Well the time has finally come for Larry Bird to leave the nest. The Simon/Pacer Nest that is. I think its time yes he has had a great career in Indiana and will always be just as much a legend here as he is in Boston!

Larry Bird is “100 percent sure” he will not return as president of the Indiana Pacers, sources told The Indianapolis Star on Monday.

After plenty of back-and-forth speculation following the Indiana Pacers exit from the playoffs, team president Larry Bird will reportedly step down officially after meeting with owner Herb Simon on Tuesday.

Personally I think we can blame free agency for Larry leaving the Pacers. Otherwise he would have quietly stepped out after the draft. I suspect he didn’t get the answers he wanted from Simon about exceeding the cap, and he’s known since then that Walsh would come in and take his job because he probably didn’t want to try to turn basically last year’s team, minus Barbosa and Lou (plus a draft pick or two) into a contender for even the ECF (because it’s likely not possible). Didn’t want to fight a losing battle. He’s too competitive and he has enough money and, well, he’s wanted to retire for a while now.

When Bird left as a coach, we lost our starting point guard (Mark Jackson), starting power forward (D. Davis) and starting center (Smits) the following season. If you’re superstitious, this could be an omen.

You dont just step away from this type of success so quickly. We’ll know more sooner rather than later. We’ll be able to tell or feel whats really up here. Larry will come out with a new book to tell all eventually. BUT FOR THE MEANTIME – THIS SUCKS!!!!! GOOD LUCK LARRY.

Bird steps down less than two months after being named NBA’s Executive of the Year, which made him the first person in NBA history to be named Executive of the Year, Coach of the Year (1998, Pacers) and the league’s Most Valuable Player (1984-1986, Celtics).

We here at Indy Pro Sports wish Larry Bird the best of luck!