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By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

CHANGING PACE

You hate to see a guy lose his job, but ...

Well, you just knew Larry and Isiah weren't gonna hit it off.

This was about more than Bird and Thomas and their rivalry as players in the 1980s, when Bird's Celtics and Thomas' Pistons staged some ultra-intense playoff battles.

It's actually more about Bird wanting to build the Pacers in his own image. It also has a lot to do with Bird's philosophy on coaching.

Bird has been Indiana's director of basketball operations for seven weeks. When he fired Thomas, Bird told reporters he thinks NBA players need a new coach every three years, maybe sooner. He chuckled when he said it, but he wasn't joking -- as the idea of a changing coaches every three years is something Bird talked about in his autobiography, "Bird Watching." And keep in mind, Bird wrote the book when HE was the Pacers' coach. Sure enough, he coached the team for three years, and not a minute more.

In the book, Bird said his favorite coach as a player was Bill Fitch. But Bird didn't have a problem when the Celtics let Fitch go because, "I truly believe that three years is the max for a coach with one team," he wrote. "That why when I signed my contract with Indiana, it was for three years."

Considering Bird coached the Pacers to the best three-year record in team history, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt on the Thomas move.

None of this is to say Thomas is a lousy coach, or that he doesn't deserve another shot. There's no doubt he'll resurface somewhere, and my guess is it will be soon. This is pure speculation, but wouldn't Thomas be a great fit in Atlanta, where fan interest continues to disintegrate during an off-season in which the Hawks re-hired interim coach Terry Stotts, practically out of desperation?

As for the Pacers, the bottom line is Bird wants to put his own stamp on the team -- namely, he wants to hire longtime friend and former Detroit coach Rick Carlisle.

Not a bad choice, as Carlisle was Bird's X-and-O guy as an assistant in Indiana. He's also the same person who was mostly responsible for the Pistons' overachieving ways during the past two years.

Carlisle was fired at the end of last season, which came as a surprise to fans who watched Detroit play some of the best team basketball the NBA had witnessed in a long time. The decision to let Carlisle go was reportedly based on the fact Larry Brown was available, and because Carlisle supposedly treated his employees poorly and got involved in a power struggle with management.

That won't happen in Indiana, where it's clear Bird is the boss. Plus, Carlisle got along well with his immediate supervisor in Detroit, basketball operations president Joe Dumars. So there shouldn't be any major problems between Bird and his new coach.

You might be saying, "That all sounds great. But what about Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, who said he is 'extremely disappointed' about Thomas' firing?"

The answer is, O'Neal will get over it. It probably won't be long before he uses the old "my comments were taken out of context" routine, and it will all blow over. Either that, or the Pacers will just trade him. The truth is, anyone would want to play for Carlisle after watching how he shaped the Pistons into a winner. And like Thomas, Carlisle is said to be a players' coach.

Not only that, but Bird has the unwavering support of veteran guard Reggie Miller, as the two became close during Bird's time on the sidelines. And Miller can explain to his teammates that the coaching change was made for all the right reasons, and he can do it while speaking their language in the locker room.

As it stands, there's a lot to like about Indiana. O'Neal is a bona-fide All-Star and just signed a maximum contract, and youngsters like forward Al Harrington and guard Jamal Tinsley seem to improve with each game. And who could forget forward Ron Artest, the league's most physical on-the-ball defender?

Of course, Carlisle might not be the only new face in Indiana when the season tips off.

"Now we have to look at our team and see if we have the chemistry that can work together and win," Bird said. "This is just starting."

MORE ON THE PACERS

-- At this writing, Carlisle has yet to officially be hired as Pacers coach. Bird is also reportedly interested in former Celtics teammate and L.A. Clippers coach Dennis Johnson, although DJ would only be offered a job with Indiana in the unlikely event a deal with Carlisle fell through.

-- Obviously, the Pacers are looking for another big man. Center Scot Pollard is a nice backup but it's hard to imagine him playing too many meaningful minutes. Pollard came to the Pacers in the trade that sent Brad Miller to Sacramento. Indiana also received forward Danny Ferry from San Antonio in the deal.

-- It'll be interesting to see how the players react to having Bird call the shots. Even as a coach, Bird made a point of leaving the players alone, allowing them to work through their own problems on the floor. As a front-office employee, you can bet he'll distance himself even more. Usually, it's the type of approach professional athletes truly appreciate.

U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM THOUGHTS

-- My favorite thing about the United States Olympic qualifying team is that everyone is taking the about the same number of shots. A lot of times that number is less than 10 per player. That says a lot when you consider the team is made up of the biggest of NBA stars. I'm especially impressed with Allen Iverson, who is proving he can be totally unselfish when he trusts his teammates.

-- The qualifying tournament is also more proof that Tim Duncan is the best all-around player in basketball. Duncan has been his usually steady self, finding a way to put the ball in the basket by using a variety of fundamentally-sound moves in the low post. And he does it even when triple-teamed. I know it sounds repetitive, but this guy must practice ALL the time.

-- It also seems like a new guy steps up for the Americans nearly every game, another example that U.S. coach Larry Brown is doing a masterful job of convincing the players to make the extra pass.

-- For whatever reason, the Argentines really know how to frustrate the Americans, as their game against the U.S. was tied at 74-all with eight minutes left (the U.S. eventually won, 94-86). Most of it has to do with the fact Argentina is the one team that's not intimidated to be playing a bunch of NBA All-Stars. The Argentines are also the best passing team in the tourney. And yes, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is playing well for Argentina.

-- Orlando Magic fans have to be concerned about Tracy McGrady's recurring back problems. McGrady sprained his lower back two seasons ago, and is currently sitting out of the tournament after playing in the first couple games. Of course, the injury wasn't severe enough to keep T-Mac from leading the league in scoring last season (32.1 ppg), but back troubles rarely go away and can really hamper a career. Larry Bird first hurt his back in 1983, and it only got worse. Also, former Knick Larry Johnson had a promising career until his back started acting up. Let's hope McGrady, one of the league's finest all-around people, doesn't suffer the same fate.

SHAQ SPEAKS

Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal had some great lines in a recent edition of the Los Angeles Times.

"A lot of people talked about me as if I had a weight problem. The only problem I had was waiting for the ball," he told the Times. "So, run it through the Diesel. I'm mad and I'm ready to go."

O'Neal said he's lost about 15 pounds since the end of last season. "If I don't get the ball, though, it won't make any difference," he said.

HOT TOPIC

I'm still not quite sure what to make of the Miami Heat's signing of free-agent forward Lamar Odom. I probably won't be until after the season, either.

All I know is the Heaters have a glut of athletic swingmen in Odom, Eddie Jones, Caron Butler, Rasual Butler, and rookie Dwayne Wade -- and no true point guard or center.

And while I admire Odom's talent and all-around passion for the game, he was never accused of being a great leader or locker room presence while with the L.A. Clippers. As Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor said in a statement about letting Odom go, "In the final analysis, the decision was based on issues of character and other risks involved."

Or perhaps Lang Whitaker of Slam Online said it best when he wrote this about Odom: "It's not every NBA player who can be compared to Magic Johnson as well as Roy Tarpley and Chris Washburn."

RANDOM THOUGHTS

-- Speaking of Roy Tarpley, there doesn't appear to be too many teams excited about his announced comeback, as he has yet to be invited to anyone's training camp. Ditto for Dennis Rodman. Tarpley, 37, is a former All-Star who was banned from the league for testing positive for drugs almost 10 years ago. He claims to have cleaned himself up, and you think somebody would at least give him a shot. I mean, the guy was very good in his prime. Rodman's a different story. He's 42, and without the youthful legs that helped him become one of the all-time great rebounders, he'd probably be little more than a pain in the neck.

-- Actually, I think the Knicks have a pretty solid foundation with guard Allan Houston, forward Keith Van Horn, and one of my favorite players in last year's draft, forward Michael Sweetney, a bruiser from Georgetown. And just think if Antonio McDyess can come back from his leg injury. Granted, McDyess has missed TWO consecutive seasons with that leg injury, but even a banged-up McDyess is still pretty good.

-- Seattle has decided not to invite third-year guard Joseph Forte to training camp. Word has it the SuperSonics will try to trade Forte in a package deal that involves one of their big men. If not, the Sonics will just waive Forte. I admit, I really thought this kid was going to be good when he came out of North Carolina, mostly because he did just about everything well on offense. He had a good outside shot, he could drive, he could dish. It's hard to tell why he appears to be on his way to career overseas, and is more proof that player evaluation is truly an inexact science.

-- Forte reminds me a lot of former NBA guard Mark Macon, who starred for Temple in the late 1980s. Dick Vitale once called Macon the greatest college freshman of all-time, and he's still the best one I've ever seen. But Macon never really improved after his first year of college. Once he got to the pros, he proved to be too slow and a poor shooter. After a stint in Denver, Macon played went to Detroit, and I remember seeing him in the locker room after a game against Cleveland in which he didn't even play. Macon was sitting in front of his locker, staring at the floor and wearing the look of a kid who just had his lunch money stolen after getting punched in the nose. That was 10 years ago, and to this day, no one can explain why Macon failed to cut it in the NBA. Unfortunately, it looks like Forte is playing out a similar script.

-- Reader Wayne Sweeney e-mailed an excellent story in the L.A. Times on former high school sensation Schea Cotton, another guy who has yet to live up great expectations. The article is titled, "Can't-miss frustration: Amid the LeBron hype, Cotton has a game that made him a magazine cover boy at 16 and a cautionary tale at 25." You can check it out at www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba.

READER FEEDBACK

From Kendall Ponder (Kirksville, Mo.)

Q: I noticed you didn't mention former Minnesota center Rasho Nesterovic as an addition to the Spurs in your off-season evaluations last week. I take it you're not very impressed with him.

A: Dear Kendall, actually, I just forgot about Nesterovic. It was a pretty big mistake, as I think Nesterovic will fit in a lot better in San Antonio than he did in Minnesota. I don't think the guy is necessarily a future All-Star, but he'll open things up for Tim Duncan underneath the basket right away -- and that alone will make his acquisition well worth it.

From Josh Graham (Kingwood, Texas)

Q: Last week you wrote that Golden State will "replace Utah as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference." Does that mean you think Houston won't make the playoffs again?

A: Dear Josh, not necessarily. I think the final playoff spots in the West will go to two of the following four teams -- Houston, Phoenix, Golden State, and Portland. Denver has an outside shot, but I think the Nuggets are still a couple of years away. At any rate, as much as I like the Warriors, if I had to pick them or Houston to make the playoffs right now, I'd pick Houston. With Yao Ming, Steve Francis and new coach Jeff Van Gundy, the Rockets could be considered the West's darkhorse.

From Andrew McCone (Richmond, Ky.)

Q: I am 12 years old and my favorite thing about the NBA is the uniforms. Whose uniforms, and logo, do you like best?

A: Dear Andrew, my vote favorite uniforms are the New Orleans Hornets' light blue road outfits; my favorite logo is the Memphis Grizzlies' growling bear. Please e-mail me with your choices, so I can print them next time.

From Gerald Coates (Olympia, Wash).

Q: I was wondering if you could settle an argument I'm having with my cousin. He says Michael Cage is Seattle's all-time field-goal percentage leader, and I say it's Shawn Kemp. Who's right?

A: Dear Gerald, it's good to see someone out there who needs a life as badly as I do. Anyway, you're both wrong. James Donaldson is the Sonics' all-time field-goal percentage leader at .584. Cage is second (.522), barely edging out your guy Kemp (.521).

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