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> Bird just may be getting ready to fly:
> Brown expected to quit Pacers tomorrow
>
> By Michael Holley and Peter May, Globe
> Staff, 04/29/97
>
> [Image] A week ago he
> The thought of Larry Bird left town,
> calling the shots for a promising to say
> team other than the nothing until he
> Celtics is no long shot. returned from
> (AP File Photo) "the beach."
> Yesterday, M.L.
> Carr was back in his Merrimac Street
> office. And although the Celtics' coach and
> director of basketball operations spent
> more time assisting his ailing mother than
> he did lounging in the North Carolina sand,
> he was true to his word:
>
> There were no announcements of job changes
> while he was away; there have been no
> announcements since his return to New
> England late Saturday night.
>
> There does, however, appear to be
> significant progress with the Larry
> Brown-to-Boston and Larry Bird-to-Indiana
> stories. Sources believe Bird and Pacers
> president Donnie Walsh had more than salmon
> and chardonnay on their minds when they met
> for dinner three nights ago in
> Indianapolis. Some scenarios have Bird
> taking over as Indiana coach as early as
> this week and eventually moving into a
> front office role similar to the one former
> teammate Kevin McHale now has with the
> Timberwolves.
>
> Although losing Bird would be a tremendous
> public relations blow to the Celtics, it is
> known that Celtic management still bristles
> over Bird's comments to the Globe on March
> 23 and 24. Bird, a special assistant, made
> it clear that he had become bored with
> watching daily basketball operations from
> afar. The Pacers already have the Celtics'
> permission to court Bird. There is not
> expected to be any resistance from the team
> if Bird's talks with the Pacers intensify.
>
> The constant irony in this is that the
> Celtics gave Bird permission to recruit
> Brown, the current Indiana coach. The
> 56-year-old Brown was supposed to fly from
> Los Angeles to Indianapolis last night. All
> indications are that he will resign from
> the Pacers tomorrow.
>
> Carr did not want to comment on his status,
> Brown's, or Bird's.
>
> ``Until there are definitive decisions
> made, it would be ludicrous for me to
> comment on what's going to happen,'' Carr
> said.
>
> He was asked to at least acknowledge that
> Brown is a candidate for the Celtics'
> sideline job, a job that Carr is expected
> to vacate.
>
> ``Who's expecting that?'' Carr said with a
> laugh.
>
> He said that his mother, who has been
> diagnosed with congestive heart failure,
> asked him if the persistent talk about his
> jobs was bothering him. The two of them
> watched together as news reports indicated
> that Carr no longer would be involved in
> Boston's basketball operations.
>
> ``I told her I was fine,'' Carr said. ``She
> told me that she always knew I was one kid
> she didn't have to worry about.''
>
> Still, it would seem that the kid, now a
> man in his mid 40s, is ready to step away
> from coaching. Why else would Rick Pitino,
> Brown, and others be contacted by the
> Celtics?
>
> ``Sometimes you go to the store and don't
> buy anything,'' said Carr, who added that
> this would be a ``long week'' for him.
> ``Just because you shop doesn't mean you
> have to buy.''
>
> Perhaps. But it is undeniable that the
> Pacers and Celtics are strikingly similar.
> Not only are they in a position to exchange
> administrative personnel, they also have a
> common name on their backup coaching list:
> Paul Westphal.
>
> The former Celtic already has been
> contacted by Walsh. As of last night, he
> had not heard from Boston. But the team
> likes the coach who guided the Suns to the
> 1993 NBA Finals. The Celtics also have
> spoken with Bob Hill, a former Pacers
> coach. Another available coach, former
> Magic boss Brian Hill, said the Celtics
> have not approached him but added, ``I'd
> like to hear from them.''
>
> Paul Gaston, the Celtics' chairman of the
> board, declined comment when reached at his
> New York office. It is believed Gaston and
> Bird spoke Friday night - the gist of that
> meeting is not clear - and that Gaston
> spoke with Brown yesterday.
>
> On Saturday, Brown said he was concerned
> that (a) he was needlessly delaying the
> Pacers from taking care of offseason
> business and (b) his name coming up for
> several job openings (the Sixers are
> officially interested, while the Warriors
> and Clippers also may be) would make it
> seem as if he was being unfair to some
> team.
>
> He won't have to worry about either point
> now.
>
> The Pacers are planning to move out of
> 23-year-old Market Square Arena and would
> love to add Bird, which would boost public
> support (re: new arena). As for the
> Celtics, they seem to have a united front,
> which is affirmative, on Brown as their
> leading candidate. Before leaving LA for
> Indianapolis, Brown's understanding was
> that while he was taking care of business
> in the Midwest, the Celtics would be doing
> the same in the Northeast. By the end of
> this week, everyone should know if that is
> true.
>
> This story ran on page e1 of the Boston
> Globe on 04/29/97.
>
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GO CELTICS!!!!! GO BRUINS!!!! GO RED SOX!!!! GO BRUINS!!!! GO
CELTICS!!!! GO RED SOX!!!!! GO PATRIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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