The Pacers, Kings, and Blazers are among the teams reportedly interested in Texas point guard D.J. Augustin as the 2008 NBA Draft approaches, according to HoopsWorld.

"Anything can happen on draft night. I try not to look at or listen to the projections," Augustin said from Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando. "I just try to stay focused on what I have to do in front of these teams, and that's what matters."

The 76ers and Bucks are also mildly interested in the guard, as well.

"They've shown some interest (Milwaukee). My agent said they are pretty much looking at me a little bit. I'm not sure who I'm going to work out with, but I'm just going to go in and work hard," Augustin added.

In RealGM.com's latest mock draft, Chris Reina has Augustin going to Indiana with the eleventh overall pick.

The Pacers have no reason to believe that franchise forward/center Jermaine O'Neal will exercise the early-termination option in his contract this summer.

"Jermaine hasn't given us any indication that he will opt out," David Morway, Indiana's new General Manager, told RealGM in an exclusive interview on Tuesday night.

"We don't anticipate that he will, but we also feel as though he'd give us notice. It would have a huge impact on what we do in free agency, if only because of the amount of money that would be freed up."

O'Neal is owed nearly $20 million next season.

Larry Bird acknowledged the fact that he's going to receive a lot of questions about his former team, the Boston Celtics, as they are just four wins away from the NBA Finals.

"It's good to see an ex-teammate doing well," Bird said of Ainge's fortunes over the past year. The Celtics went from the NBA's second-worst team last season, to the best in the league in 2007-08 after a trades for both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

He's also aware that the old school rivalry between the Lakers/Celtics could be rekindled if Boston beats Detroit and Los Angeles downs San Antonio.

"I'd obviously get a lot more interview requests [if Boston and L.A. met in the Finals]. So maybe I don't want them to make it," Bird said with a laugh.

Larry Bird knows that the Pacers don't have much of a chance to land one of the top three picks in the NBA Draft, but he knows that Indiana will have a first-rounder for the first time in two seasons, according to NBA.com.

"There's a lot of good players in this draft," said Bird. "Obviously in the top 12 or 15, there's some players that probably will be a little better in our league than people think they're going to be, a lot of athletic players that play multiple positions. I think it's going to be a pretty deep draft. Even in the 20s, there's going to be some players that can step in and help teams right away."

If the lottery holds true, the Pacers will have the eleventh pick in June's Draft.

"You always hope for the best but the chances are you're going to be 11 or 12," Bird said. "You'd always like to jump up in there but a lot of times it doesn't happen. We do have a chance, less than 3 percent to get into the top three, but it's still a chance."

Larry Bird has filed a lawsuit against a couple who bought his Southern Indiana home and have been using his name to promote a bed and breakfast, according to The Associated Press.

The lawsuit claims that the couple did not have permission to use Bird's name and that they are profiting off his personal trademark by stating openly that the home belonged to him.

"The commercialization of Larry Bird's name in association with this former property is wholly and completely unauthorized and is blatantly being done for the sole purpose of profiting illegally from Larry Bird's name," the lawsuit states.

Christopher Cooke, one of the homeowners, claims that negotiations with Bird ended in good faith with spoken permission to use his name in association with the home.

"That's what it is. Everybody in French Lick calls it Larry Bird's home," Cooke said. "All I know is they told us certain things when we were considering purchasing the property, and after we bought it they had a different story."

The Indiana Pacers announced Monday they have picked up the option on 6-6 forward Stephen Graham?s contract. Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Graham, signed as a free agent in July of 2007, played in 22 games for the Pacers last season, averaging 4.0 points per game while shooting .586 from the floor and scoring a career-high 16 points at Toronto, Feb. 29.

"Stephen is an exceptional individual on and off the court," said Pacers President of Basketball Larry Bird. "He has a great work ethic and over the course of last season, we saw major improvement from last summer. If he continues to improve like that, he?ll play a major role for this team. He is exactly the type of player we want on our team."

"I?d like to thank the Pacers organization for seeing my potential and giving me the opportunity to come back next year to show my intensity and professionalism," said Graham, a three-year veteran. "I?m going to work extremely hard this summer. This is going to be a big year for me. I?m looking forward to getting better and expanding on what I can contribute to the Pacers."

Jim O'Brien claims that his relationship with point guard Jamaal Tinsley is good, but that he isn't sure he can depend on him to run the Pacers, according to The Indianapolis Star.

"To say as a coach we're going to go with him as our point guard despite the injuries, you can't do that," O'Brien said Wednesday. "I would love to see him healthy, but that has not been the track record. It's very, very difficult to depend on him when, physically, he's been undependable. When he's on the court, we know what we're going to get. He's a great assist guy, he runs the fast break great. But based on the track record of physical ailments, how much can you depend on him?"

O'Brien campaigned to keep Tinsley on the team shortly after he was named coach last offseason, but their relationship appeared to sour soon after.

The two deny any personal misunderstanding, but their on-court relationship appears headed for the worst as well.

"It comes down to whether Jamaal is healthy enough to be part of the mix for the future," O'Brien said.

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that David Morway has been promoted to General Manager of the team.

Morway, who has been with the Pacers 10 years, has been serving as Senior Vice President/Basketball Operations for the team, overseeing the day-to-day operation and administration of the Basketball Division. As General Manager, he will retain his current duties and will assume additional responsibilities of overseeing salary cap issues as well as assisting Pacers President of Basketball Larry Bird with all personnel decisions.

?I?m very happy to have David by my side,? said Bird. ?This newly-expanded role maximizes David?s skills and experience and I?m confident we have the knowledge and resources to get the Pacers to the level we expect, our owners expect and our fans expect.?

Added Morway, ?This is a great opportunity and a dream come true for myself and my family. I?ve enjoyed working with Larry for the last five years and I?m looking forward to continuing this relationship. Having been with the franchise for 10 years I know what the expectations are and what the Pacers mean to the city and the state. I can promise that we will work diligently to help fulfill those expectations. I?m excited about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for us.?

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that David Morway has been promoted to General Manager of the team.

Morway, who has been with the Pacers 10 years, has been serving as Senior Vice President/Basketball Operations for the team, overseeing the day-to-day operation and administration of the Basketball Division. As General Manager, he will retain his current duties and will assume additional responsibilities of overseeing salary cap issues as well as assisting Pacers President of Basketball Larry Bird with all personnel decisions.

?I?m very happy to have David by my side,? said Bird. ?This newly-expanded role maximizes David?s skills and experience and I?m confident we have the knowledge and resources to get the Pacers to the level we expect, our owners expect and our fans expect.?

Added Morway, ?This is a great opportunity and a dream come true for myself and my family. I?ve enjoyed working with Larry for the last five years and I?m looking forward to continuing this relationship. Having been with the franchise for 10 years I know what the expectations are and what the Pacers mean to the city and the state. I can promise that we will work diligently to help fulfill those expectations. I?m excited about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for us.?

Pacers guard Travis Diener underwent successful surgery at Indiana Orthopedic Hospital to remove bone spurs on his left big toe Wednesday morning.

Rehabilitation is expected to take three months.