The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday that Jim O?Brien has been named the new head coach.

The 55-year-old O?Brien becomes the Pacers? 13th head coach in franchise history.

?We?re very happy to have Jim as the new coach of the Indiana Pacers,? said President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. ?After speaking with him the last 10 days, we have a vision of where we want this team to go, from how we are going to practice, to how we are going to play and the style we?re going to play. We are on the same page. I believe it is very important to have a coach with experience and I feel Jim is the guy who will take us to the next level.?

O?Brien, who previously has been the head coach of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, said, ?I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to be the coach of the Indiana Pacers. The tradition of this franchise and the passion that this state has for the game of basketball has been well-documented. Since this job became available, it has been my dream to get in front of Larry and Donnie (Walsh) to talk about my strong interest in this job. I?ve been very fortunate to get in front of them and feel great about the outcome.

?I look forward to getting to work and being an integral part of the Pacers? future.?

The Indiana Pacers will introduce their new head coach on Thursday at 5:00 local time.

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that Jim O'Brien will be named head coach.

Bulls lead assistant Jim Boylan is the only candidate to be interviewed twice other than Stan Van Gundy who decided not to take the job.

Brian Shaw has interviewed for the position as well.

Peter Vescey is reporting that the Lakers and Pacers have laid the groundwork for a deal to send Jermaine O'Neal to Los Angeles.

Within the last week, the Lakers inquired about O'Neal and were told he is available.  According to Vescey, the Pacers also confirmed that the Lakers have enough assets to make a deal work.  But no negotiations have been undertaken between the two sides, which would seem to cast doubt on the credibility of the entire report to begin with.

Lamar Odom would have to be the principal player heading back to Indiana.  Center Andrew Bynum is another likely piece in such a deal.

Bulls lead assistant Jim Boylan had his second interview with the Pacers for their vacant head-coaching job on Tuesday, according to a league source.

Boylan is the only known candidate to receive a second interview besides former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who no longer is under consideration. Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis is awaiting his first interview.

The Pacers are increasingly open to moving Jermaine O'Neal, according to NBA front-office sources that spoke with Marc Stein of ESPN.

Former teammate Stephen Jackson reportedly said Jermaine O'Neal wants out, but O'Neal told The Star he has made no such demands. He has said several times, however, the Pacers should trade him if they plan to rebuild.

"You never know. I hope so," Bird told NBA Radio when asked whether O'Neal would return.

"It's just wait and see what happens. Anytime a guy like Jermaine's involved, you don't just go out and give him away. You have to go out and try to get the best fit you possibly can for your own team. We'll look at everything we can this summer."

Bulls assistant Jim Boylan interviewed Wednesday with the Pacers for their vacant head-coaching job, league sources said.

Boylan, 52, met in Indianapolis with Donnie Walsh, chief executive officer, and Larry Bird, president of basketball operations, before returning to Chicago.

If Boylan isn't hired, he could land an interview with Orlando, which fired Brian Hill on Wednesday.

Former Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy turned down the opportunity to be the Pacers' next head coach.

?It?s true, I decided against it,? Van Gundy said when reached by telephone this afternoon. ?The Pacers are a great organization. The best thing about the whole situation were the people. Larry (Bird), Donnie (Walsh) and (David) Morway are all great people.?

Van Gundy, who is under contract with the Heat until the end of next season, met with Pacers officials twice and told them he would make a decision by the middle of this week.

The Pacers have also interviewed Johnny Davis, Chuck Person and Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw.

Stan Van Gundy, according to Ira Winderman, has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next coach of the Pacers and could wind up filling that position by midweek.

The former Heat coach spent part of the weekend in Indianapolis with his wife, Kim.

The Pacers have taken a break from their interview process, a process that has included interviews with assistant coaches Chuck Person and Johnny Davis, as well as Lakers assistant and former Heat guard Brian Shaw.

Former Miami Heat Coach Stan Van Gundy is interviewing with the Pacers and he's scheduled to have dinner with Larry Bird later Friday night. Eyewitness Sports first broke this news on WTHR.com.

The 47-year-old is a hot commodity right now. On April 30th he interviewed for the Charlotte Bobcats' head coaching job. The Sacramento Kings are also showing interest.

As Eyewitness Sports reported earlier this week, the Pacers are very close to naming their new head. They were interested in Sam Mitchell and Reggie Theus. Mitchell and Theus have the same the agent. The Pacers informed their agent that the team is no longer interested.