Donnie Walsh

Larry Bird is calling it quits with the Indiana Pacers. Bird, perhaps the most respected and beloved basketball figure in a state obsessed with the sport, will leave his job as the Pacers' president of basketball operations at the end of August. He spent four years building the team into an Eastern Conference contender and was last season's NBA executive of the year, but is instead moving on after saying a month ago that he was willing to stay. Bird said health issues were among the reasons for his departure.

Larry Bird is calling it quits with the Indiana Pacers. Bird, perhaps the most respected and beloved basketball figure in a state obsessed with the sport, will leave his job as the Pacers' president of basketball operations at the end of August. He spent four years building the team into an Eastern Conference contender and was last season's NBA executive of the year, but is instead moving on after saying a month ago that he was willing to stay. Bird said health issues were among the reasons for his departure.

Florence Griffith Joyner, who caused a sensation with her fashion creations in track and field, will design new uniforms for the Indiana Pacers. Flo-Jo dazzled the sporting world with the one-legged body suits and brilliantly colored outfits she wore during the U.S. Olympic trials at Indianapolis. She set world records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 1988 and won gold medals at Seoul in those events and the 400 relay. "We made an agreement that what looks good on Florence won't necessarily look good on Greg Dreiling and LaSalle Thompson," said Donnie Walsh, the Pacer's president at a press conference in Indianapolis.

David Morway resigned Tuesday as general manager of the Indiana Pacers amid reports that Larry Bird is on the way out, too. Morway was hired by the Pacers in 1999 and had been GM since 2008. The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday that Bird is expected to leave the Pacers, citing an unidentified person with direct knowledge of the situation. The Pacers and owner Herb Simon declined to comment. The 55-year-old Bird was the Pacers coach from 1997-2000, taking the team to its only NBA Finals appearance that last year, before returning to the front office in 2003.

The New York Knicks will turn their basketball operations over to Donnie Walsh today. The Knicks will announce the hiring of Walsh as their new president at a news conference, a person with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press. Walsh, the longtime Indiana Pacers executive, will replace Isiah Thomas as president. Thomas is also the Knicks' coach. Thomas' future remains unclear.

Mike D'Antoni's run with the Phoenix Suns ended with the perception that he wasn't getting along with his boss. So he wouldn't stand for people thinking his tenure with the New York Knicks started the same way. D'Antoni reacted quickly this week after learning of speculation in some New York papers that he and team president Donnie Walsh weren't seeing eye to eye over the benching of point guard Stephon Marbury. "There will never be a rift between Donnie and I. ... That's not going to happen," D'Antoni said.

David Morway resigned Tuesday as general manager of the Indiana Pacers amid reports that Larry Bird is on the way out, too. Morway was hired by the Pacers in 1999 and had been GM since 2008. The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday that Bird is expected to leave the Pacers, citing an unidentified person with direct knowledge of the situation. The Pacers and owner Herb Simon declined to comment. The 55-year-old Bird was the Pacers coach from 1997-2000, taking the team to its only NBA Finals appearance that last year, before returning to the front office in 2003.

Between all the mortifying scandals and lawsuits and dead weight on the Knicks' roster, it was hard to remember what credibility looked like and sounded like around the organization until new team president Donnie Walsh started talking. Just a few minutes earlier, his beleaguered coach, Isiah Thomas, vacated the same room after his own pregame talk. Thomas had just drifted off on another of those "someday" rambles of his where he narrows his eyes and starts describing a time and a place for the franchise that's far, far away from here where milk and honey will flow again, and a championship banner will be raised, and Isiah will still be here to tell us all he told us so. So laugh and mock me now, while you can, he said.

The bald, goateed, man who sits behind Larry Bird during Pacer games is Joe Qatato. "Quirky," the Pacers call him, because Bird does, and has for more than two decades. Qatato met Bird in 1979. He was a student at Emerson College in Boston and a public relations intern with the Boston Celtics. Bird had just left Indiana State and in many circles was a basketball legend already.

The New Orleans Hornets traded for forward Trevor Ariza on Wednesday, part of a four-team deal that involved the New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers. In exchange for Ariza, who signed a five-year, $34-million contract with Houston last year, the Hornets shipped second-year point guard Darren Collison and forward James Posey to the Pacers. Troy Murphy left the Pacers for the Nets, who sent guard Courtney Lee to Houston. Ariza was a starting forward for the Lakers in 2009 when they won the NBA championship.

Donnie Walsh will not return as president of the New York Knicks, who must find someone else to continue the building job he started. The Knicks announced in a statement Friday that Walsh and Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan mutually agreed that Walsh will not return when his contract expires at the end of June. Walsh's departure is a major loss for the Knicks and opens questions about whether Coach Mike D'Antoni will return for the final year of his contract.

The New Orleans Hornets traded for forward Trevor Ariza on Wednesday, part of a four-team deal that involved the New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers. In exchange for Ariza, who signed a five-year, $34-million contract with Houston last year, the Hornets shipped second-year point guard Darren Collison and forward James Posey to the Pacers. Troy Murphy left the Pacers for the Nets, who sent guard Courtney Lee to Houston. Ariza was a starting forward for the Lakers in 2009 when they won the NBA championship.

Mike D'Antoni's run with the Phoenix Suns ended with the perception that he wasn't getting along with his boss. So he wouldn't stand for people thinking his tenure with the New York Knicks started the same way. D'Antoni reacted quickly this week after learning of speculation in some New York papers that he and team president Donnie Walsh weren't seeing eye to eye over the benching of point guard Stephon Marbury. "There will never be a rift between Donnie and I. ... That's not going to happen," D'Antoni said.

Between all the mortifying scandals and lawsuits and dead weight on the Knicks' roster, it was hard to remember what credibility looked like and sounded like around the organization until new team president Donnie Walsh started talking. Just a few minutes earlier, his beleaguered coach, Isiah Thomas, vacated the same room after his own pregame talk. Thomas had just drifted off on another of those "someday" rambles of his where he narrows his eyes and starts describing a time and a place for the franchise that's far, far away from here where milk and honey will flow again, and a championship banner will be raised, and Isiah will still be here to tell us all he told us so. So laugh and mock me now, while you can, he said.

The New York Knicks will turn their basketball operations over to Donnie Walsh today. The Knicks will announce the hiring of Walsh as their new president at a news conference, a person with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press. Walsh, the longtime Indiana Pacers executive, will replace Isiah Thomas as president. Thomas is also the Knicks' coach. Thomas' future remains unclear.

The bald, goateed, man who sits behind Larry Bird during Pacer games is Joe Qatato. "Quirky," the Pacers call him, because Bird does, and has for more than two decades. Qatato met Bird in 1979. He was a student at Emerson College in Boston and a public relations intern with the Boston Celtics. Bird had just left Indiana State and in many circles was a basketball legend already.

Donnie Walsh will not return as president of the New York Knicks, who must find someone else to continue the building job he started. The Knicks announced in a statement Friday that Walsh and Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan mutually agreed that Walsh will not return when his contract expires at the end of June. Walsh's departure is a major loss for the Knicks and opens questions about whether Coach Mike D'Antoni will return for the final year of his contract.

Roughly once a month, the NBA cuts 31 checks to NBA teams as revenue from its multibillion-dollar national television contract. There are only 30 NBA franchises, so who gets the extra check? The money goes to brothers Ozzie and Dan Silna, co-owners of the long-forgotten ABA team, the Spirits of St. Louis. Thirty years ago, Ozzie Silna, with attorney Donald Schupak, negotiated a deal that cleared the way for the ABA to merge with the NBA.

Florence Griffith Joyner, who caused a sensation with her fashion creations in track and field, will design new uniforms for the Indiana Pacers. Flo-Jo dazzled the sporting world with the one-legged body suits and brilliantly colored outfits she wore during the U.S. Olympic trials at Indianapolis. She set world records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 1988 and won gold medals at Seoul in those events and the 400 relay. "We made an agreement that what looks good on Florence won't necessarily look good on Greg Dreiling and LaSalle Thompson," said Donnie Walsh, the Pacer's president at a press conference in Indianapolis.