<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">INDIANAPOLIS -- With Jermaine O'Neal out at least another month and Stephen Jackson the latest on an already lengthy list of casualties, the Indiana Pacers have barely enough healthy players for a scrimmage. Stephen Jackson Guard-Forward Indiana Pacers Profile 2006 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 44 15.6 4.0 2.3 42.007 75.439 Jackson and rookie Sarunas Jasikevicius are the only Pacers who have played in all 44 games this season. But Jackson's availability for Saturday's game against Detroit was questionable because of a hard fall in the second quarter of Indiana's 105-79 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night. Jackson was hospitalized with a bruised hip and scraped elbow. A further examination showed no fractures and he was released from the hospital early Thursday, the Pacers said. O'Neal, meanwhile, is out with a groin tear. Jeff Foster, who missed Tuesday's game at Washington, returned Wednesday night, but Austin Croshere was out with a concussion, and Jamaal Tinsley was sidelined with an elbow injury, leaving only nine healthy players. "We're behind the eight ball in terms of our personnel that are available," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're going to have to fly by the seat of our pants here and figure out enough ways to score enough points and get stops." Having Peja Stojakovic helps. In his second game since coming from Sacramento in the trade for Ron Artest, Stojakovic had 26 points and 13 rebounds against the Lakers. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak and evened Indiana's season record at 22-22. The Pacers also held Kobe Bryant to 26 points, 10 below his NBA-leading season average. Foster and rookie Danny Granger also were in double figures in both scoring and rebounding, and David Harrison was one rebound short of another double-double. "The energy our guys played with was exceptional. It was a much needed win for us," Carlisle said after the game. "This is the kind of game we talked about having to play, more up-tempo, more movement." The Pacers' next six games are also at home, giving them a better chance to get some rest and recuperation, as well as some wins. "The critical thing is going to be our decision-making," Carlisle said. "We need to play aggressively but not frantically." Stojakovic, who had 17 points in his Indiana debut at Washington, has led the Pacers in scoring in two of the three games since O'Neal went out. "It feels good to get a win. We played good basketball," Stojakovic said. "We came out with a lot of energy and all of our guys stepped up and met the challenge. We have to continue to be responsible. ... We have to build from this win on our homestand."</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2316906
Coach Carlisle has done an AMAZING job considering the distractions and injuries that this team has suffered...I know it wont happen, but he should seriously be considered for Coach of the Year...he really knows how to coach through adversity...
