Chances are, Jermaine O'Neal will stay home. Chances are, he will go to San Antonio Wednesday -- Jason Kidd got the Spurs' sales pitch Sunday and will again today -- and will return home with the renewed belief that this is where he belongs. Chances are, familiarity and the chance to make $30 million more over seven years will keep O'Neal with the Pacers.

Chances are . . .

This, however, is no slam dunk.

Not with O'Neal. Not after his team imploded after the All-Star break. Not after a Game 6 performance that left the stench of unconditional surrender, leaving O'Neal to wonder if he cared a whole lot more than some of his teammates cared. And certainly -- certainly -- not after his stepfather attempted suicide back in March, the kind of life-altering event that can leave a raw 24-year-old with a life's worth of self-knowledge.

When asked after this season about the advantages of staying in Indianapolis and making more money and remaining the team's No. 1 attraction, O'Neal told ESPN The Magazine, "I don't give a damn about numbers."