The way Isiah Thomas saw it Monday, the ball remained in Chris Webber's court, but the Pacers were happy to still be in the game. "I feel good that Chris reached out to me," said Thomas, who met with members of Webber's family on Saturday in Detroit. "He made the call to me. We didn't contact him."

Thomas believes the Pacers are still in the hunt for Webber despite reports the power forward would re-sign with the Sacramento Kings. On Monday, Jason Webber -- Chris Webber's brother and a member of his family advisory team -- said negotiations with Sacramento were "going at an accelerated pace."

Asked if those reports had discouraged him, Thomas smiled and said, "No, I know that's just the nature of the (media) business."

Because of salary-cap limitations, the Pacers would be able to acquire Webber only if he made it known to Sacramento that he wanted to leave and a sign-and-trade deal could be worked out. Webber has made no effort to conceal his personal admiration for Thomas or his high regard for the skills of Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal. And Webber is a close friend of the Pacers' Jalen Rose, his former teammate at Michigan.