a 50-32 record. The Bucks managed to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in a tough five-game series. In the second round, the Bucks managed to take the Boston Celtics to seven games but lost by six in the final Game Seven of the series.

After the season, coach Don Nelson resigned after differences with Bucks owner Herb Kohl. After Nelson’s departure, the Bucks replaced him with assistant coach Del Harris. Nelson’s departure opened up a chance for Skiles to have a new start and move on to a new team. Nelson was a big fan of Skiles and was behind the decision to draft him. The drafting of Skiles (as well as the previous two first round selections) was a major issue in Nelson’s ongoing feud with Kohl who was unhappy. Skiles was aware of Kohl’s unhappiness. In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal published on June 7, 1987, Skiles felt like he was in limbo:

“I’m a person who’s not afraid to give my opinion on anything. I really appreciate it when people do the same for me. I’d like to be told something by someone from the Bucks. Am I just considered to be a bad draft choice? Do they want to get rid of me? “I don’t want to appear like I’m saying, ‘trade me.’ But I don’t know anything right now. All I know is what I’ve been told by people. I don’t expect them to come out and say I’m going to start, or this or that. I just want to know if I’m a negative in their minds. In Del’s mind or Herb’s mind or whoever is making the personnel decisions. Am I considered to be a bad draft choice or someone who can help the Bucks out?”

Skiles would be traded two weeks after these statements. He had two years left on a three-year, $520,000 deal he signed with the Bucks.

After the trade, Skiles received a clean bill of health and played for the Pacers as a backup point guard. Skiles played 51 games (2 starts) in the 1987-88 season. He produced 4.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG and 3.5 APG in 14.9 MPG. The Pacers finished the season with a 38-44 record under coach Jack Ramsay. They missed out on the postseason after losing a three-way tiebreaker for the seventh and eighth seed with the New York Knicks and Washington Bullets. They held the eighth seed up until the last day when they lost to the Knicks on the final night causing the three-way tiebreaker.

The Pacers added center Rik Smits in the 1988 NBA Draft after earning the second selection in the draft lottery. The Pacers got off to a disappointing 0-7 start when Ramsay resigned as coach. Assistant coaches Mel Daniels and Dave Twardzik became co-interim coaches for two games before George Irvine became interim head coach. The Pacers were 6-23 when they decided to hire Dick Versace to become their full time coach. Indiana improved under Versace, but still finished ten games worse than the previous season with a 28-54 record. Skiles played mainly as backup point guard to Vern Fleming and had a solid season. He saw action in 80 games (13 starts) and managed 6.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 4.9 APG and 0.8 SPG in 19.6 MPG.

Skiles made headlines when he decided to leave the NBA after being frustrated with Indiana’s early-season struggles. He eventually apologized and returned to the team a couple of days later.

The Orlando Magic selected Skiles in the 1989 expansion draft after the Pacers left him unprotected. Skiles departed Indiana with averages of 5.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 4.4 APG and 0.7 SPG in 131 games (15 starts). He shot 44% from the field and 89% from the free-throw line in that two-year span.

The second round pick that Milwaukee acquired for Skiles was traded two years later to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the agreement that the expansion Timberwolves would select forward Mark Davis from the Bucks in the expansion draft. The Timberwolves selected center Gary Leonard with the 34th pick in the 1989 NBA Draft.

Scott Skiles on his initial reaction to the trade (via The Milwaukee Sentinel):

“My initial reaction was to scream for joy. To be back home is a big, big thrill for me.”

On the trade:

“The trade kind of surprised me, and kind of didn’t surprise me, because I knew there was a good chance I wouldn’t be back with Milwaukee. Last year, [Don] Nelson wanted to draft me, but I’m not sure the Bucks’ organization wanted to. When Nellie left, it became apparent that might not be the place for me.”

On how his long-term back injury has prevented him from playing (via The Kokomo Tribune):

“I feel like I haven’t played in a couple years.”

On wanting to play for Indiana:

“I didn’t make any secret about it that I wanted to play for Indiana to begin with, but I was happy with the time I played in Milwaukee. And since the running game is my strong point, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble fitting in, because coach (Jack) Ramsay emphasizes the fastbreak.”

On his role:

“In the NBA, point guards aren’t going to score that much. The Pacers have some guns, some young players who can take the ball and know what to do with it (score), and my job will be to give them the ball and get the hell out of the way. That doesn’t bother me at all. A lot of the guys here are what I call real good finishers. They can take the ball and finish the play. It’s pleasing to play with those guys, because it makes my job so much easier.”

On being a playmaker:

“I’m glad I’ve played that way in the past, otherwise I’d be lost right now. I’ve emphasized passing since I was small, and so I don’t know what I’d do if I came here as just a shooter. It’d bo a tough adjustment to make to all of a sudden switch to a point guard.”

Buck coach Del Harris on Skiles (via The Milwaukee Sentinel):

“It was a good thing for Skiles himself. We fell in love with the kid as a person. We felt with the number of guards that we have on our team right now that it was going to be difficult for Scott to find the playing time, and not being able to work with the kids the summer like we hoped.”

Skiles’ agent Keith Glass on the trade (via The Milwaukee Journal):

“Scott is thrilled to be going to the Pacers. Scott Skiles just wanted to play basketball. he wasn’t in an ideal situation in Milwaukee. It was an unusual situation. Scott didn’t want to sit there and be part of the political goings on.”

On going back to Indiana: