Bird's future with Pacers to be decided soon

INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers president Larry Bird will know his status in a week or so.

Bird is in the final year of his contract and Indiana owner Herb Simon said Friday that he will meet with Bird in the next 10 days to see if they can agree on an extension or if it's time for the franchise to part ways with one of the state's greatest hoops heroes.

The Pacers head into the offseason coming off their first postseason appearance since 2006. The young team has four starters with three or fewer years of experience, and will have the salary-cap space to add pieces. Danny Granger, the veteran starter, is 28. None of the remaining starters is older than 25.

Simon says Bird has done his job well. Now, Bird wants to see how much Simon is willing to spend to make that group better.