<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>ermaine O'Neal was in the same interview room Monday where he sat nearly six months ago when there was a sense he would not be returning to the Indiana Pacers</p> .</p> <div class="bodytext">What was supposed to be an offseason of rehabilitation from knee surgery and possibly playing for a new team, turned into a summer of constant trade rumors and clarifying statements for O'Neal.</div> <div class="bodytext">O'Neal, who can opt out of the final two years of his contract at the end of the upcoming season, said several times over the past year that he and the Pacers should go their separate ways if he couldn't make them an elite team.</div> <div class="bodytext"> "I'm here, I'm happy to be here, I feel good," he said Monday during the team's annual media day. "I like the staff and I like the guys. It should be an exciting year. It's a new year, too. That's the most important part."</p> Trade rumors could resurface if the Pacers get off to a slow start or if Lakers officials feel like they need to make a move to appease Kobe Bryant.</p> </div></p> Indy Star</p> </div>
