HoopsHype.com Rumors

Larry Bird on the possibility of Bird ever leaving the Celtics (and touching on the Peyton Manning situation in Indy): "Red [Auerbach] knew I wasn't going anywhere. ... I would have never left Boston, unless they traded me. I like to see guys come in, especially the elite players, and stay in one place. I think it's very important for the city, because we don't have a lot of great ones come through here, and Peyton Manning is by far the greatest athlete to ever come through [Indianapolis]. If he's healthy, hopefully he stays and finishes out his career. "If you have an elite player come through, especially a small market, you've got to hold on to them players. They're not born every day." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Trade, Larry Bird 

Larry Bird on the NBA becoming less physical due to new rules: "They needed to put a stop to a lot of it. In the '80s, when I played, there were a lot of cheap shots. If you go back and watch the Pistons... Scotty [Pippen] getting pounded... a lot of it happened after the whistle. ... Guys where getting hurt, and it takes a toll on your body. They had to clean it up some, but they've taken it too far, especially with the flagrant fouls and stuff." ESPN.com

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Larry Bird, Referees 

Larry Bird on his -- and the Celtics' -- ongoing feud with the Detroit Pistons' Bill Lambeer, on and off the court: "It's because he was a dirty player. He had to do what he had to do, I understand that, but -- like Ricky Mahorn, he'd hit you and all that... but he didn't try to maim you. Bill tried to hurt you. He was one of them guys who, you'd shoot a jumper and he'd slide his foot under your ankle so you'd twist your ankle. That's why Parish always went down. If you watch any of our old games, Parish was always twisting his ankle against the Pistons." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Larry Bird, Bill Laimbeer 

Mike Wells: Frank Vogel said one of the highlights of attending the Super Bowl was that Madonna performed 1 of his fav songs, "Vogue" Twitter

Indiana Pacers, Frank Vogel 

The beauty of his game, at least from Vogel's standpoint, is that George does not need his number called to be productive. In the New Jersey game, Vogel said he called plays for George two or three times. In Dallas, the number was around four. George is able to get his points from the flow of the offense rather than isolations or pick-and-roll plays. "I think I'm starting to understand a little bit better what shots I'm going to get, where to be on the floor," George said. "I think just another level of maturity is the biggest part for me right now. I've just got to learn now. Teams are understanding that I can score and shoot the ball, so it's having counters for anything they try to take away from me and just growing from that." NBA.com

Indiana Pacers, Paul George 

He remains our little secret for now but that could all change at the end of the month when All-Star Weekend arrives in Orlando -- assuming the NBA has his number. If he had his choice of events, what would George prefer? "I'd rather do the 3-point (contest) because I can relax," he said. "I won't be wasting too much energy. But I do want to be part of the dunk contest and the rookie-sophomore game."He understands why Vogel would want him to rest. But he also recognizes opportunity. "If I've got a chance to be a part of that," he said, "I'm all for it." NBA.com

Indiana Pacers, Paul George 

Injured Indiana Pacers guard George Hill has some work ahead of him before he returns to the lineup, but he took a step in that direction Saturday when he wore a shoe on his left foot instead of a walking boot. Hill has missed the past three games after suffering a small chip fracture in his left ankle against New Jersey on Jan. 31. "It's not as bad as they thought it was," Hill said. "It's only a partial chip instead of it being fully chipped. They say my return is looking pretty good." Neither Hill nor the Pacers would put a timetable on his return, but the former Broad Ripple High School and IUPUI star said his goal is to return before the All-Star break, which starts Feb. 23. "I'm planning on it," Hill said. "I have to continue to do the rehab they've got me doing and things like that." Indianapolis Star

Indiana Pacers, Injuries, George Hill 

But sources said that interested teams -- Cleveland and Indiana were also among those that inquired -- balked at the asking price established by the league officials (Stu Jackson and Joel Litvin) who, along with NBA commissioner David Stern, essentially function as New Orleans' ownership committee until the team is sold. ESPN.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Trade, Chris Kaman 

Andrew Perna: Hearing that George Hill's ankle injury isn't as bad as the #Pacers initially feared. Still to miss time. Twitter

Indiana Pacers, Injuries, George Hill 

If Indiana wants to retain Hibbert, an offer sheet from another team, potentially one that strikes out on Dwight Howard, could drive up his price for the cost- conscious franchise. A source close to the situation told Andrew Perna of RealGM that Hibbert could easily earn a deal with an annual value of between $9 million and $11 million based on how he plays over the remainder of the season. RealGM

Indiana Pacers, Free Agency, Roy Hibbert 

The Hornets are not obligated to take back any salary in a trade for Kaman, according to sources, and a team acquiring him would only have to part with $9.3 million in player salaries according to league rules, not $14 million. A league source said Wednesday night that the Indiana Pacers, one of several other teams reportedly in the mix for Kaman, could, in fact, be the leading candidate for a swap. The Pacers apparently are looking for a backup to Roy Hibbert. New Orleans Times-Picayune

Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Trade, Chris Kaman 

Danny Granger: In response to @Kevin Love's "pacer toughness" comments... We don't act tough, we just play hard. If we have to be tough then we will be... Twitter

Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Danny Granger, Kevin Love 

Roy Hibbert: Great win tonight. Lesson to the league don't get @dgranger33 mad. Y'all been warned!! Twitter

Indiana Pacers, Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert 

Pacers guard George Hill suffered a chip fracture in his ankle Tuesday night against the New Jersey Nets, the team announced following the game. He is listed as out indefinitely. The injury occurred in the third quarter Tuesday night when George shot a pull-up jumper from inside the key and Nets center Johan Petro undercut him coming down. CBSSports.com

Indiana Pacers, Injuries, George Hill 

When asked if he can see himself finishing his career with the Pacers, West doesn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I think so,” West said. “This was the best opportunity for me. It gave me the chance to have a good time playing this game again and not have to deal with some of the outside issues that we were dealing with in New Orleans.” HoopsWorld

Indiana Pacers, David West 

The Indiana Pacers are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and they have an excellent résumé at the quarter mark of the season. Indiana has impressive road wins against the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics among others, and they have yet to lose two games in a row. After five straight losing seasons, the Pacers have assembled a very talented team that is capable of making a deep playoff run if all goes as planned. Who deserves the most credit for Indiana’s success? If you ask the players, they’ll say David West. “David is the reason why we’re so high in the standings right now,” Darren Collison told HOOPSWORLD. “He means a lot to this team. He’s been good for us on the offensive end, defensive end and off the court. He has been really positive for our team in all aspects.” HoopsWorld

Indiana Pacers, David West 

Vogel's first significant challenge came when the Pacers lost six straight games and dealt with locker room turmoil after a game in Houston in early March. "The biggest thing with Frank that I like is that he doesn't think he knows it all," Pacers President Larry Bird said. "Not that I know it all, either, but he'll ask questions." The Pacers overcame their chemistry problems and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. They were competitive in four of their five games against the top-seeded Chicago Bulls. "He believes in you," Hibbert said about Vogel. "I'd run through a brick wall for that man. He has a lot of confidence in us, and we're able to bring that to the court (as) opposed to how we did it before." Vogel also has upgraded the coaching staffing, hiring Brian Shaw and Jim Boylen while retaining longtime assistant Dan Burke. The Pacers (13-6) have built on their playoff appearance from last season. "Frank has helped us change the culture," Bird said. "He's brought a fresh attitude in and he went out and got a hell of a staff. They work very well together." Indianapolis Star

Indiana Pacers, Coaching, Frank Vogel 

The Chicago Bulls' and Indiana Pacers' budding rivalry added another layer last week when Derrick Rose promised he wouldn't forget the way the Pacers celebrated after winning in Chicago. Pacers coach Frank Vogel volleyed back on Monday with a jab of his own. "I don't know if we really celebrated any more than a lot of teams celebrated when they get a road win," Vogel said on "The Scott Van Pelt Show" on ESPN Radio. "I know they've got a couple guys on their team who celebrate on every play. I just think it's the thrill of victory. "If they want to add some spice to the rivalry we welcome that. Rivalries are fun. Winning is fun. It's all good." ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Derrick Rose, Frank Vogel 

A lack of available hotel rooms in the Indianapolis area has forced the Magic to fly to Cincinnati after their home game against Cleveland on Friday. The Magic will do some kind of walk-through at their hotel Saturday, then fly to Indianapolis for the game that night against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "I don't even need to comment on it," Van Gundy said before Sunday's game between the teams in Orlando. "You guys can comment on it and save me my money." But in typical Van Gundy fashion, he couldn't stop talking. "When you come out with the schedule in December and have a game in the Super Bowl city, lodging might be a problem," he said. Indianapolis Star

Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy 

The pre-lockout NBA schedule had the Los Angeles Clippers playing at the fieldhouse on Saturday. A condensed schedule was released in early December after the lockout ended. NBA spokesman Tim Frank said teams are normally responsible for their own hotel arrangements, but the league tried to help the Magic when they asked for assistance. "We tried every possible avenue to find them rooms but were not able to do so," Frank said in an email Sunday night. The Magic originally planned to have a walk-through in Orlando before flying to Indianapolis on Saturday morning, but the league told them they couldn't do that. "I guess we'll try to walk through in the hotel," Van Gundy said. "It'll be a different situation than what we're normally used to. Normally if people are going to play us, they don't fly into Tampa. That's the way it goes." Indianapolis Star

Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy