JO Out for Blazers and Cavs

JO will be sporting his appropriate ultra-lounge Seven attire on the bench this weekend for the Pacers back-to-back games against the Blazers and Cavs. The same hammy that kept him idle in the preseason and has been bugging him the past couple of weeks is the culprit. Click here for the full story.

After returning from a harsh road trip to beat the Magic at home, it appeared the Pacers had regrouped and were ready to make a run into plus five hundy land, but once again things are unsettled. In past years, the team played pretty well when JO was out short term. This year he's missed one game and it turned out to be the worst performance of the year against the Wizards.

Maceo Baston will need to play some extended minutes to try and help fill the JO void, plus David Harrison returns from a shoulder injury. Uh-oh, hear that creaking noise? It must be the David Harrison expectation machine getting cranked up again. It's been shut down for a few weeks, so past frustrations over his inconsistent play have faded a bit. I'm ready to get optimistic again as long as DH can stay healthy. Actually, I'm not so concerned with the health of Harrison's shoulder as I am with his basketball brain being in shape. If the "good" David Harrison shows up and just tries to fulfill his role, focus on rebounding and defense, not try to do too much (the ol' let the game come to him adage), then his time on the floor will be valuable. If not, well, don't be a alarmed by the rattling noises and puffs of smoke coming from Conseco tonight, it will just be the DH expectation machine going on the fritz again.
(Photo: Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)