Bird battles Pacers' losing ways
INDIANAPOLIS — Larry Bird is losing.
In these parts, that's hard to believe. This is Larry Legend, the guy who took Indiana State to the NCAA finals, who won three titles and three MVP awards with the Boston Celtics as a player, took the Indiana Pacers to the finals as a coach and even helped the WNBA's Indiana Fever reach the finals as team president this past season.
He hasn't been so successful as the Pacers' president.
The team has missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, and fans in Bird's home state — where streets in Terre Haute and French Lick bear his name — are getting antsy. Two seasons ago, attendance was the worst in the league, and that only improved to 28th out of 30 teams last season.
"There's no question about it, people want instant results," Bird told The Associated Press during an interview by phone. "They look at what I've accomplished in my career and they expect things to happen right away."
If the 52-year-old Hall of Famer is feeling pressure, he doesn't show it.
"I love a challenge," he said. "This is one of my greatest challenges. I know it's going to take time, but in the long run, I can see us having a lot of success."
What's unclear is how long Bird's long run will be. He's entering the final year of his contract and there have been no discussions of an extension.
"We have not had any conversations," team owner Herb Simon told The Associated Press. "We will, certainly. I'd like to keep him, but he has his own mind. We have to let him do what he wants to do."
Right now, Bird wants nothing more than to revive the Pacers, a task that has been filled with challenges.
The Pacers' downward spiral can be traced to the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans in 2004, which started when Ron Artest went after a fan who threw a drink on him. Indiana's reputation took more hits as a line of players found trouble with the law.
Bird replaced the talented but troubled players with hardworking overachievers known for good character, qualities he possessed as a player. While critics say he can't succeed by creating a team of players in his image, those who have known him and worked with him believe he'll win again.
"I know his demeanor, and I know his tenacity," former Indiana State coach Bill Hodges said. "If he'll surround himself with people that aren't 'yes' people, with people who will tell him how it is, he'll get the job done."
Mel Daniels, the team's director of player personnel, understands Bird's dilemma because of his own background in Indiana. The two-time American Basketball Association MVP won three championships with the Pacers in the early 1970s and has worked for the franchise since 1988. His jersey is one of five the Pacers have retired.
"He's under the microscope," Daniels said. "He is a legend in Indiana. He came with a lot of pride, but this situation has put more pressure on him because it's up to him, and everybody's looking to him to make this situation right."
Bird's affiliation with the Pacers began when team CEO Donnie Walsh discussed the team's coaching vacancy with him in 1997.
"When he came in for his interview, he told me everything he was going to do from the beginning of training camp all the way through to the finals," said Walsh, now president of the New York Knicks. "When I look back on it, he did everything he said he was going to do."
