<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Wednesday, July 2 Brad Miller also listening to offers, agent says -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS -- Donnie Walsh wants to keep the Indiana Pacers together. He plans to re-sign All-Stars Jermaine O'Neal and Brad Miller along with former All-Star Reggie Miller -- the heart of the team. Then the Pacers president hopes to find a couple of players to plug gaps. Sounds simple. Implementing it may not be as easy. Walsh confirmed Wednesday that O'Neal already has scheduled visits to San Antonio and Dallas. Brad Miller's agent said his client was considering other teams. To Walsh, it's not time to panic. It's just part of the process. "I don't make too much of that," he said of O'Neal's schedule. "Players only go through unrestricted free agency a few times in their career so it makes sense to see what's out there." Walsh has already started making his pitches even though players cannot sign with another team until July 16. He said he contacted both players' agents Tuesday night after returning from a weeklong absence because of his granddaughter's death. Walsh said he wants to meet with the players personally -- especially O'Neal, who has blossomed into an All-Star the last two seasons. At 25, O'Neal appears to be the cornerstone of the Pacers' future. His scoring average the last two seasons was 19.0 and 20.8, and he played on the U.S. national team. He has become the Pacers' primary inside threat, and his presence helped Brad Miller develop into a first-time All-Star last season. Together, the one-two punch of O'Neal and Brad Miller made the Pacers one of the Eastern Conference's top teams during the first half of last season. Although Indiana faded in the season's second half, Walsh doesn't want to take any chances on rebuilding without his best inside players. In making his case for O'Neal and Miller to stay, Walsh plans to stress that the Pacers could pay more to keep them under the NBA's salary cap rules. He also expects to emphasize the basketball tradition in Indiana and the fact the Pacers have proven they can win. "Other people will try to sell the beach or the sunshine or that it's a great place to live,'' Walsh said. "But we think we have the whole package here.'' Brad Miller, who grew up in northeast Indiana and played at Purdue, likes playing in his home state but still intends to evaluate his options. "We know the Pacers and what they have,'' agent Mark Bartlestein said. "We feel good about what our options are. We have a great feeling toward the Pacers. Brad really likes it there.'' The Pacers have another option now in second-round draft pick James Jones. Jones played small forward at Miami, but with a glut of forwards already on the roster, the Pacers hope Jones can make the switch to shooting guard. To make it in the NBA, Jones acknowledges he must improve his ball-handling skills and get stronger. But if the Pacers lose any key free agents, Jones could find himself staying at small forward. "Any transition is difficult, but I'll work at it,'' he said. "If they're confident in me, I'm sure I'll make whatever move they want me to make." Pacers guard Tim Hardaway also is a free agent, and his agent, Henry Thomas, said his client would love to play another year for the Pacers. Walsh did not say whether Hardaway fit into his plan. But Walsh would like a veteran guard who can help stabilize a young team. Walsh has said he would like a penetrator and a shooter, perhaps someone like Hardaway or Gary Payton. "Certainly, he's a guy you'd have to look at because he's a great player," Walsh said of Payton. "He's a guy we'll follow through the process.'' A phone message left Wednesday at the office of Arn Tellem, the agent for O'Neal and Reggie Miller, was not returned. But Walsh remains confident all three free agents will return to the Pacers next season. "We'll try to get agreements through the free agency period but there will be other teams involved, so you never know how it's going to go,'' Walsh said. "But I feel good about our chances."</div> Article from espn.com
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "allnet":</div><div class="quote_post"></div> haha. i love that pic
