It's always good to see Jeff Foster, one of my favorite unsung role players, getting some props.
From Mike Wells (another favorite) of the Indianapolis Star:
Foster is entering his 10th season with the Pacers in part because he thrives in a role few want: He does things that often go unnoticed, from blocking out and diving for loose balls to being a presence in the locker room.
Team president Larry Bird has noticed.
"He's a glue guy to your team," Bird said. ". . . He's going to come in here and give you everything he's got."
Definitely nice to know one of the league's hardest workers is appreciated by his employer.
Foster is a scrapper in every sense. He has made a living by doing whatever his team asks of him for a decade now. He's both started and come off the bench and seen those roles vacillate with regularity. Foster is routinely one of the best in the league on the offensive glass (he is the two-time defending league leader in offensive rebound percentage and has finished in the league's top ten in total offensive boards three times in the past five years), and he always seems to be in the middle of scrums, knocking an opponent out of the way or tipping a ball to a teammate.
The guy plays tough, smart basketball at both ends of the floor and has become a real asset in Indy both as an energy guy and a leader. Wells quotes him as predicting better days for ahead for the Pacers both on and off the court, and for the sake of Larry Legend, here's hoping he's right.