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Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy will likely miss the remainder of the regular season with an ongoing knee problem.

"I think he's done for the year," coach Jim O'Brien said. "That's where I think he is. Whether he thinks he is or somebody else does, I'm proceeding as if he's going to be done for the rest of the year."

Dunleavy, who has only played in 18 games this season, hasn't appeared on the court in two weeks.

"He's looking at all his options," O'Brien said. "It's disappointing for him, and also something that's difficult for the franchise to deal with because he makes a lot of money, deservedly so, but you're operating on a situation where if you don't have somebody like that, that you're operating on less of a budget. That's a difficult situation."

Well this can be looked at two ways. You can look at it from the dreamer's standpoint and pretend that we had a legit shot at making the playoffs and being a factor this season, or you can look at it as a bit of a blessing because he can get ample rest for his knee and will free up minutes to further develop Rush. Marquis is playing well enough right now to quell the loss of Dunleavy in my opinion anyway.

What sort of thinker are you?

I'm the kind of thinker that thinks that thinks we should still try to make the playoffs, and that it's a great opportunity to develop Rush in a situation where every game matters and see how he fares. He turned it up yesterday in New York, but can he do that consistently, or is it another flash?

Miller4ever wrote:I'm the kind of thinker that thinks that thinks we should still try to make the playoffs, and that it's a great opportunity to develop Rush in a situation where every game matters and see how he fares. He turned it up yesterday in New York, but can he do that consistently, or is it another flash?

I can agree with that. I just don't want us stuck in a position like we were last year with a pick somewhere between 11-14. And I don't want us to end up knocked out in the first round. If we're going to make the playoffs I'd like to do it with a team that can actually win a series, and if we're not going to make the playoffs I'd like for us to be able to get the best draft pick possible so that we can become that playoff team in the near future.

Imo you always must play a game with the intention to win. Reaching the play-off with all our injuries would be huge, it's very important for our team to gain some play-off experience. Thats the way I look at it.

I agree with the Dunking Dutchman. You always play to win.

Playoff experience, at this point, would be the best thing for our team. That way in coming years they know what to expect and how to prepare.

Without it, it will only be that much longer until we can return to the conference finals on an annual basis.

Dunthreevy wrote:I can agree with that. I just don't want us stuck in a position like we were last year with a pick somewhere between 11-14. And I don't want us to end up knocked out in the first round. If we're going to make the playoffs I'd like to do it with a team that can actually win a series, and if we're not going to make the playoffs I'd like for us to be able to get the best draft pick possible so that we can become that playoff team in the near future.

Firstly, this is a horrible year to try and go for a higher draft pick. The pieces available aren't the kind of players that will improve our team in the near future; I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying it's likely that they are project players that will need some time to develop. Even Granger needed four years to get where he is now. Secondly, every team would rather have 8th seed and an early exit rather than the lottery. This is especially true of a team with young players with very little playoff experience.

Your team sucks, yes, as an organization the draft will help you a bit, but what about your current players? They don't want to stay, their morale gets low, they feel like it's not worth it, but if you make the playoffs and have a good series, no matter the result, then you have hungry players come next year. It's like anything in life. If you suck at your job and nothing gets done, you (should) feel crummy. You do your job well and see some results, no matter how small, you feel better. If you're okay living off of welfare (see Grizzlies, who seem to trade to stay in the lottery on purpose, or Clippers, or Supersonics...Thunder, whatever) then fine. But the Pacers are better than that. We are the basketball capital of the world, and it's our unspoken responsibility to always try our best, and never settle for less.

I think it could be a blessing in disguise... it gives Rush more playing time and increases our chance of getting a lottery pick that could possibly turn into something.