INDIANAPOLIS - The Pacers officially began pursuit of Rick Carlisle on Thursday but did not expect to sign him as coach until next week.
Carlisle, a former Pacers assistant and coach at Detroit the past two years, became available when he was fired in May. He was the first choice for the Pacers after new team president Larry Bird, Carlisle's Celtics teammate and boss when Bird was Pacers coach, fired Isiah Thomas on Wednesday.
Bird said meetings with Carlisle were progressing, but an announcement would be unlikely before next week.
Pacers forward Ron Artest said he was not surprised by the coaching change.
But Jermaine O'Neal said he would not have re-signed if he had known the Pacers were going to fire Thomas.
"I don't know who I would have signed with, but I would not have signed back there. Bottom line," O'Neal said at the Tournament of the Americas, where he is competing for the United States in qualifying for the 2004 Olympics.
O'Neal said he will address the situation with the front office next week. He would not answer when asked if he would demand a trade.
"Am I disappointed? Hell, yeah. I'm extremely disappointed for multiple reasons," O'Neal said. "I was told he would be here before I re-signed. If your boss told you your ace is going to be there for you if you come back, and once you come back not even a month later he's not there, that hurts. That hurts a lot. He was more than a coach to me. He was like a father."
BRYANT CASE: Prosecutors in the sexual assault case against the Lakers' Kobe Bryant said they will not appeal a Colorado judge's order to release some of the sealed court records. The documents slated for release will not threaten Bryant's right to a fair trial or the privacy rights of the woman who has accused him of rape, District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said. Last week, Judge Frederick Gannett ruled the arrest warrant and related documents could be released to the public.
The judge on Thursday granted a request from news organizations to place cameras in a hallway outside the courtroom during the hearing. He hasn't ruled on a request to allow cameras inside the courtroom.
TRAIL BLAZERS: Guard Damon Stoudamire may stand trial Sept.29 on drug charges. Defense attorneys Steve Houze and Michael Piccarreta will try to convince a Pima County (Ariz.) Justice Court judge to suppress evidence stemming from a search of Stoudamire on July3 at Tucson International Airport. Stoudamire was charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
WARRIORS: Jason Richardson was convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from an assault on his ex-girlfriend. Roshonda Jacqmain testified Wednesday that Richardson, 22, pushed her and she struck her head against a wall April29 in Saginaw, Mich. Richardson said he was acting in self defense and remained free on bond pending a sentencing hearing, which was not scheduled. He faces up to 93 days in jail and $500 in fines.
PISTONS-RAPTORS TRADE: Detroit traded Michael Curry to Toronto for Lindsey Hunter. Curry started at small forward last season, averaging 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds. Hunter, a former draft pick of the Pistons, averaged 9.7 points and 2.4 assists.
CONNECTICUT 68, CHARLOTTE 66: Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 20, including the winning layup with 2.3 seconds left, to lead the host Sun in the opener of its best-of-three East playoff series.
MINNESOTA 74, L.A. 72: Tamika Williams stole a pass and scored with seven seconds left as the host Lynx overcame a 21-point deficit to take a 1-0 lead in the West series.
