Things seemed bleak in Bloomington, but I think they found the right fit in Tom Crean. He's already saying all the right things to unite a fan base that hasn't been united since 2000.

Apparently he was a no-show today. Not sure exactly how it works, but apparently you just have to show up on Monday? Come on, son, get it together. Kind of ridiculous to miss a hearing, if you ask me. Maybe this is his way of saying he doesn't want to play hear any longer. For a second year player, he's starting to have too many non-basketball yardbarker articles written about him.

It's about 2 years past just blowing the team up and starting over. We'll see the direction we're headed.

A little advice on jersey etiquette when looking for that new jersey.

79 yards? Bob Sanders the best defensive back in the league? James Hardy the best WR in the nation?

It was MARCUS Williams they meant to draft in '06. It took a year and a 3 game suspension but remember, Bird got his guy. Again, LB has to put his foot down in this situation, no matter how petty the issue ends up.

If we would have drafted Marcus Williams, at least he got his crimes out of his way in college. We could use someone like that (with a past that stays in the past). Oh yeah, he's a pretty good PG too.

Keep Ballin', Shawne, you're still my favorite player. Problem is, that's like going to a bar full of ugly girls and having to find one to take home for the night.

The Pacers have probably now actually passed Cincinnati for more arrests per capita. Think about, the NBA only has a 15 man roster and how many guys in the last year and a half have been in trouble?

-Jacko

-Jamal

-Marquis

-Shawne

At this point it's not even really a breaking story. I don't know if there's truly enough people around town that care. I'm still a huge Pacers fan and will go to a lot of games this year, but we've turned into a friendlier version of the Portland Trailblazers.

This is actually my favorite player on the team, so it saddens me a little to see this go down. This automatically could put him on the trade block, because i'm thinking there may be a zero tolerance with Bird. Too bad, and i hope i am wrong.

So Kobe and Jermaine want to lace them up together? Who are these guys fooling? They won't be at the elite level. They could etch up to the top 4 in the West, but definitely not elite. It's good to hear that JO thinks Bird wants too much for him. That's how it should be. I definitely respect JO and appreciate what he's done for the city, but I disagree that he's in his prime. If he were in his prime, we could get a lot more than draft picks for him.

I don't want to see JO traded for 35 cents to the dollar. We might as well just roll with him. The only young guy they have that intrigues me is Crittenden. I definitely wouldn't mind having him run the point for the next 8-10 years. What do you Pacer fans think? Will he be traded? Are you willing to take Bynum, Crittenden, and Odom for him? I don't know what to think anymore.

Well the ban on text messaging high school prospects went into effect today. How long it lasts, no one knows, as the NCAA will meet about it again on the 9th. I don't like this ruling as it brings the middle man right back into recruiting. This was an easy way for both the recruit and coach to communicate. How many athletes that know they are being recruited don't have a text message plan? It's not like high school athletes hate being recruited..it's great to have coaches pitching their school to you.

If a coach ends up texting dumb stuff over and over like a drunk girl at a bar, then maybe that's not the right school for you. I just think it helped build a relationship that otherwise would have too many people involved to build. We'll see how long it lasts. Any thoughts on the ban?

In the East, this deal definitely puts Boston in the upper echelon of teams. Garnett should make it through the entire season healthy, and with help around, I think Pierce will stay healthy as well. Allen, I'm a little questionable on but that's a heck of a trio.

How does this relate to the Pacers? They simply got leap-frogged by yet another team. I'm coming to terms with our roster and am excited for the season to start, I just can't think that we're any better than 10th or 11th in the East on paper.

In no particular order, here's who is above us:

-Cleveland

-Chicago

-Boston

-New Jersey

-Detroit

-Toronto

-Miami

-Washington

-Orlando

-New York

So basically we're chillin' with Philly, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Milwaukee only we have basically no young players that really make you excited. Granger just doesn't do it for me, and Shawne Williams will probably play 8-10 minutes a game (for whatever reason, i don't know?) In the entire East, I would probably trade any fan spots, except New Jersey's and Philly's.

Everyone on talk radio and nationwide has been ripping Notre Dame for their scheduling. I would say this is a great couple of games to schedule with a home and home with Oklahoma. How can anyone knock that? People were freaking out last week that the Irish wouldn't play Alabama or Michigan, but come on...they still will end up with one of the tougher schedules in the country.

I'm not even a Notre Dame guy, but this shows they will continue to step up their schedule. Maybe Rhett Bomar can regain eligibility to play in this one, or the 9th Claussen kid could be suiting them up by then. I'm really just anxious for the 2020 schedule to come out. Let me know if you see that one!

This would not be a bad pickup for the Hoosiers to go along with Devin Ebanks, Bud Mackey, and hopefully Luke Zeller. A shooter who can spread the floor is key on any level. It appears Sampson is finding guys that fit his mold and that can come together with different roles.

Kyle Kuric must have played REALLY well at the Duke camp to have their interest. I'd like to know at what extent their interest is. He is a very good basketball player, but I am interested to know how well he must have performed at their camp. This is kind of out of nowhere.

Compared to years past, the names don't really stick out, but you know it will be a solid year just like every year. It's like the Rip Van WInkles only not sleeper players just players that put you to sleep. Hibbert is a pretty good center, but is hard to really cheer for. Hansbrough is tiresome to me. That pshycho T or whatever gets old. Lofton can score like no other, but isn't that cool. Neitzel is okay but he plays for Michigan State. Brandon Rush is solid, but again just a boring player to watch. That being said, I would have love to have him at IU, but we went after Cem Dinc. The more I look through the top preseason names, the more boring I feel they are. Who will be the final AP all american team? Final four teams? Oh yeah, college football is first.

Teixeira to the Braves would be a good get for them. I still don't think they would out last the Mets, but it could set up nicely for a wild card run. The Rangers would gain the longest last name in baseball in an attempt to bring something to the table in Arlington. Their marketing department is ecstatic as the 2'8" lead-off hitter is no longer available. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a solid young prospect but is a nightmare for clubbies and uniform makers, although Starbucks could possibly name a drink after him.

Pacers made a HUGE splash today with the signing of Travis Diener. The 5'2 point guard is expected to carry Indiana to the Eastern Conference finals next spring. Bird's quest for a white superstar has apparently ended with this huge signing. We're talking Mark Price Jr. here. Is this really the free agent the Pacers sign? Like I said yesterday, just save your money and roll with what you have. The Pacers keep adding players, yet somehow their roster continues to get worse. I'm not really understanding the mindset up top right now. Nothing against Diener, but he had to be about 18th in priority for most teams as a BACKUP PG. With another roster spot available, maybe they can land Drake Diener as well. They say he's a minimum wage guys version of Mike Dunleavy.

The six year Jamaal Tinsley experience has run its course, but like most players in the past few years, the Pacers have held on to him for too long. Our big splash this offseason could be Jannero Pargo? Why even do this? He won't be good for us, I can tell you that now. He's a 9 and 2 guy and the Pacers will just platoon he and Tinsley. Just let it ride with this garbage roster and get in the lottery for a couple of years. Not to mention you've got, what, 8 guys in the European farm system? Ridiculous.