Hooped Up

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

T.J. Ford slipped in when nobody was looking, in a turtleneck and a jacket, arms at his sides. But once the Toronto Raptors ‘ point guard was shown on the big screen 2:50 into the second quarter against Dallas — less than 24 hours after suffering a scary neck injury — it was his smile, and his wave, that attracted a partial standing ovation, and smiles from his teammates.

“I just wanted to show those guys that I was O.K.,” said Ford, “because the last memory they have is me being carried out on a stretcher.”

Ford had spent the previous night in an Atlanta hospital with Raptors’ assistant trainer Rory Mullen and team security chief Willis Richardson, then flew home on a chartered plane Wednesday after X-rays, a CT scan and an MRI taken in Atlanta were all negative. The plane stopped in Baltimore to pick up Raptors’ forward Jorge Garbajosa, who underwent surgery on his left leg and who is out indefinitely, before returning to Toronto.

On Wednesday, Ford felt much improved, despite barely being able to sleep. While in hospital, Ford was visited by Hawks’ rookie Al Horford, whose ill-advised foul caused Ford’s injury. Horford was afraid to go at first but eventually spent two hours with Ford, who made the rookie laugh and feel better.

“He’s a good kid,” said Ford.

National Post