Harrington All Smiles Upon Return To Pacers

Bird: (opening statement): I don't think Al needs an introduction but I can tell you how pleased we are to have him back with us. He's an individual that works very hard, he brings a lot to the table. We're just very excited about having him back in a Pacer uniform. He's a fit that's really going to take us to the next level. We do have a lot of talent on this team and we’ve got a different style this year but I think he's going to fit in great.

Harrington: (opening statement) I'm just happy to be back to finally get to winning again. What was it, 39 games in two years is no fun. I'm happy we can get back to not only just the playoffs but to talk about competing for a championship, so I'm very excited about that. I guess, at the end of the day, I feel like I should've never left.

Question: Who's happier, you or your folks?
Harrington: I think both. I'm very close to my family. They love Indiana. They almost don't feel like they're from Jersey anymore so they're happy to have me back home.

Question: What did you gain from your two years in Atlanta?
Harrington: I learned a lot as a basketball player and about myself. These last two years have been very tough, very trying but at the end of the day I feel God put me there for a reason and it made me a better player and I think I'll be able to handle my career from this point forward much better. It was rough but I learned a lot and I've realized what it was all about. I always knew it was about winning, but I really know that now. I'm just excited to get back to that.

Question: So you feel better for that experience?
Harrington: Definitely, because it gave me a chance to spread my wings a little bit and see what kind of player I am. Sometimes, I look at it like when you're in a situation like I was here for six years, sometimes as a player you can be taken for granted. That's how I felt when I left. I felt I was much better than I was getting credit for. In Atlanta I was able to show that I am as good as I thought I was and now that I'm back here, I'll be able to display it on this stage, a grand stage of a team that's trying to win a championship.

Question: How have you changed as a player?
Harrington: I think my shooting has gotten a lot better from when I was here last time, that's the biggest thing I've improved on. Just my mental aspect of the game, I feel like every year I've become a better player all-around.

Question: What is your impression of the moves the Pacers have made this offseason?
Harrington: It almost reminds me of how it was after we went to the Finals. They kind of broke the team up but rebuilding here is still competing for a championship, not like rebuilding in Atlanta and other places where you go to winning 10 games. It shows they wanted to bring in a lot of good guys so that they can still compete, and compete at a high level. That's what I feel like they've done.

Question: You were one of the young guys when you were here before but now you're a veteran. Do you feel that will allow your leadership skills to rise to the surface?
Harrington: Definitely. I lead by example a lot of times. I'm going to do the same thing I did when I was here last time – come to practice every day, practice hard, bring the enthusiasm to the court. Hopefully it just spreads among everybody.

Question: How do you expect to be able to play off of Jermaine O'Neal?
Harrington: It'll be fun. Obviously, he's going to be on the block first but there's going to be a lot of times he's going to need a break and I can get down there and do what I have to do. And since I've improved my shooting, I think it'll help him because we can spread the floor.

Question: You were quoted in the Atlanta newspaper saying you thought the deal was dead?
Harrington: I don't think I ever said the deal was dead. It just seemed at one point it wasn't going to happen so that's I was trying to say. What happened was my agent thought I should get more than four years, and that's why it came out that way. But at the end of the day, this is the best situation for me.

Question: You also were quoted as saying you were going to be a beast here and everything is personal now. Why is that?
Harrington: I learned a lot about the business this time around. I thought free agency would be a lot more fun. I don't think I ever want to go through free agency again. I was going to ask Larry for an extension right now so I don't have to go through this again. I just learned a lot. It was rough. I really thought it was going to be on July 1 I was going to know exactly where I was going. It didn't go that way and I think I've been through all this stuff to get back here where I think I'm supposed to be at.

Question: Larry, did you ever feel like this deal wasn't going to happen?
Bird: Well you really don't know. We was dealing with a lot of different people. Al switched agents, was dealing with Atlanta. The first go-round we thought Atlanta was asking too much so after talking to them a couple weeks, with the involvement of our owner they came off a lot of what they was asking for so we got it back going. Then Al was wanting a longer term. At this time, we didn't feel like we could do that. When it was all said and done, Al agreed to come and that's the important things.

Question: Al, did your sense of inevitability about this waver? Or did you feel, deep down, this was where you'd wind up all along?
Harrington: I really did. I think maybe after two or three weeks of the process when I looked at all the situations, realizing that Atlanta didn't want to take any players back, it just seemed like this was the only situation I had. But at the same time, it was a situation I wouldn't mind coming into because I was so familiar with the situation.

Question: What do you expect from this team?
Harrington: It seems like we're going to be a lot of fun – athletic, entertaining and just trying to win as many games as possible. I know they want to change the style from grinding to running and I think that'll be good, especially when you have a lot of the young guys we have. At the end of the day, we know what wins games. It's going to be defense and you're going to have to grind games out at the end. But if we can make it as fun as possible for us and the fans I think it'll be a good thing.

Question: What number will you wear?
Harrington: Man, I want 3 but it doesn't look like I'm going to get it so I might wear 32, for No. 3 and it's my second time around.

Question: Does this mean you're involved in a new negotiation, this time for your number?
Harrington: I'm so tired of negotiations, man, I'm going to leave it alone. I'll take whatever number I can get.

Question: Larry, what is it about Al that attracted you? Was it something from when you coached him before?
Bird: Al said it earlier, his love for the game, his dedication to being on time, being here early, staying late, doing everything necessary to get better. One thing you can't question about Al Harrington is his work ethic. He's the type of guy we need around here. This is their job, and he takes it very serious. We didn't want to get rid of Al in the first place. He's the one that wanted to be traded and I understand that. I played in this league and I seen a lot of players with the same attitudes, that they thought they could do better elsewhere. Once they find out it's a little tougher, they mature and they grow as a player but it's tough when you lose a lot of games. We're very happy to have him back. We think he's a perfect fit for what we need. I like our front line of Jermaine, Danny Granger and Al. I like our backcourt when we're healthy. I think we've got a deep team. Yeah, we've got a new look with a lot of guys but we've got guys that can play. We're going to be very good this year.

Question: If you didn't have the same level of familiarity with Al, would you have had the same level of interest?
Bird: For a first-round draft choice you get a kid that can average 18 points and seven or eight rebounds; that's pretty good. We know Al. We're honored for the opportunity to get him back. I've been talking to his dad off and on for a year and he's been begging us to bring him back. He's the type of individual we needed and we're very fortunate to be sitting here today and have him be a part of our team again.

Question: Are you finished making moves or are more on the way?
Bird: Well, I think you always look to get better and if there's something out there that will make us better, we'll do it. Right now I'm very happy with what we have but we're not done. We have a month-and-a-half before the season starts and we'll be looking to get better. Obviously, outside shooting, if we can find somebody that can shoot the ball from the perimeter, we'll look at that. And maybe another big guy, I don't know. But I like the nucleus of our team. We've got guys that are competitive, are good guys that are going to work hard. It'll be a new team but hopefully the outcome will be good for the Indiana Pacers.

Question: Because of how long this took to wrap up, did you lose the opportunity to enjoy it when it happened? How did you react when it became final?
Harrington: Obviously I was happy because I just wanted a home. But when you look at the process, I was upset about it because I looked at it like I went to a situation in Atlanta where, whenever you win 13 and 26 games, you know there must be a lot of bad things that go on. With me, I never ever said anything in the public, I did the same thing I did here – come to practice early, did all the right things. And I felt like when it was my time for them to help me, I didn't feel like they did at the speed I would've liked, I guess. It taught me patience. At first I was bitter about it but I look at it like it was a blessing because it got me where I wanted to be anyway.

Question: You made 35 percent from the arc last season, so do you consider yourself a 3-point shooter now?
Harrington: Not yet, but I can hit an open one if they leave me out there. My first year in Atlanta I didn’t make any so they left me open all the time and I just started knocking them down. I guess all the hard work in practice finally decided to pay off a little bit.

Question: Larry, how important was $7.5 million trade exception in this deal and how were you able to get that?
Bird: That was a big player. We wouldn't have Al sitting here if we didn't have it. David Morway did a lot of work on that to talk to all the parties involved and we was very fortunate to get our hands on it, no question. Everybody said it was a favor for Herb Simon; God bless him because it helped us out and it's a big plus for us. If we didn't have it, Al probably wouldn't be here right now.

Question: Theoretically, (the Hornets) could've just signed Peja (Stojakovic as a free agent)?
Bird: Right, so there was a favor a long the way somewhere - $200,000 (paid to the Hornets in the deal that brought back the trade exception).