Pacers' executive Donnie Walsh was recently asked about the similarities between Jonathan Bender and Kevin Durant.

"I think Durant is a little more skilled at this point, offensively," said Walsh. "But Jonathan was three inches taller and probably much more athletic, so I would say I expected Jonathan to be the kind of player I expect Durant to be ? and that's a very high-level player."

The Warriors, Nets, Bobcats and Mavericks all reportedly are interested should the Pacers opt to move Darrell Armstrong, whose contract for 2007-08 is not guaranteed.

In the meantime, Armstrong has remained at his Atlanta home and has chosen not to enroll his children in school should there be a need for a sudden move. "I'm not going to put the kids in school until we know where we'll be,'' he told The Orlando Sentinel, "so, for now, we're all at home (in Atlanta), playing video games.''

After all the rumors and denials, it looks like Jermaine O'Neal will remain with the Indiana Pacers.

Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said Friday that Indiana's roster was virtually locked. When asked whether it was safe to say O'Neal would be a Pacer at the start of the season, Walsh said: "Yes, it is. That's the way we're thinking of it."

"Trades can always come up, but in our minds, Jermaine is here and our team's intact," Walsh told The Associated Press.

He even offered that the Pacers aren't receiving calls about O'Neal any more.

"That's done," Walsh said.

Pacers front office people are talking enthusiastically about some of their players.

Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy are said to be much stronger. Marquis Daniels has healed from the injuries that slowed him the past two seasons. Jermaine O?Neal, his knee surgically healed, says he feels better than he has in at least a couple of years. He?s 10 pounds lighter than last season.

Indications are that they will keep O'Neal and see how he reacts to Jim O'Brien's system instead of taking a trade offer they are lukewarm about.

After two weeks of pushing his body to see how it might react to the punishment of an NBA season, Reggie Miller told The Star late Thursday night he has decided he will not make a comeback with the Boston Celtics or anybody else.

"That's it,'' he said by telephone from his home in Malibu, Calif. "Physically, I know I could have done it. But mentally, when you do something like this, you've either got to be all in or all out. And I've decided I'm all out.

"Earlier today (Thursday), I was ready to come back. I was going to do it. But then I flew back here, I thought about it, I talked to a lot of people, and honestly, most people told me I should come back. Charles (Barkley), Mark (Jackson), Doug (Collins), they all said I should do it. And when I was back in Indy this week for the Peyton (Manning charity bowling event), people on the streets, they'd tell me to do it.

"But as the day went on, I just realized I wasn't ready mentally to put myself through the grind again.''

Reggie Miller is still debating whether to make a comeback at age 42.

The NBA?s career leader in 3-pointers tried to dodge reporters? questions about his possible return on Tuesday as he attended Peyton Manning?s charity bowling tournament, saying he wanted to talk about the Super Bowl MVP and his event.

Eventually, though, Miller acknowledged no decision was imminent.

?I?m in shape to bowl,? Miller joked. ?But I don?t even know what I?m going to do.?

Reggie Miller is reportedly working out twice a day to see if his 42-year-old body can handle the rigors of an 82-game NBA schedule.

Although the Mavericks seem to be rumored to be interested in every old player with delusions of a comeback, they have not been mentioned as suitors for Miller. It seems he is either going to the Celtics or no one and it is looking likely he will play.

One advantage that the Celtics have, according to the Boston Globe, is that Miller and new Celtic Kevin Garnett are neighbors with off-season homes in Malibu.

With Reggie Miller considering an offer to come out of retirement to play with the Boston Celtics, other potential contending teams are also throwing their hat into the ring, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"The call from Danny (Ainge) came completely out of the blue," Miller said. "All I'm doing is thinking about it. I'm working out, and I want to see how my body feels. Obviously, Boston hit the lottery with the KG [Kevin Garnett] trade, but they've been in the bottom half of the league the last couple of years."

Miller said one other team has contacted him since the news of the Celtics' interest became public. He wouldn't say what team but the hints he gave suggest it is Phoenix.

There were rumors last season, fueled by owner Mark Cuban in a radio interview, that the Mavericks had an interest in Miller. But they never went beyond the rumor stage.

"Dallas was like 15 games ahead of the entire league when that came out," Miller said. "But no one ever talked to me. Me and Cuban joked about it when I covered one of their games against Golden State, but that was it."

Reggie Miller apparently is mulling the idea of returning from a two-year retirement.

"If he comes back I'd go to Southern California and beat his face in," Pacers personnel director Mel Daniels said Friday.

Daniels, a close friend of Miller's, has spoken with the 18-year Pacers veteran. And while he respects Miller's privacy, he is strongly advising Miller not to accept Boston's offer to attempt a comeback at age 42.

"I think he's having a midlife crisis," said Daniels, whose comeback attempt with New Jersey at age 32 following a one-year layoff ended after 11 games.

"It's exciting to think about and you're in the newspapers again, but when it comes right down to it there ain't nothing happening."

One source said the Nets will wait for Indiana to call them in regards to a Jermaine O'Neal trade.

They don't want to give up Richard Jefferson, Nenad Krstic and Marcus Williams for O'Neal, as the Pacers asked for in their last conversation.