Mark Berman's Blog

Former Toronto Raptors point guard T.J. Ford will not get the official word from the NBA that he has been traded to Indiana until July 9th, but he told FOX 26 Sports Friday he has taken the necessary physical that's required to make the deal work.

"I went to the Roger Clemens facility (Roger Clemens Institute at Memorial Hospital in Houston) and took an MRI and I'm pretty sure they sent the information to either Toronto or the Pacers and have their doctors look at it," Ford said.

"I haven't got any calls so I think everything's okay."

The blockbuster trade sent forward Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors for Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in Thursday's draft , and a second round pick.

According to NBA rules the trade cannot be made official until July 9th because Ford's contract makes him a base-year compensation player.

"Tjhis is something that was definitly expected," Ford said. "I wasn't coming into the offseason 100% thinking I was going back to Toronto.

"I'm happy to be a Pacer. Fresh, new start and an opportunity to play a lot of minutes and try to lead a team that wasn't in the playoffs, back to the playoffs."

Ford played high school basketball at Willowridge in suburban Houston and was an All-American at the University of Texas. Ford still makes his off-season home in Houston.

"It's exciting because it's a big challenge ahead," Ford said. "Going to a situation where a team is trying to change the face of the organization and the team is trying to get fans back into the arena. To say I'm part of that change feels good.

"They traded an All-Star player for me."

In his first interview since the trade became public, Ford said he hopes the Indiana Pacers can become his home for a long time.

"Hopefully, this is my home and a place where I can really, really establish myself and be the type of player I know I'm capable of being," Ford said.

"It's just taken me a little longer to find a home where I can sit there and be there for more than two years. So hopefully this is the place."

Ford began his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to Toronto.