Frank Vogel decided to leave Roy Hibbert on the bench in two key defensive plays late in the Indiana Pacers' overtime loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Hibbert is one of the NBA's best rim protectors, but struggles to defend the perimeter. Vogel was concerned that guarding Chris Bosh on the perimeter would negate Hibbert's usefulness at the basket. Nevertheless, the Pacers would surely prefer to be beat on a jumper than a LeBron James' layup.

"I've grown as a player, this is my fifth year and maybe I need to start talking up more," Hibbert told Yahoo! Sports. "They pay me [max-contract money] for a reason.

"I didn't say anything, and I wish I did. From now on, I need to speak up."

Vogel admitted after the game that he will almost certainly not make the same mistake again in the series.

"I would say we'll probably have him in next time," Vogel said.

The Los Angeles Clippers are interested in signing David West this offseason.

The Clippers will have to entice West with the $5.15 million midlevel exception available to teams that are non-taxpayers.

West played with Chris Paul as members of the New Orleans Hornets.

The Indiana Pacers will be able to pay West more money to re-sign.

George Hill has been cleared to play and will start for the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 against the New York Knicks on Saturday night.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel said he doesn't expect Hill, who suffered a concussion on Tuesday night and missed Thursday's Game 5, to be limited.

The team released the following statement about 90 minutes prior to the tip:

Over the last two days under the care of the Indiana Pacers' medical staff, George Hill has participated in each step of the NBA's Return-to-Participation Exertion Protocol as part of the NBA's Concussion Policy.  

During the process, George remained symptom-free after each step including his workouts earlier today. After consultation with Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the NBA's Director of Concussion Management, the Pacers' team physicians have cleared George to play in tonight's game.

After a breakout season in Europe, Gani Lawal has intrigued NBA teams and could receive consideration for a contract, league sources told RealGM.

Lawal has already scheduled workouts – private and as part of mini-camps – with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, sources said. Four to five other teams have discussed bringing him in to work out, too.

Lawal, the 6-foot-9 athletic, scrappy forward, had his best professional season with Italy’s Virtus Roma, averaging 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Virtus Roma has gone 20-10 this season and ranks third in the league standings.

Since leaving the Phoenix Suns organization that drafted him in the second round in 2010, Lawal, 24, has lost weight and added strength. Lawal played one game with the Suns two seasons ago and was in the San Antonio Spurs’ training camp in 2011, but he was derailed by injuries and didn’t figure into a long-term plan. He was drafted after three years at Georgia Tech.

George Hill was ruled out for Game 5 by the Indiana Pacers due to a concussion suffered in Game 4.

The Pacers had kept Hill's injury quiet.

Hill believes he suffered the injury when being hit in the head by Tyson Chandler.

D.J. Augustin will start and Frank Vogel said that Paul George could even see some time at the point.

Reggie Miller has been in broadcasting since retiring from the NBA, but he has been frequently mentioned as a candidate for a front office position with the Indiana Pacers.

"All the time," said Miller when asked how often he thinks about working in a front office capacity. "It would have to be the right situation (and), for me, the only situation I know is Indiana.

"Those competitive juices always flow. During the regular season, not so much because it’s only one day a week. It really picks up come the end of March and April when the playoffs are about to start and we have a lot of games. That’s when my blood starts to boil and I start to sweat a little bit more. I’m in the action because every possession means something.

"That’s when I think I could possibly do that. Again, it’ll have to be the right situation. We’ll see. I’m not going to broadcast forever. I’ll probably want to do something else in basketball, which will probably be running a team or at least helping run a team."

David West will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason but has not given free agency much thought. Even so, the Indiana Pacers want to keep West and believe they can afford him.

“I’ll address that at the end of the season and focus on finishing this year as best as possible,” West said Saturday after contributing 11 points and 12 rebounds to the Pacers’ 82-71 victory over New York at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “But I love it here, love this group of guys, this environment, love the core group that we have. This group only has room to get better.”

West has established himself as the Pacers' veteran leader and integral starting power forward. The Pacers have $49 million committed in player salaries for next season.

“This group, the mix of young guys that we have," West said, "and obviously the character of these guys, what these guys are, it fits me, so …"

 Lance Stephenson credited Brian Shaw for improving his jump shot.

Stephenson shot 33 percent from behind the arc this season after going a combined 4-for-35 in his first two years in the league.

“He’s motivated me,” Stephenson said after practice earlier this week. “My first two years, I couldn’t hit [any] threes. [But] by playing with him in a little 3-point game and getting with him and giving me the confidence to knock down big shots, he helped me a lot with the confidence in my jump shot.”

Stephenson’s scoring average jumped from 2.5 in 2011-12 to 8.8 this season.

Roy Hibbert believes he’s the best defensive center in the NBA.

“Yes,” Hibbert said, when posed the question of whether he ranks atop the league’s big men in that category.

Hibbert sits second among qualified centers in block percentage, which doesn’t reveal the number of shots a properly positioned defender alters altogether.

“He's the best in the league at earning no-calls at the rim,” Frank Vogel said earlier in the Pacers’ series against the New York Knicks. “That's where he's grown the most over the last four years. We know the way to beat the Knicks is to make plays without fouling them. You have to make plays on the ball without fouling. That's the goal.”

Hibbert honed that skill in summer workouts with Vogel after his first couple of seasons in the NBA.

“Those types of concepts were things I worked with Roy on,” Vogel said. “Put the back of your hands on the front of the rim. Don't go outside the paint to give help. If you're in the charge circle and not on the ground, you can earn a no-call.”

Donnie Walsh has an uncertain future as the Indiana Pacers' president, and he believes Larry Bird might come out of retirement to take his spot in the organization's front office.

Even so, Walsh would return to the Pacers next season if Bird does not and owner Herb Simon wants him back.

“I like this but I don’t need to do it,’’ Walsh said.

Walsh said he recently asked Bird if he wants to come back and he’d be willing to step aside, but he still hasn’t heard an answer from Bird.

Walsh said he will definitely run the draft in June.