So much for Mike Dunleavy being ready for the Pacers' regular-season opener. Dunleavy's return attempt came to a screeching halt when an MRI showed a "grade-2 strain." "(The strain is) on the back of his ligament that only shows up on an MRI," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "It's going to take some time for that to heal before he can get on the basketball court." Dunleavy, who was limited to 18 games last season, won't be back on the practice court until some time in November and the Pacers have no idea when he'll be ready to play in a game. O'Brien felt Dunleavy would be ready for the Oct. 28 opener at Atlanta prior to his recent setback.
Dunleavy had surgery to remove a bone spur from his right patellar tendon and then had the tendon repaired in March.
The Pacers will have a difficult time making the playoffs if Dunleavy's out for a significant amount time because he's their smartest offensive player and best off-the-ball defender.
"They were a borderline playoff team with him in the lineup and they'll be a long shot to make it if he's out an extended amount of time," a league official said. "He's got such a high basketball IQ. He's their smartest player."
