Tag: Indiana

T.J. Ford weighing move to European league if NBA lockout hits

Former Texas standout and current Indiana point guard T.J. Ford said he’s giving careful consideration to playing in Europe if there is an NBA lockout next season.

The Indianapolis Star reports that Ford is if he can’t play in the NBA.

“It’s something I definitely thought about and I wouldn’t rule it out, but I’m at a point in my career where I still want to play in the NBA,” said Ford, one of five unrestricted free agents on the Pacers’ roster. “It would take a lot for me to go over there and play. I’m hoping nobody has to cross that bridge and things get resolved because the interest in the NBA is at a great level.”

The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement expires June 30, and most observers believe there’s a strong possibility the league is headed for its first lockout in 13 years after that date.

Ford averaged a career-low 5.4 points per game  in 41 games for the Pacers this season. But he could still find some work in Europe if he’s willing to leave the United States.

And he probably won’t be the only American player to play in Europe if they are locked out of the NBA.

Report indicates Pacers contacted Lindsey about job

Despite already having a president and general manager in place, reports indicate that the Indiana  Pacers have contacted the Spurs about assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey joining the team in what Yahoo Sports described as “a prominent” front-office job.

Yahoo reported that Jim Morris, who runs the Pacers’ business operations, , sources said. The call was received with trepidation, the sources said, as Lindsey and the Spurs made clear there be no conversations as long as Pacers president Larry Bird and Pacers general manager David Morway still occupied their current jobs.

Bird will meet with Indiana owner Herb Simon in the next several days to discuss his future with the franchise. Bird’s contract expires in July, and league sources believe Simon wants Bird to take a pay cut to continue in his current job. 

Yahoo reports the most likely scenario is that the Pacers would like to replace Morway and Lindsey would be their top choice.  

Lindsey is a respected NBA executive who has been mentioned for other jobs in the past. Yahoo reported he turned down an offer of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ job in 2009 and pulled out of the Phoenix Suns’ job search last year. Before  joining the Spurs in 2007, he spent 11 years with the Houston Rockets.

The Pacers have a good nucleus of young talent that pushed Chicago before losing in five games in their first-round series. It will be interesting if Lindsey has any interest in this job compared with the others he has been involved in, or if he would prefer remaining with the Spurs.