Knee Tendinitis Slows Dunleavy

Shapecity · Oct 3, 2008

It's no surprise the Indiana Pacers spent their first day of training camp focusing on conditioning and defense.

Injured swingman Mike Dunleavy spent his watching from the sideline as his teammates sprinted and worked on about "75 percent" of their defensive schemes.

Dunleavy, the Pacers' second-leading scorer last season, developed tendinitis in his right knee after playing pick-up games this summer in California. He isn't sure when he will make his camp debut.

"It started getting worse and worse and it never went away," he said. "I haven't been able to get it calmed down."

Point guard Travis Diener, who will play behind T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack, was limited in practice because of ongoing soreness in his left foot following surgery to remove bone spurs from his left big toe. It is uncertain when Diener will be able to go through a full practice.

Power forward? Check
The Pacers didn't acquire a low-post scoring power forward this offseason. That's OK with coach Jim O'Brien because he already has the player he wants.

"I view our power forward as Troy Murphy," O'Brien said. "He can probably be better in the low post than I used him. I'm very happy to have Troy as my power forward. To play the way I want to play the power forward -- which goes against the idea of power -- it has to be a guy that can shoot the 3. If he also happens to be a guy that can punish you inside, that's great, too."

Team president Larry Bird believes Murphy will have his best season. Murphy said he is not worried about his offense. His emphasis has shifted to defense -- just like his teammates.

"I need to step in, take charges, things like that, be a team defender," Murphy said. "That's where I really need to improve. If I do that, I'll be on the court more and the offense will take care of itself."

Getting to know: T.J. Ford
Q: Most players usually idolize somebody growing up. Who was your idol?

A: Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, (Allen) Iverson, Stephon Marbury and Jason Kidd. Those were the five people that I still love to this day and I still try to take pieces of their game and add to my game and study those guys. They've definitely been superstars most of their life and took programs to the next level.

Q: Have you ventured around Indianapolis to find a favorite place to eat yet?

A: Probably Fogo de Chao.

Q: That's not a local place, though. Is it because they've got several in your home state of Texas?

A: They do have some down there. As far as anything else, I haven't found a place.

Q: What was your first reaction when you talked to Larry Bird after the trade?

A: The freaky thing was the voice message after the trade. Just hearing him on my voice message. You see Larry Bird and he's a living legend and it's different because you don't expect to meet Larry Bird. I've been knowing Michael (Jordan) since I was in college, but you don't expect to meet Larry Bird ever.

Q: A lot of NBA beat writers refer to Toronto as Canada's version of New York City. How is Toronto different from Indy?

A: Toronto is a nice city. I definitely enjoyed it. The fans there pretty much were good to me. We had a few moments, but nothing that made me say anything. I loved the city. Being here it's more of a mellow city, very low key. It's a good vibe, a good feeling and I'm just looking forward to having the city get behind us. It's all about basketball when it's basketball time.

Quote of the day
"He had the best practice of anybody today."

O'Brien on forward Austin Croshere, who is trying to beat out one, maybe two players, to earn a roster spot. O'Brien said he didn't think Croshere missed a shot during practice. He did it with Bird watching.
Click to expand...

Source: IndyStar

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Knee Tendinitis Slows Dunleavy

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Knee Tendinitis Slows Dunleavy

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