O'Neal said he talked extensively with Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh on Tuesday to explain his position. He has not spoken with Bird, but offered no criticism of the Pacers front office in his radio interview.

"Those guys are doing a great job up there," he said.

Q. It's clear you have an enormous amount of confidence in Coach O'Brien. How big an impact can a coach have on the situation?
A. I've been in this league 27 years and I've seen it over and over again. If you have the right frame of mind and the guys buy into what you're trying to do, you will have success. When I coached here, the team had some injuries, they won 39 games, and just by the change of scenery and a new direction the guys won 58 games. I ain't saying I was the reason for that but there was a change in scenery and a different style. The guys have to buy into it. We tried to change our culture around here, first of all. We went through a lot the last three years. I have a great passion for this franchise because I followed this franchise since the ABA years. I know what Indiana's all about. I know the style they want to play. I know they want these to come out every day and work hard not only during the games but in practice. They want them to be good citizens. That's what we're trying to change here and I think we're on the right track. Eventually, it's all going to come together.