The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports: The Indiana Pacers have gone from being optimistic that swingman Mike Dunleavy will soon return to the lineup from his right knee problems to wondering if he’ll play again this season. “I don’t know,” coach Jim O’Brien said when asked about Dunleavy’s status. “I know when they say he’s out indefinitely, there is a chance he can come back. When that is, this year? I’m not sure. I don’t feel like we have all the (medical) information available to make that determination yet.” … O’Brien continues to team Jarrett Jack in the backcourt with T.J. Ford in Dunleavy’s place.
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Gerald Wallace shines, Bobcats beat Pacers 103-94
The AP reports: Gerald Wallace scored 25 points to lead six players in double figures and Charlotte pulled away in the second half to win its first game since the All-Star break. Wallace had his best outing in just his second game back after sitting out because of a broken rib and a partially collapsed lung suffered during the Bobcats’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 27… Wallace, who also had 10 rebounds and seven assists Wednesday, was 5-of-17 from the field, but made 15 of 17 free throws… Ekema Okafor had 12 points and 12 rebounds, Raymond Felton added 16 points, Vladimir Radmanovic had 15, Boris Diaw 14 and Raja Bell 11 for Charlotte. Troy Murphy had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pacers, who played most of the game without All-Star forward Danny Granger.
Granger’s double-double leads Pacers past 76ers
The AP reports: Danny Granger had 20 points—five under his season average—but five other Pacers finished in double figures to pick up the slack in Indiana’s 100-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night… Troy Murphy scored 17 points, eight in the fourth quarter, Roy Hibbert and T.J. Ford each had 14, Jarrett Jack chipped in with 12 and Marquis Daniels had 11 for the Pacers, who led by as many as 20 points in the first half… Andre Iguodala had 20 points and nine assists, Louis Williams scored 17 and Thaddeus Young added 16 points and nine rebounds for Philadelphia, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Pacers notes
Positive-leaning team notes on the Indiana Pacers:
A leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, Danny Granger is on course to become the first player in NBA history to improve his scoring average by at least five points a game in three consecutive seasons. Granger is fifth in the NBA this season with an average of 25.5 ppg, which is nearly six points per game more than his average (19.7) of a season ago.
T.J. Ford headed into the All-Star break with his best assists game of the season, having dealt 13 against the Bucks in Milwaukee, Feb. 11. Ford has handed 10 or more assists three times this season and has averaged 7.2 assists per game in his last six games.At Milwaukee, Feb. 11, Troy Murphy’s 23 points included five 3-pt field goals, giving him a career-high 104 3-pointers this season, and giving the Pacers at least two players with 100+ 3-pt FGS for the second straight season. Indiana had more than one player with at least 100 3-pt field goals in the same season just two times in their first 30 NBA seasons.
Over his last 25 games, Murphy has shot 64-132 from long distance (.485) and he is now 11th in the NBA with a career-best 43.5 percent from beyond the 3-pt arc.
Jermaine O’Neal to wear No.7
The South Florida Sun-Sentinal (Ira Winderman) reports: Jermaine O’Neal will wear No. 7, Shawn Marion’s former number, with Jamario Moon to wear No. 8, which means the Heat will not, after all, be retiring Antoine Walker’s number. (Moon wore No. 33 in Toronto, which soon will be retired in honor of Alonzo Mourning. The late Alec Kessler is the only other Heat player to have worn No. 33.)
NBA to borrow $175 million
The Sports Business Journal (Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo) reports: The NBA is set to borrow $175 million Feb. 26, marking one of the first league financings since the implosion of the credit markets last fall. The money, which will be available to 15 teams, supplements an existing $1.7 billion leaguewide credit facility that uses the NBA’s media contracts as collateral to secure loans for the clubs. The NBA surveyed its teams, and 15 responded they would like to tap into the new borrowing. While the league said it is pleased to borrow in an extremely illiquid credit market, the deal came at a cost, with interest rates up to 8.27 percent, hammering home the notion that the era of cheap money in sports is over. The 15 teams can use the money for any purpose, but covering operating losses may be high on the list.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Loan me three fiddy. I want some ribs.
Danny Granger on how his jumpshot improved
Indiana Pacers swingman Danny Granger is an All-Star, and has made his strides in improving his shooting ability. Here’s what he said Friday at NBA All-Star weekend:
Question: How did you improve on your jump shot? It’s clearly gotten better.
Danny Granger: I had surgery on my shoulder in my junior year and I started altering my jump shots to make them more efficient. And my rookie year I changed them, just to fine‑tune, and it has been helping me.
Question: So you changed it twice in two years?
Danny Granger: Not dramatically. I don’t know if anyone else would be able to really tell other than myself, but I actually did change it.
Question: What did you change the second time?
Danny Granger: A lot of times I was shooting the ball with all my fingertips. Actually, I’m better shooting off my palm I found. I’m much more accurate with it.
Pacers plan on renegotiating arena lease
The Indianapolis Star (Jeff Rabjohns) reports: NBA commissioner David Stern expressed confidence professional basketball would remain in Indianapolis but stopped short of saying he was certain it would. The Indiana Pacers have the right to renegotiate their Conseco Fieldhouse lease after this season, and plan to do so. The team has lost a reported $7 million the past two seasons, but co-owner Herb Simon told The Star at the end of January the amount is more than that… The Simons pay the cost for operating Conseco Fieldhouse, estimated at $15 million. The Capital Improvement Board pays the operating costs for Lucas Oil Stadium, which it says were $27.2 million in 2008.
No surprise Danny Granger is All-Star
The Indianapolis Star (Jeff Rabjohns) reports: Several fellow All-Stars said they were not surprised Danny Granger has become an All-Star. Denver guard Chauncey Billups worked out with Granger in Las Vegas over the summer. “He’s stronger than people think. He’s long. He can score. He can shoot it from anywhere. He can post up and score. He puts it on the ground pretty good. He’s a difficult cover,” said Billups, the former Detroit Piston in his fourth All-Star game. The 6-9 Granger entered All-Star weekend sixth in the league in scoring, behind LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant. “Danny’s been doing it for a while now. We played against each other in college when he was at New Mexico, and now he developed a great confidence and his teammates have that confidence in him,” said New Orleans star and Wake Forest product Chris Paul. “Every night, you expect 30 from Danny, and that’s the way you become an All-Star.”
Jefferson scores 32, Bucks beat Pacers 122-110
The AP reports: Ramon Sessions scored 15 points and added a season-high 17 assists, and Richard Jefferson scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half, leading Milwaukee to a 122-110 win over Indiana on Wednesday night. Milwaukee (26-29) tied its win total from last season and improved to 2-1 without starters Michael Redd (knee), Andrew Bogut (back) and Luke Ridnour (thumb). Sessions is averaging 28.3 points per game and 12 assists in the starting role… Troy Murphy scored 23 points and Jack had 21, but Indiana fell short again after a wild win over Cleveland on Tuesday night because the Pacers allowed the Bucks to shoot 53 percent.