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Artest returns to Pacers' practice - cast and allINDIANAPOLIS (AP) Wearing a cast on his non-shooting hand, Ron Artest took nearly 500 shots as he returned to practice with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. Left thumb surgery will likely keep Artest out of most of the Pacers' remaining 26 regular season games, but the forward was cleared to take part in workouts. Artest and team officials have refused to set a timetable for his return from surgery to repair torn ligaments. Artest's surgeon told him to wait 72 hours after his Thursday surgery before practicing again. Al Harrington will continue to start in Artest's place and Jonathan Bender and Austin Croshere have seen their minutes increase. All three have played well in the first two games without their All Star co-captain and best defender. ``In the absence of a guy like Ron Artest, we're going to need other people to step up,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. ``Al Harrington gave us a strong game against Utah and then having Croshere and Bender step up like they did, really at both ends of the floor was critical.'' If that success continues, Artest said he'd be willing to come off the bench when he returns. ``Whatever it takes,'' he said. ``If the team is rolling along, I'll do whatever it takes to get victories.'' Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Vin could be a Knick soonOn Sunday, Vin Baker's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said that his client should be signed by the end of the week and that the Knicks have a good shot at landing him. "The Knicks have a great chance," Aaron Goodwin said before the Knicks lost to the Cavs. "It's a great organization and they have number of people who are sensitive to the issues that Vin has gone through. They are also a playoff team and those are the categories we're looking for." However, because of his grievance against the Celtics for terminating his contract with the Players Association, there might be a hold up but executive director Billy Hunter said on Sunday that Baker should be cleared to sign with another within the next 48 hours. "We just want to make sure it doesn't negatively impact his arbitration," Hunter said. "We hope to resolve that within the next day or so. Detroit, Indiana, and Miami are also rumored to be interested in Baker's services. New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pacers' Artest has surgery on torn thumb ligamentINDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest will be out indefinitely after having surgery Thursday to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb. The Pacers had no immediate timetable for his return, but seemed to be bracing for an extended stint without their best perimeter defender and second-leading scorer. ``The good news is it's not his shooting hand, the bad news is it's a surgery,'' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. ``Surgeries take a while to recover from.'' The All-Star first injured the thumb when it got caught in the jersey of New Jersey forward Richard Jefferson during a game against the Nets on Jan. 17. He aggravated it Tuesday night against the New Orleans Hornets when he fell in the third quarter. Artest clutched his thumb for several possessions, but played the rest of the game. He missed practice to have the thumb examined Wednesday, when it was determined he has a torn ligament. He had surgery for a similar injury when he was a sophomore at St. John's. Artest flew to New York on Thursday to have the surgery performed by the same doctor who operated on his hand while he was in college. Al Harrington will start in Artest's place. It's a familiar situation for Harrington, who has started six games this season while filling in for Jermaine O'Neal and Artest, but this will be his first extended action as a starter this season. Harrington started Tuesday night's game against the Hornets because Artest missed the team's first practice after the All-Star break. ``We definitely have a big piece to our puzzle that's going to be missing for a while,'' guard Reggie Miller said. ``We all know Ron is a man of steel and plays with a lot of pain and, unfortunately, some of that pain has caught up to him.'' Jonathan Bender, Austin Croshere and slam dunk champion Fred Jones also figure to see their playing time increased to fill in for Artest, who is averaging 18 points, 5.3 rebounds and two steals this season. Artest's versatility will be sorely missed. Not only was he a threat to shoot and take the ball to the basket on the offensive end, but he is also one of the league's top perimeter defenders. He routinely covers the opponent's best offensive player for the Pacers, who at 39-15 have the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference. ``Defensively is really where it's going to kick in,'' Jones said. ``Everybody has to step up and play together.'' Carlisle said the team was hopeful Artest will be able to return before the playoffs start in mid-April, but that the timing of the injury posed challenges. ``What makes it so serious is that we only have 28 games left in the regular season,'' Miller said. ``When he does come back, is that going to be enough time for him to get his rhythm and get ready for the playoffs? Not knowing at what point and date he's going to get back, that's what makes it tough.'' O'Neal said Artest would be missed, but he was confident the team would get along without him. ``We still plan on keeping things together,'' O'Neal said. ``Sometimes teams play better with their back against the wall. We're not worried. That's the key message we have to send to our fans _ we can still accomplish the goals we set out to accomplish.'' Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Pacers Feb 2004 Archive
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