NAPLES, Fla. -- On March 12, 1985, Larry Bird set a Boston Celtics record by scoring 60 points.

These days he might celebrate the record by fishing, playing a little golf or spending time with his family.

On Monday, the NBA Hall of Famer, 45, opted for the golf, playing in the eighth annual Larry Bird Masters Golf Tournament at The Colony Golf & Country Club in Bonita Springs, Fla.

	Bird

The event is a fund-raiser for Hospice of Naples.

In his second season removed from the NBA as a coach, Bird does not miss it, especially the traveling.

"You wake up, you go to the next city or you go to practice or it's always run by times," said the Naples homeowner, who was just back from a chilly and unsuccessful fishing trip to Mexico. "Once all of that stops, it's 'What am I going to do today?' It's an adjustment, but it's a good adjustment because I'm at the age where I don't want to move as fast as I used to and I have more quality time with my family. It's been great, but it's time to slow down a little bit."

That's all well and good, but Bird hinted that his retirement may be short-lived. He's been approached about a couple of management opportunities in the NBA, but not in parts of the country where he's interested in being. And not necessarily in what he wants to do.

"I don't want to run a franchise," he said. "I don't want to negotiate the contracts, but I'd like to be able to put a team together. That's what I'm sort of waiting on.

"Right now, I'm very content in staying right here."

Bird, the 1998 NBA Coach of the Year, coached the Indiana Pacers for three years, leading them to the NBA Finals in 1999-2000 when they lost to the Lakers. Now one of his assistants may be following him as a Coach of the Year.

	“	I watch more college than I do pro anymore because a lot of these guys I played against, their sons are playing now. You see them out there and you see some resemblance to how their father played. I prefer to watch as much college as I can, but not a whole lot. ”
		— Larry Bird

Rick Carlisle, who designed many of the offenses at Indiana, has led Detroit to a 35-26 record, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, through Sunday. The Celtics, the only team Bird played for in a 13-year career, also are playing well, and not coincidentally, have another of his former assistants on the coaching staff. Dick Harter, a defensive specialist, has helped Boston turn around its fortunes. The Celtics have the fourth-best record in the East and are in second place behind New Jersey in the Atlantic Division.

"Now you know why I won all of those games," Bird said. "Carlisle and Harter."

The 6-foot-9 Bird, who plays to a 5 handicap in golf, has followed the Pacers and the fates of his former assistants a little, but not much. He's checked out Michael Jordan's comeback a couple of times, but that's it. All of those days of watching film don't make him want to sit down and watch a game on TV, at least a pro game.

"I watch more college than I do pro anymore because a lot of these guys I played against, their sons are playing now," said Bird. "You see them out there and you see some resemblance to how their father played. I prefer to watch as much college as I can, but not a whole lot."

Bird hasn't checked out the NCAA tournament bracket too closely, although he did see where Texas Tech, which Bob Knight now coaches, was. He thinks Kansas, Duke and Maryland have what it takes to get to the Final Four.

Bird's interest in watching college basketball did not include a viewing of ESPN's "A Season On The Brink," the movie on Sunday night about the book on Indiana University head coach Bobby Knight. "I have a little bit more better things to do than to watch Bobby Knight rant and rave," Bird said.