Bird back in NBA as Pacers president

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Another Day, Another Dollar
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Larry Bird returned to the NBA and the Indiana Pacers on Friday, taking a front-office job with the team he coached to the league finals three years ago.

The Hall of Famer will be president of basketball operations, taking over day-to-day decision-making from Donnie Walsh, who led the franchise since 1986 and will stay on as its chief executive.

As a player, Bird won three NBA titles in the 1980s with the Boston Celtics.

He's been out of basketball since 2000, when he walked away from the Pacers at the end of a three-year coaching contract. His last Pacers team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in that season's NBA Finals.

Back then, the Pacers offered Bird a top front-office job, with the option of becoming team president after Walsh retired.

But Bird decided to take a break because of an irregular heartbeat, a condition it took a year to get under control with medicine. Now, with an increased energy level, Bird was ready to return.

``I was sort of worn down and didn't want a part of it, but I feel rejuvenated and ready to get to work,'' Bird said Friday.

Walsh now will oversee the Pacers' business operations and players' contracts, while Bird will be responsible for picking players and coaches and for scouting.

Walsh plans to stay with the Pacers four more years and expects that Bird will be his successor.

Bird went 147-67 in the regular season with the Pacers, the best three-year record in team history. The Pacers also won two Central Division championships, one Eastern Conference title and made their first trip to the NBA Finals.

He returns to a team that bears little resemblance to the veteran-laden roster that reached the 2000 championship series.

Bird's successor as coach, Isiah Thomas, has made three consecutive first-round exits from the playoffs.

The two were to meet Friday for the first time as boss and coach.

``I was excited when I heard about it,'' Thomas said. ``Any time you have a chance to put a group like this together, you have a chance to do something special.''

More basketball: Dunleavy hired

• Mike Dunleavy returned to the NBA after a two-year absence as the new coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Dunleavy signed a four-year contract to return to Los Angeles, where he coached the Lakers to the 1991 NBA Finals. Dunleavy is 398-390 in 10 seasons coaching in the NBA.

• Deron Williams, a guard at Illinois, hit five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, leading the United States to a 109-84 victory over China at the World Junior Basketball Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/sports/6288100.htm
 

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