| | Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- Already off the court as coach, Larry Bird
said Thursday he had turned down a front-office job with the
Indiana Pacers and would not take any other job in the NBA for at
least a year.
"With Larry, once he tells you something, that's it," Pacers
president Donnie Walsh said.
|  | | Larry Bird might not be the only one leaving the Pacers. |
Bird, who coached the Pacers for three years and took the team
to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, never
wavered from his intention to step down at the end of the season.
He was offered a job as Pacers director of basketball operations
but said all along he was leaning toward a complete break from
basketball.
"I want to take some time off to rest, spend time with my wife
and kids, then decide what to do," Bird said in a prepared
statement. "The last three years have been a great experience.
While our goal was to win a championship, I'm still very proud of
what the players accomplished."
Bird, who was given an option of becoming team president after
Walsh retired, said in February he was "90 percent" certain he
would retire altogether.
He later backed off that, but after the loss to the Los Angeles
Lakers in the finals this week he said he was leaning toward
returning to his home in Naples, Fla., where he and his wife
already have enrolled their children in school for the fall.
Bird met with Walsh on Wednesday, a day before his decision was
announced at a news conference at Conseco Fieldhouse. Bird did not
attend.
"The way he put it to me, he really didn't know what his plans
were going to be after that, but right now he just wants to take
time off and think about it," Walsh said. "He thought it was a
great experience, but he's not ready to commit to go forward in the
future. I'm really sorry to hear that, because I would have loved
to have him here."
Bird compiled a 147-67 regular-season record, the best
three-year record in team history. The Pacers also won two Central
Division championships, one Eastern Conference title and lost to
the Lakers in six games in their first trip to the finals.
The three coaching candidates Walsh has talked to are Pacers
assistant Rick Carlisle; Sacramento assistant Byron Scott, a former
Pacers player; and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who played at
Indiana University.
"There are no frontrunners. There's no nothing," Walsh said.
"Basically, I've said the same thing throughout."
Besides finding a new coach, Walsh also must deal with six free
agents, including starters Reggie Miller, Mark Jackson, Jalen Rose
and Rik Smits, whose contracts expire July 1. Austin Croshere and
Sam Perkins, two of the top reserves, also will become free agents.
"Everybody has pluses and negatives," Rose said. "The fact
is, we want somebody that's going to come in and help us win, and
somebody that's going to bring an exciting style of play that the
fans can come and enjoy.
"We want to win the championship, and we want to win a lot of
games. So whoever's going to get that goal accomplished is who I
would choose."
Rose, who was named the NBA's most improved player this season,
said he wants to return to the Pacers.
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