Jermaine O'Neal, who has been on the shelf since mid-January with knee issues, could be close to returning to the court for the Pacers, according to the New York Post.
Peter Vecsey seems to think that Jermaine might need to return in order to save the jobs of both Larry Bird and Jim O'Brien.
The Pacers will play in Dallas and Orlando this weekend before hosting the Knicks, Bobcats ,and Timberwolves next week
Hopefully he comes back, puts up 20/12/3 and someone is stupid enough to trade for him. They really should give him every opportunity to put up stats. If we still have him and Murphy we have no chance to re-sign Granger w/o going into the luxury tax.
i don't listen to vecsey. i don't care if o'neal comes back or not as long as he's gone by the end of summer.
hes not going to be going no where unless he comes back and can prove that he has healed his injuries. No team wants a $19 mill / year injured player. JO has to come back and prove he can play still
hes not going to be going no where unless he comes back and can prove that he has healed his injuries. No team wants a $19 mill / year injured player. JO has to come back and prove he can play still
Jermaine O'Neal plans to return for Monday's game against Miami, and adding a six-time All-Star to the mix could provide a much-needed lift for the Pacers in their battle for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"I’m going to play on Monday," O'Neal said after the Pacers beat New Jersey 123-115 Saturday night. "I’ll play Monday. As far as being able to really score the way that I want to score in the low box it’s probably going to take me a game or so, but I think that I’m going to fit right in defensively. I think that’s what the team expects of me to do."
Out since Jan. 16 with a bone bruise and swelling in his left knee, O'Neal returned to practice March 19 and has been working to regain his game conditioning. He has missed the last 33 games, during which the Pacers went 12-21. O'Neal said he plans to take a cautious approach to playing time, at least initially, and that he expects "20 to 25 minutes off the bench" Monday night.
"Obviously, I have to play my way back into shape," he said. "It’s unfortunate that we only have nine games left but the period of time that I was out was the period of time that I needed to get my knee back. Obviously I dealt with this knee for two years, and it’s been quite an issue. It’s had me in and out of the lineup. So I wanted to be done with that. I’m healed from it, and I’m looking forward to trying to get this team in the playoffs."
With the offense humming right along, averaging 112.6 points in the last eight games, O'Neal should provide the biggest lift to a defense that has yielded 113.4 points in the last five.
He's going to slow down our offense. They'll revert to what the Pacers used to LOVE to do: Throw it into Jermaine in the post, everyone else backs away, and he does a fadeaway jumpshot from the baseline.
He's going to slow down our offense. They'll revert to what the Pacers used to LOVE to do: Throw it into Jermaine in the post, everyone else backs away, and he does a fadeaway jumpshot from the baseline.
Game. Set. Match.
i was at the game last night and the first play he came in the game he traveled, then on the other end he blocked a shot and got whistled for the foul. after that he played pretty decent, a block or 2, 9 points and 3-4 rebounds when i left at end of 3rd quarter.
Could Jermaine Return Soon In Indiana?
