Hooped Up

Another van glorious season of NBA basketball is about to begin and Hooped Up does a quick and dirty preview of all 30 clubs.

The Indiana Pacers have been steadily below average for years, but with Danny Granger emerging as a star in the league, things are finally heading in the right direction.

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TJ Ford and Jarrett Jack got into a spat last night and the two had to be separated by teammates in the 3rd quarter of an eventual 94 – 92 loss to the Mavs.

“We had a situation where Jarrett and T.J. had a dispute on the court,” O’Brien said. “I subbed for them and didn’t want to carry it over. I asked Jarrett to take the rest of the night off. That was my decision.” Jack had already left the locker room by the time the media arrived. “I think it was the heat of the moment,” Ford said. “At the end of the day you really don’t want the fans to see that going on, especially during the game when you have kids. I want to apologize for my actions and what took place.”

Thus far, no reports have surfaced if this tiff will effect their Facebook friendship.

Via Indianapolis Star Blog

After a lot of back and forth, Larry Bird has started the revamping of the Indiana Pacers and has agreed to a deal in principal to send forward Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto For T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and the 17th pick in tomorrows draft.

This is a risky move for both sides as O’Neal and Ford have been hampered by injuries over the last few years. O’Neal’s injured left knee and Ford’s neck has sidelined each of them for much of the 07 – 08 season.

Hooped Up

Ford who is one repair away from Grant Hillism, might get moved in a draft night move for Jermain O’Neal.

The Indiana Pacers and Jermaine O’Neal could be parting ways in the near future.

The Pacers and Toronto Raptors have discussed a possible deal with O’Neal going north of the border with point guard T.J. Ford and center Rasho Nesterovic coming to Indiana, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The deal may also include Toronto’s first-round pick (No. 17) in Thursday’s draft.

Indy Star

At least not in Phoenix for Boris Diaw who the Toronto Raptors want in their line up.

Toronto is looking to make a deal for Phoenix’s Boris Diaw and has talked to the Suns. But Phoenix has no interest in Raptors point guard T.J. Ford or anyone else on Toronto’s roster. While Toronto tries to get a third team involved, the Suns appear open to moving Diaw. President Steve Kerr and others have been privately questioning Diaw’s commitment to basketball.

NY Daily News

Even TJ knows that Jose is a starting guard in the NBA, why doesn’t Sam know this thought?

T.J. Ford made it clear he isn’t happy to be job-sharing with Jose Calderon at point guard. He concedes Calderon “is probably a starting guard in the league,” but Ford wants the Toronto job. “This year’s been tough,” Bosh said. “We raised the bar last year and we kind of took a step back. That just shows we’re human, that we always have to be on edge, we always have to have a chip on our shoulder and continue to work hard because we don’t want to take steps back.”

Globe and Mail

If the Raptors want to see out of round 1 than starting Jose at the point would be a good start to seeing the second round.

T.J. Ford knows how it goes. You lose your spot, you fight your way back. Ford began the season as the starting point guard on this Raptors. Injuries and the stellar play of Jose Calderon in his absence combined to take it away from him. Ford says he is not bitter about this but, at the same time, it’s not in his competitive nature to accept it, either. This is not a knock on Calderon or Ford. Calderon is the starter on merit. But if Ford can change that, he will. Would anyone expect anything less of a top-level athlete who got to where he is primarily on his competitiveness?

Toronto Sun

T.J. Ford has been going through daily workouts in his hometown of Houston under the watchful eye of Lucas since Jan. 10, when he got the green light to begin his rehab after a visit to the Cleveland Clinic. Lucas, who oversaw Ford’s return from neck surgery in 2004 that cost him the entire 2004-05 season and the final 24 games of the 2003-04 season, said it was all about convincing Ford to start over. That’s something Lucas, a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for 22 years, does every day of his life.

Toronto Sun

T.J. Ford announced on the Fan 590 Thursday afternoon that he is now pain-free and plans to return to the Toronto Raptors lineup in the near future. “I’m feeling good. My body has recovered all the way and I’m not having any symptoms,” Ford said. “I’m not waking up sore anymore and I’m not having pain throughout the day. “I feel I’m going to play. I know I’m going to play. It’s a matter of when will I play. This is not something that will keep me out for the rest of the season.”

National Post