A bit of non-news.  Pacers guard Luther Head has agreed to a two-year contract with the New Orleans Hornets.

Not much of a loss for the Pacers to be honest, especially since it looks like Lance Stephenson will be good enough to get some minutes.  Head fell out of the rotation regularly under Jim O'Brien (so did most of the other guys) and averaged 7.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 47 games last season.

Now the question is whether New Orleans is shopping second-year PG Darren Collison.  If so, send him the Pacers' way!  We'll take him with open arms.  Before you get too excited, this is just wishful thinking.  Head is more of a backup SG (though he can play the point) and it's doubtful whether the Hornets are interested in trading him.  Besides, even if they are, the Pacers' history suggests that he won't end up in Indiana (or he'll suddenly become a bust once he gets here).

Now that we've had time to put the shock of Lebron not joining the Pacers behind us, let's recap what has been happening in the world of the Indiana Pacers the last couple of days.

First of all, the Orlando Summer League.  The Pacers went 3-2.  10th overall pick Paul George (who has the lamest photo on the Pacers' NBA homepage right now) averaged 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals, but shot horribly.

Second round pick Lance Stephenson was the surprise hit, averaging 14.8 points and shooting 0.733 from the field in the first 3 games before injuring his thigh and sitting out the next 2.  The other second round pick Magnum Rolle averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Let me just remind everyone that the Summer League performances mean as much as me hitting a shot from my driveway.

Oh, and Roy Hibbert, one of the bright spots from last season, injured his knee when he slipped in an international game playing for Jamaica.  Thank goodness it was believed to be minor.

It's a done deal.  Lebron James is joining the Miami Heat in the hope that he can win multiple championships with Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh (plus whoever else the team can get for low dollars).

Even though Miami was speculated to be the popular choice, I just couldn't quite believe it.  I understand some people saying that Lebron has sold out.  He has betrayed his home team in Cleveland, who have done everything they could to help him win over the last few years.  He has given up the challenge of winning by himself in the place that drafted him.  He has forgone the opportunity to play under the bright lights of New York City.  He didn't want to follow the footsteps of Michael Jordan and play in Chicago.

Instead, Lebron went with the easiest way out -- joining fellow All-Stars D-Wade and Chris Bosh to form the new Big Three.

I must say while I am intrigued by the prospect of such a terrific trio playing on the same court for an entire season (and possibly for many years), I have lost a little bit of respect for Lebron.  I wanted him to be loyal and stay true to his fans in Cleveland, who are absolutely heart broken.  I wonder if they will boo him (along with the fans in New York and Chicago?) when he returns to play next season.  I'd be surprised if they didn't.

However, I don't fault Lebron for his decision.  At the end of the day, all he cares about is winning.  He is taking less than max money to play for a championship.  When it's all said and done, people are going to look at the number of championship rings he has on his fingers and make an assessment as to where he belongs in the GOAT discussion.  If he only has one or two (or none), that's not going to be enough to get him there.  In Miami, he has the chance to win five or six, or perhaps even more?

On the other hand, if I were the Lakers, the Magic or the Celtics, I wouldn't exactly be quivering in my boots just yet.  Yes, this new Big Three is pretty impressive, but we'll have to wait and see what other pieces they can scrap together.  With these three guys taking up the majority of the cap space, who else are they going to get?  Basketball is, after all, a team sport.

That said, I don't see it being a huge problem for the Heat.  For starters, Boston proved a Big Three could be enough.  In any case, I bet there will be plenty of solid veterans and role players willing to play for the Heat at miminum money.

Provided there are no serious injuries, the Miami Heat are going to be lethal next season.

...and then I woke up...

King James just announced his decision live on ESPN -- he's joining D-Wade and Chris Bosh and a bunch of scrubs in Miami!

Why not join Danny Granger and Summer League superstar Lance Stephenson?  Chances of winning are pretty close...

All three new Pacers rookies played in their first Summer League game against the Orlando Magic, a 86-77 victory.

Second round pick Lance Stephenson impressed the most with 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting to lead the way.  10th overall pick Paul George struggled from the field but was perfect from the line en route to 12 points, while 51st pick Magnum Rolle had 13 points and 5 boards.

Nothing to start spraying your pants over, but a win is a win, even if it is in the Summer League where almost nothing ever translates to the regular season.  Nevertheless, it's good to let these rookies get a bit of a run and see how they perform against their peers.  Hopefully they can keep this up and make things interesting.