Jermaine O'Neal News

"Let's get this much straight: O'Neal loved it here. He immersed himself into this community. On a team of players who didn't always care about anybody except themselves, O'Neal was a treasure, continually spending money and, more important, time in this community. When he says life as a Pacer was bringing him to his knees, wiping him out emotionally and physically, he's only speaking an obvious truth. Consider all the madness: The Brawl. The constant Ron Artest-inspired melodramas. The coaching changes. The off-court incidents that sullied the team's reputation and moved new club president Jim Morris to utter, "We will not have bums here.""

"Jermaine O'Neal admitted yesterday that he shed a tear of joy upon being told that he was being traded to the Toronto Raptors. The six-time NBA all-star said the past few years with the Indiana Pacers had been, by and large, a living hell, due to the club's penchant for melting down, on and off the court, and because of various injuries he has had to endure. "When I got the call from my agent and he told me there was a possibility of coming here, it was like a rebirth," O'Neal said yesterday, after his trade to the Raptors was made official. "(What was happening in Indiana) was probably one of the worst situations that any pro team has been through."

"Come this weekend, much of the Raptors organization will set up camp in Las Vegas. It'll be a fitting setting for a prelude to a coming season that amounts to a roll of the dice. There was no end of hyperbole slung yesterday around the Air Canada Centre, where Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal, the incumbent all-star and his newly acquired front-line running mate, were likened to the new-era version of Tim Duncan and David Robinson, the duelling seven footers who led the San Antonio Spurs to a couple of championships together in 1999 and 2003. The similarities aren't exactly striking: Neither Bosh nor O'Neal, for one thing, stands seven feet. They're both 6-10 or so. And seeing as ..."

"For one, it's a new start; for the other, it's a familiar feeling. For the Raptors? They can only hope greater things come from Wednesday's news. Making official what everyone's known for weeks, the Raptors finalized a deal for Jermaine O'Neal and re-signed point guard Jose Calderon, moves that solidify two key spots on the roster."

"Jermaine O'Neal said he is thankful for the way his career blossomed with the Indiana Pacers. Now he's ready for a fresh start."

""With the 17th pick in the 2008 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors select Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers." It didn't matter what commissioner David Stern actually said last night – for the record, it was Georgetown's Roy Hibbert instead of O'Neal – everyone knew he should have announced O'Neal at that spot and the newly minted Raptor sounds pretty pumped about the trade that will land in him Toronto. "They have a ton of talent," O'Neal told The Indianapolis Star yesterday, confirming a trade to the Raptors that can't be officially announced until July 9 because of the NBA's complex salary-cap rules."

"The Indiana Pacers have agreed in principle to a trade that will send six-time All-Star Jermaine O'Neal to the Toronto Raptors, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday night. The Pacers will receive point guard T.J. Ford, reserve center Rasho Nesterovic, a player yet to be named and the rights to Toronto's 17th pick in tonight's NBA draft."

"Bryan Colangelo, the fashion-wise head honcho of the Toronto Raptors, showed up at the club's annual pre-draft press conference wearing the usual checklist of chicer-than-thou finery yesterday. The bespoke summer-weight navy suit? Check. The belt-and-shoe combo crafted from the finest leather of caviar-fed virgin ostriches? Goes without saying. But hang on. Your alert correspondent spotted a chink in the Men's Vogue-worthy exterior. Colangelo's shirt – and it was the usual high-style, high-collared, hand-sewn-by-a-grandmother-on-the-outskirts-of-Bologna shirt – was bereft of the usual worth-more-than-your-Toyota cufflinks. It was a shocking omission, like Shaq O'Neal suddenly stripped ..."

"Jermaine O'Neal was too enticing a proposition for the Raptors to pass up. With health concerns from both sides eased, a blockbuster trade involving O'Neal, T.J. Ford and Toronto's 17th pick in tonight's NBA draft has been agreed to in principle, a significant move the Raptors hope gives them the most potent frontcourt in franchise history. Even as the Portland Trail Blazers tried to get back into the Ford sweepstakes yesterday, the Raptors decided they like the immediate impact Indiana's O'Neal will have rather than waiting for anything they could have obtained with the draft pick."

"The Indiana Pacers have agreed in principle to a trade that will send six-time All-Star Jermaine O'Neal to the Toronto Raptors, a person familiar with the situation said tonight. The Pacers will receive point guard T.J. Ford, reserve center Rasho Nesterovic, a player yet to be named and the rights to Toronto's 17th pick in Thursday's NBA draft. The deal addresses the Pacers' desire to upgrade their point guard position. The deal is pending all players involved passing physicals. O'Neal had surgery on his left knee in April 2007 and missed 40 games this past season."

"Most of the talk revolves around point guard T.J. Ford. Depending on who you believe Ford is going to be a member of the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers or possibly the New York Knicks by week's end. Obviously not even Ford could manage to juggle the kind of workload playing for three different teams would represent, so someone is just wrong here. ESPN has the former Texas Longhorns standout headed to Phoenix along with the Raptors' first-round pick (No. 17) for forward Boris Diaw. The Indianapolis Star, meanwhile, is suggesting Ford, centre Rasho Nesterovic, possibly that No. 17 pick and another unnamed player will be joining the Pacers later this week in exchange for forward ..."

"The stakes in the T.J. Ford stakes have been raised considerably. The Raptors, according to league sources, have had discussions with the Indiana Pacers about a trade for veteran centre Jermaine O'Neal, adding a major name and major salary obligation to potential transactions ahead of Thursday's NBA draft. The deal would include Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, another player to satisfy salary cap needs and, perhaps, Toronto's 17th pick in the draft for O'Neal, a 29-year-old centre with two years and almost $44 million (all figures U.S.) left on his contract...According to sources, the Raptors are still talking to the Phoenix Suns about a deal centred around Ford and Boris Diaw and there are ..."

"The Indiana Pacers and Jermaine O'Neal could be parting ways in the near future. The Pacers and Toronto Raptors have discussed a possible deal with O'Neal going north of the border with point guard T.J. Ford and center Rasho Nesterovic coming to Indiana, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The deal may also include Toronto's first-round pick (No. 17) in Thursday's draft. The Raptors will have to throw in at least one other player to make the deal work financially."

"If the Indiana Pacers want to part ways with Jermaine O'Neal, they'll have to trade him. O'Neal's representatives informed the Pacers recently that he will not opt out of the final two years of his contract that pays him $44 million. O'Neal had until June 30 to decide whether to become an unrestricted free agent.The Pacers weren't surprised. Team president Larry Bird said in February he didn't expect O'Neal to opt out because he couldn't make that much as a free agent.Still, that doesn't guarantee O'Neal will be back. The Pacers want to trade him."

"Jermaine O'Neal knew it was time but didn't want to go. The Indiana Pacers forward saw Jeff Foster at the scorer's table waiting to check in. O'Neal looked over at coach Jim O'Brien and said, "Coach, let me stay in.""

"If they took time to dream a little during their desperate playoff push, the Indiana Pacers might wonder where they would be if Jermaine O'Neal hadn't missed 40 games this season. "We wouldn't be 12 games under .500, I can assure you of that," coach Jim O'Brien said after O'Neal's return helped the Pacers to a 105-85 victory over Miami on Monday."

"Jermaine O'Neal's return to the Indiana Pacers' lineup isn't just the start of a nine-game sprint to the season's finish line. It's the birth of what he views as a new phase in his NBA career, one he hopes is more productive and less painful than the past few seasons."

"When Jamaal Tinsley and Jermaine O'Neal, both dealing with knee injuries, will return is anybody's guess. As the Indiana Pacers attempt to salvage a disappointing season, the players have taken the mind-set that they can't wait for O'Neal and Tinsley to save it."

"A timetable still hasn't been set for his return, but Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal is getting closer to being able to go through full practices with his teammates."

"The Bulls have been looking for that player for the last few years without much success. The biggest names that might be on the market this summer are Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers and Tracy McGrady of the Rockets."

"Any trade conversation involving the Pacers begins with Jermaine O'Neal... The Pacers are making and listening to calls about him -- again -- but they have yet to find a deal they like. They've recently spoken with Golden State, New Jersey and Sacramento."

"The on-and-off talks with Indiana involving Jermaine O'Neal -- recently rumored to be on again -- appear to be dying a quick and quiet death. According to those familiar with the particulars, the Nets aren't entirely against swapping Vince Carter and spare parts for O'Neal, even if the Pacers big man has $44.3 million coming to him in the next two seasons."

"Do the Pacers keep waiting for Jermaine O'Neal to get healthy and hold out hope of a late-season surge -- or at least a far better season next year?"

"The annual 'Jermaine O'Neal wants to play for his old coach in New York' talk is out again after O'Neal's current team, Indiana, beat Isiah Thomas' Knicks on Wednesday while he sat out with a knee injury that could end his season. ESPN.com reported Friday that the Knicks and Bulls have discussed a deal that would bring Ben Wallace to New York in exchange for Fred Jones, Quentin Richardson and Malik Rose."

"Jermaine O'Neal isn't asking for a trade from the Indiana Pacers. But he knows the business of the NBA and is ready for anything as the Feb. 21 trade deadline approaches. "I have no doubt in myself," O'Neal said after the Pacers' 103-100 victory over New York at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. "I believe anywhere I go, once my knee is right, I'm going to get back to that (All-Star) level."

"While Jermaine O'Neal has thrown out the possibility of missing the rest of the season to allow his left knee to heal, the Indiana Pacers don't expect that."

"Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal told The Star on Sunday that he is willing to sit out the rest of the season, if necessary, to take care of his ongoing left knee problem."

"Q: You can opt out the final two years of your contract at the end of your season. Have you thought about what you want to do? A: I haven't thought about it. Conversations with doctors now is about what I need to do to have a really good finish to my career."

"The Indiana Pacers will be without forward Jermaine O'Neal for at least two weeks after an MRI showed a bone bruise on his left knee."

"Acquiring All-Star power forward Jermaine O'Neal remains a possibility for the Nets, but could cost them their own All-Star, Vince Carter."

"It's become almost an every game occurrence for Jermaine O'Neal. After the opposing team's offensive player breaks down his defender, it's usually O'Neal, the Indiana Pacers' anchor on defense, sliding over from the weak side, setting his feet, bracing for the collision and taking a charge."

"Jermaine O'Neal blames the Knicks' 7-16 record on the players and not Isiah Thomas, the man responsible for assembling and coaching those players... Thomas has tried on several occasions to acquire the power forward, a former All-Star whose play has declined in recent years."

"O'Neal missed five games and is starting to show shades of his former self. The six-time All-Star has totaled 50 points on 55 percent shooting and 26 rebounds in the past two games."

"Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal was back in the starting lineup against the Seattle SuperSonics after missing the previous five games with knee and calf problems. Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said they targeted Friday's game as O'Neal's return date."

"It seemed like just yesterday that Jermaine O'Neal was a perennial All-Star, appearing in national commercials and challenging for league MVP honors. Three-plus years, even more injuries and numerous trade rumors later, O'Neal's stock, status and numbers have plummeted to levels not seen since he rode the bench in Portland."

"Jermaine O'Neal is expected to be back in the lineup when the Indiana Pacers open their four-game Western trip Tuesday in Denver."

"Indiana Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said he anticipates starting forward Jermaine O'Neal will be back in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Conseco Fieldhouse."

"There is little joy in Indiana Pacers center Jermaine O'Neal's game at the moment. O'Neal is adjusting to a new offensive system while still recovering from offseason knee surgery and has not played up to his standards. He is averaging 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds, and the Pacers (4-6) have lost six of their last seven games. O'Neal's scoring and rebounding averages are at their lowest since the Pacers acquired him in a trade eight seasons ago."

"Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal has found it's taking longer than expected to regain strength in his left knee that was surgically repaired at the end of last season."

"The transition game again will be spotlighted tonight when the Indiana Pacers play the Miami Heat at Conseco Fieldhouse. Jermaine O'Neal's transition into the starting lineup, that is."

"Jermaine O'Neal and Troy Murphy are listed as doubtful. Jeff Foster and Ike Diogu likely will start if O'Neal and Murphy don't play."

"Forward Jermaine O'Neal and center Troy Murphy are the latest players sidelined, causing them to miss Friday night's preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Conseco Fieldhouse."

"Jermaine O'Neal was in the same interview room Monday where he sat nearly six months ago when there was a sense he would not be returning to the Indiana Pacers. What was supposed to be an offseason of rehabilitation from knee surgery and possibly playing for a new team, turned into a summer of constant trade rumors and clarifying statements for O'Neal."

"Vince Carter insists he doesn't follow NBA news, in season or offseason. But, yes, he heard something regarding Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal. Carter's basketball camp clued him in on that."

"However, there is still a chance that the Nets will rekindle trade talks with the Pacers that could result in Jermaine O'Neal heading to New Jersey. In fact, O'Neal - who has made it clear that he wants to be traded - said over the weekend that he'd like to play with the Nets, if he's not playing with the Lakers, that is."

"The Nets re-signed Carter last month, representing their biggest off-season move. But they could rekindle talks with Indiana for O'Neal, who also likes the idea of being a Laker."

"Jermaine O'Neal fired another round of volleys in his defense Tuesday to clarify his stance regarding his future with the Indiana Pacers. Which is, basically, that he wants one."

"Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal has discounted Internet reports that he wants to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers."