Herb Simon opening statement

Today we have a sad and a happy announcement to make at the same time. Sad that Donnie Walsh, who's been with me for 24 years, is leaving the franchise and happy because I think it's something he felt it was time to do and it gives him opportunities to explore other situations. So, as someone who has been so close to Donnie and who never thought I'd be running a franchise without Donnie, I feel mixed feelings. But since I care for him so much and he's meant so much to this city and the franchise, I'm wishing him all the best of luck and thank you for all the years of hard work – and he is a hard worker – and I know whatever happens will be for the best. So thank you so much, Donnie.

Donnie Walsh opening statement

I really don't think this should come as a surprise to the people in this room because I think I've said this beginning last year that this would be my last year. So any idea that this wasn't going to happen has been recent and I don't quite understand it. I'm completing what was my dream job that I accepted 22 years ago. I've had probably the best owners in the NBA in Herb and Mel Simon and they've been supportive, they've become friends and I've loved every single moment of this job – including, by the way, the last few years when things have been more difficult.

In addition to that, we've had great teams, I've had terrific coaches to work with, great players to play for us and going all the way to right now, where when I look out I'm really, really proud of the way this team is performing and trying even though they're a little undermanned right now. The fact they're trying to get in the playoffs, that's always been what I strove for as far as being the general manager, to have a team that would go out there and be competitive. I think that this team is trying to do that.

I'd also like to thank all the fans that supported us over the years. We had some exciting times together, particularly when we got to this building in its early stages, to have the (NBA) Finals in here was a wonderful thing personally and professionally. I also have loved living in Indianapolis and the welcoming that they gave our family, the people here in this city. It's been a great place for us to live.

As far as what I'm going to do in the future, I'm not sure and as a result I'm not going to comment on any of it until I have a better idea of what I'm going to do. And at that point we'll make a statement. I hope that I'll be around for the rest of this season and I think I will in order to see this team continue the way they've continued lately. But it's been a wonderful time for me here.

My real reason for doing this is because I think I've been here too long. And I think there's just something inbred in being in a position too long where it's not healthy for the franchise or for the institution you're serving. And I've definitely felt that over the last two years. We have people that are trying to move up and should move up and not that you're standing in the way but you're there and so things kind of remain the same when perhaps it would be better if they moved on a little bit. I started thinking that about two or three years ago and probably would have tried to leave at the point of my contract which I think was last year. But you also want to see things get better and so I wanted to stay and didn't really want to end my tenure with the Detroit brawl in my mind and everyone else's mind and some of the recent things that have happened. But the fact is, when I look at our team now I see more of the passion, more of the commitment, more of the things you'd like to see no matter what the talent level is at this point. Because it always starts with a lower talent level and then it builds.

I've worked with Larry Bird both as a coach and as a co-worker as President of Basketball Operations. We've become great friends and I have the utmost confidence in his abilities to return this team to its elite level.

No matter what happens with me I'll always be a Pacer fan. I'm going to keep my family home here and this has just been a great time for me. It's just the right time for me to leave and I think a lot of you probably sensed that over the year. So thank you for all, I guess, the relationships we've had in the press. They've always been good from my point of view. And I don't think we've ever really been treated badly here so it's been a great thing all the way around. That's it. Thank you.

Q. Donnie, Herb, can you talk about why you made the decision right now instead of letting it play out at the end of the season?

Simon. I think everyone was getting confused. There were a lot of rumors and we just thought if this was something that was really going to happen and once I was convinced Donnie was really leaving, I thought it would just be best to let everyone else know.

Walsh. I think I would add to that by saying what has happened here today was going to happen for some time. I think we were trying to wait till the end of the year but then there seemed to be some confusion being thrown in from the outside and the motivation for it and it just got way out of whack. I think we felt this was the right time right time right now to stand up and clear it up for everyone so there is no confusion. There never has been confusion between us.

Q. Larry, what are your emotions right now. Obviously you have mixed feelings but at the same time you've been sort of been moved into the position of total authority.

Bird. I do have mixed feelings because me and Donnie's had a great relationship over the past eight years. He's the one that brought me here originally to coach the team and put me in a situation where we had a great group of guys to work with and we had some success. I can remember talking to him five years ago about this opportunity and at that time he said, 'Look, I'm not ready to get out of it right now. I have a contract but once that ends I'd like for you to step in and take over.' After some of the incidents that have happened over the last three years, it's been great to have him there to talk to him about it, go through the draft. I couldn't get a better mentor than Donnie Walsh. It's sad to see him go. I know there's a lot of speculation out there about whether he's going to stay or go but from day one he told me exactly what he was going to do and today, you always know it's coming but when it does happen you have different emotions and different feelings about it.

Q. Donnie, have you talked to the Knicks about a job?

Walsh. I'm not commenting on anything that I'm going to do in the future because I'm unclear about it and I'm just not going to comment on it until the time is right.

Q. For all three of you, how important was it to you to have one voice after so many years of having two voices?

Simon. I think that's maybe one of the side benefits of clarifying the situation, having Larry's voice being the only voice. Some people got confused. I liked having both of them but I think we're going to do very well with Larry.

Walsh. I would add to that by saying this: That's important in the league because when other general managers call they really want to call the person that they're going to be talking to and going to make that decision. Since I've been here so long, a lot of them would call me because they felt I would ultimately make the decision. A lot of them would call Larry. You don't want that confusion out there and no matter how much we tried to kind of work that out with Larry becoming the guy, that still kind of exists out there. The league is its own life form in a way, it kind of evolves the way it evolves. I think this will make things much clearer. I do.

Walsh. We've talked about this before and I've always said that one voice is what you have, no matter if it's business or basketball. Learning this position through Donnie, there was a lot of confusion out there but now that he's stepping down I have no doubts in my ability to lead and do the things necessary to get this team back to the elite level.

Q. Larry, do you think you could do this job without having Donnie as a sounding board for the last several years? How has he prepared you for all this?

Bird. I knew coming in that he was going to be here for awhile. I probably wouldn't have taken the job if Donnie was retiring the first year I came in but having him here and having a sounding board, somebody to talk to on a daily basis not only helped me out but it helped the whole franchise out because he's such a leader and a guy everyone's looked up to. If you go around the league and talk to all the GMs or the presidents, they have the utmost respect for him. Being able to have him the last five years has been nothing but a plus for me.

Q. Larry, how much of a challenge to you face getting things back on track on the court next season?

Bird. I think everyone knows our challenges. It's not only on the court but it's off the court. Financially we're in a situation, we're up against the cap and we will not go over the cap so we've got to do some constructive things to make this team better. Hopefully in the summer we'll be able to talk to a lot of different teams and make the moves we need to make and have a great draft pick. If we can do that, I think we'll be well on our way. We do have a young core of guys I think are very talented and as the season's progressed you've seen them getting better and better and I think we can build off of that.

Q. Herb, these are two gentlemen you've grown to respect and know. How difficult was it for you basically picking one guy over the other from two people I would assume wanted to do this job?

Simon. It wasn't a matter of me selecting one or the other. When Donnie was here, I benefited, obviously the franchise did. The fact Donnie, unlike many people, would hire his own successor is an admirable trait that Donnie had. Therefore, him leaving, although it's sad on a personal level, he's left the franchise with a basketball program that can go on and on smoothly.

Q. Donnie, as you look back over your years as GM and president, what are you most proud of and what is your greatest frustration?

Walsh. I have a lot of things I'm proud of. I think everybody looks at when you're successful and we've had some successful years here and some successful players. Obviously, picking Reggie Miller and then the way it turned out, that was a success for us. But there are also minor successes that really are occurring right now when you look out there and you see a player that you know in the future is going to be a really good player but it's not evident yet. It reminds me when I look out there now of what I was looking at when Reggie and that group of players were getting in the playoffs but not going by the first round. I knew it was going to take some time, maybe some other players to put in there, but that eventually they could have the makings of a terrific team. That's more or less how I look at it.

I don't really look back on records, seasons, all that. Probably my biggest success was that I was here for an awful long time. When I first started, I counted up and looked, 'It's going to take me four years to get the players – Bird was playing then and they were good and they had been together five years – and they've got to play together three years, that's seven years, I'm not going to make it here. I'm going to be an interim guy.' Somehow I slipped through. I think this building was a source of pride for me and to have the (NBA) Finals in the building the first year was a source of pride for me but we didn't get the ultimate prize which we all seek. But I also think that the people you have with you, to see them go from dismal to more fun, to watch the city get excited about the team and start filling the arena and creating that excitement, all those things are great memories.

Q. Donnie, is this effective immediately or at the end of the season?

Walsh. I think in my mind I'm going on until they throw me out the door because I'm committed till the end of the season and I also think, depending on what happens with my future, at a certain point when the draft gets there if I'm going to be somewhere else you don't want me hanging around here. But those things are all to be decided and have nothing to do with today.

Q. Two-part question for Mr. Simon and Larry. This has obviously been a very difficult year on many levels. What do you see as the vision for the future of the franchise in terms of what you would like to see immediately and long-term and Larry, the same question as it pertains to the team.

Simon. No question, we have to do better in a lot of different areas. We do have a good core of I think very good players and we want to build on that. We want to get over the injury bug. We want to win more ballgames. We want to be more successful on the floor. And more importantly, and really this is equally as important, we really want to reconnect with the city and with our fans. We have had a disconnect and that hurts as much as anything, when you just lose your fan base and lose the great feelings we used to have in this city. So we're going to work on a two-pronged basis, improving our basketball and reconnecting with our fans and the city.

Bird. I agree with that. One thing about the team is we know what we have to do as a group to put the type of team out there that our fans want to see. You come to our games, you can see all the empty seats so there is a disconnect there. I think by getting the type of players that play hard every night and do the things in the community we should be doing, I think over time we'll get them to come back because they do have a great pride and a great passion for this team deep down. Over the last few years, it's sort of went away but we've got to reconnect with our fans and get 'em back in here because the team we have now plays very hard, they work very hard day-in and day-out and hopefully in the near future we can get the support these young men need.

Q. Larry, over the past few years, how much of a say have you had in player personnel moves?

Bird. We've been together on most things and we've talked everything out. Donnie from day one has been my boss and he still is my boss so we've talked things out since I've been here. It's not me walking in and saying, 'I just trade for this guy.' We go over everything, we talk about it on a daily basis. We talk about our team non-stop and how we're going to improve it. A lot of our problems stem from things that have happened off the court and that's one of the things we're going to go after and clean up. But this has been ongoing for five years.

Q. Is it going to be different, not having him to turn to?

Bird. No question it is going to be different but now it's one voice, it's mine.

Simon (smiling). He can always talk to me (laughter).

Bird (smiling). I'll talk to you about investments (laughter). Mr. Simon's involved in all that, too. Obviously we don't go out and make deals without him knowing about it. But going forward there's some things that I'd like to see happen and hopefully I can get it done.

Q. Donnie, five years ago when you brought Larry in you had just gone through a terrible personal experience with your family and maybe you were getting tired but in these intervening five years have you found that you really wanted to get back at it? Are you just lousy at retirement?

Walsh. That's a great question because I really did think that I was going to retire and I still think about that because that's one of the options I have out there. But the more I think about it, and I did spend one weekend where I went home and thought, 'OK, I'm going to sit here like I'm retired' and I thought I was going to jump out of my skin. That's one reason why I have developed some options, see where they go and see if I'm going to continue to do this or not. I haven't made that decision all the way. But, yeah, I don't know how good I'd be at that. But you're right, going back five years ago, that was a traumatic experience for me and jolted my soul and it took me awhile to get over that and I was thankful to have guys like Herb Simon and Mel Simon and Larry Bird with me at that time because that's something that you don't forget very easily.

Q. Herb, you talked a couple of weeks ago about reorganizing and restructuring. Are there going to be any other changes besides Larry taking over?

Simon. We're going to have continual discussions. We want to strengthen certain areas of the franchise so there will be some changes and hopefully get the whole team together working – basketball, business side, arena side – get everybody working together for the two things we want to do, win more games and reconnect with our fans.

Q. Herb, have you thought ahead to a ceremony for Donnie and can you get a deal on a Bentley?

Simon. Don't laugh. The first thing I said to him when he finally told me he's definitely leaving is we've got to have a special ceremony because Donnie's not leaving with his tail between his legs. He's leaving at a high. I don't care what the franchise is doing, what he's done for the city and the franchise, he should be lauded and applauded. But he said, 'No way, I will not let you do a special ceremony for me.' We haven't let him talk us out of it but the first thought I had was he should have a nice going-away somehow. I may get stuck with a car and not a ceremony but I'm going to get stuck with something – notice I didn't say Bentley.

Walsh. I've gotten everything that I could've dreamed out of this job. My personal belief is those kind of honors are reserved for people that played the game or coached the game, they’re not reserved for guys who had a job like me. I got paid. I did my best. That's as far as you can ask for.

Q. Larry, do you feel like you have even more pressure on you now? Fair or not, you've received a lot of criticism from fans over the last couple of seasons on the direction the franchise is going.

Bird. I've been doubted since the first time I stepped on a basketball court so it's no different. Pressure's pressure. I think I've dealt with it pretty well in the past and I'm sort of looking forward to it.

Walsh. I want to make one final statement: Thank you, Indiana.