IC Cold Links: Hansbrough Debuts A New Commercial; More Larry Bird Analysis

The majority of the news surrounding the Indiana Pacers yesterday centered on the passing of co-owner Mel Simon, and rightly so. But there were a couple of other tidbits that needed separated from the many links of wonderfully written stories on Simon's career. Here's what also happened in PacerLand yesterday after the jump.

• After his tremendous radio interview with team president Larry Bird last week, Mark Montieth wrote a story for Sports Illustrated on Bird's front-office career with the Pacers. It's a great article that examines the fans' angst while waiting for Bird to hit the lottery and bring the blue and gold back to the playoffs.
• If you blinked during the commercial breaks of your favorite television show last night, you probably missed the appearance of Pacers rookie Tyler Hansbrough. As Eight Points, Nine Seconds notes, Hansbrough stars in a new AT&T commercial that began airing this week. Hansbrough doesn't have a speaking part, which is a probably a good thing, as he finds a lost dog for a child. 
• Indianapolis Star reporter Mike Wells tweeted that the Pacers are close to signing guard Luther Head.
• Former Pacers player Scot Pollard, who is 34 years old, believes his NBA career is likely over, according to Lawrence Journal-News.
• ESPN reports that the contract talks between the NBA and its referees were severed again yesterday as the refs voted down the NBA's latest proposal with a 57-0 "No" vote.