<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Here are some tidbits I?ve heard over the past week or so: --Most of the players have been working out at Conseco on a regular basis. I haven?t seen any of the workouts because they?re closed to the media. One person told me this has been one of the best offseasons for the players in recent years. Coach Rick Carlisle went down to Atlanta to see Jamaal Tinsley a couple of weeks ago. Tinsley, who spent most of the summer in Atlanta, is supposedly in great shape and has been working with a trainer. I?m sure many of you will reserve judgment on Tinsley, who has battled numerous injuries the past three seasons, until the season starts. Sarunas Jasikevicius reportedly worked out with his former European team Maccabi Tel Aviv during summer. --Forward Jermaine O?Neal had a sensational summer. What?s impressed many is that he spent most of the summer in Indy and he worked on his whole body rather than just his upper half with the team?s strength and conditioning coach Shawn Windle. There?s a feeling O?Neal will be back to the form that allowed him to finish in the top three of the MVP voting several years ago. --The final two roster spots are wide open. John Edwards, Snap Hunter, Josh Powell, Rawle Marshall and Orien Greene will be battling it out for those two spots. The Pacers have to decide what they want to do with Powell because his contract becomes guaranteed early next week. --The starting frontcourt is far from set. There?s been a lot of talk of Jermaine O?Neal, Danny Granger and Al Harrington being the starting frontcourt. Carlisle has several options he can use. Jeff Foster or David Harrison can start at center with O?Neal and Harrington playing the forward spots. The opposing center can also dictate who starts. --This group of players have already started developing a strong bond. The addition of Darrell Armstrong and the maturity of Jermaine O?Neal and Al Harrington have played a part in that. Last year?s team had issues over playing time playing time (Anthony Johnson and Sarunas Jasikevicius) and contract questions (Fred Jones) before training camp even started. </div> Source
