Indiana Pacers forward Jonathan Bender is awaiting word on MRI results that could determine whether he'll be able to continue his NBA career.

Bender, the fifth pick in the 1999 draft, has a loss of cartilage in both knees and has missed a significant number of games in each season since 2001-02.

He has played in just two games this season for a total of 21 minutes, and for the first time has not accompanied the team on a trip.

"We're going to see," Bender said when asked whether he thinks he will play again.

"I'm not going to even talk about that yet."

Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said Tuesday that the results of Bender's latest MRIs have been sent to his agent in Los Angeles, and that a meeting with Bender and doctors is scheduled for next week. Bender's agent, Thaddeus Fucher, did not return phone calls Tuesday.

"Right now, we're putting his tests in front of people to get opinions on where they think he is," Walsh said. "When we have enough information, we'll make a statement."
Bender said he remains optimistic, but he has little medical evidence on which to base that hope.

"That's just the way I am," he said.

"I'll see what the MRI shows compared to last year."

Pacers rookie Danny Granger was at an Indianapolis-area hospital until 5 a.m. Saturday after passing out in his car at his house following Friday night's game against Atlanta.

"(The doctors) didn't know what it was at first," said Granger, who was a passenger in the car. "I had a concussion and I had lost so much blood. It was a combination of the two. They did a scan on my brain. Everything is fine now."
Granger left the game twice -- once in each half -- to get stitches. The first time, Hawks rookie Marvin Williams hit him in the mouth, which required four stitches. In the second half, former Pacer Al Harrington hit Granger above his left eye, requiring four more stitches.

"It's ridiculous," Granger said about the incidents. "They were like 20 minutes apart. What I didn't get was how they called a foul on me when I got hit by Al's elbow."

Ron Artest, who was banged on his right hand by LeBron James late in the third period of Thursday's win over Cleveland, had an MRI on Saturday morning.

It revealed no serious damage, and he played on Sunday.

Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest missed Friday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks due to a bruised right wrist.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said X-rays showed no fracture but Artest was to undergo an MRI on Saturday morning. It was unclear whether the injury would keep Artest out of any additional games.

Artest, one of the NBA's top defensive players and the Pacers' top scorer at 21.1 points, said he was injured in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's victory over Cleveland when LeBron James fouled him hard.

"LeBron said it was not a foul but he darn near broke my hand," Artest said. "It was hard, very hard. It was definitely a frustration foul because he didn't go after the ball."

Carlisle said he took Artest out of the lineup because Artest's wrist was so sore he couldn't bend it back far enough to shoot.

Artest said he hoped to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers when the Pacers open a five-game road trip.

"I actually could have played tonight because I could play with one hand," Artest said. "But I might as well let it get better."

Hawks forward Al Harrington can't help but wonder what might have been had his NBA fate not taken him from the title-chasing bosom of the Indiana Pacers to the rebuilding central with the Hawks.

Trips deep into the playoffs, to the conference finals and possibly the NBA finals are a distant memory for the Hawks co-captain, who engineered his own trade after the 2003-04 season.

The Pacers won a league-best 61-games in Harrington's final season in Indianapolis and lost to eventual champion Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals.

These days Harrington is just glad to win a game, he jubilantly tossed his jersey into the stands after the Hawks snapped a nine-game losing streak in Wednesday's win over Boston at Philips Arena.

"I'd be lying if I said I don't think we'd have won a title had that team been kept together," Harrington said before he planned to take a courtside seat for the Pacers-Cleveland Cavaliers game Thursday night. "Look at what they have and what we had then and nobody can tell me that we weren't right there with Detroit, San Antonio and whoever else was out there.

"That team was built to win a championship and we were right there. Right there."

It was long after a recent game had ended, and Danny Granger walked into the locker room with beads of sweat running down his body and his game shorts still on.

But he wasn't sweating because of the game. It came from his postgame workout, which has become his routine.

The 17th pick in this year's draft, Granger has gone from looking like a regular in the Indiana Pacers' rotation to spending a lot of time on the bench, watching and learning.

"I talked to coach (Rick Carlisle) about it and he said it's a rookie thing," Granger said. "We're so deep and we're such a veteran team, it's kind of hard for me to come in and play. I did have a good preseason, but I have to earn my spots here and there.

". . . Coach told me some nights I'll play a lot and some nights I won't."

Don't expect to see forward Jonathan Bender in uniform anytime soon.

Bender's ailing left knee will keep him on the inactive list.

"It looks like we may be without Jonathan for a few games," Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Unfortunately the situation with his knee is still making it hard for him to be on the court on a consistent basis. He'll be out the next couple of games and maybe more."

Bender's problem is the latest setback as he tries to resurrect his career.

Bender, who has played a total of 76 games in the past three-plus seasons, showed flashes of being healthy in the preseason. But the many times he's had to sit out with soreness in his knee keep many thinking he'll never live up to his potential.

Indiana Pacers center Jeff Foster, out with a left Achilles injury, said Wednesday he won't return to the team's lineup by Thanksgiving.

He added he's not sure he'll play during the team's five-game West Coast trip, which starts Nov. 27 at the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Hey, I've got this on, so it's a start at least," Foster said, pointing at his practice jersey after the team's morning shootaround.

Foster began doing court work with his teammates earlier this week.

"He's doing things more aggressively on the court," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "He hasn't done full-contact stuff with the team. He's done some half-court stuff. He's making progress, but it's a process with him."

Scot Pollard returned to practice Monday, but Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley exited because of injuries.
O'Neal, who injured his right foot Saturday against Philadelphia, left practice early to have his foot examined. Tinsley didn't practice because of a sore left shin, which he injured along with his left ankle on the final play of the first half Saturday.
 
The Pacers hope Tinsley can practice today, and expect to know the severity of O'Neal's injury today.

"(O'Neal) was sore (Sunday); he came in and stayed for about half of practice then went to have it examined," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We hope it's not serious."
O'Neal's injury added to the frontcourt's woes. Center Jeff Foster is out at least two more weeks with a left Achilles problem. David Harrison is working his way into game shape after missing most of the preseason with a strained abdominal muscle, and the Pacers hope Pollard (calf) can play Wednesday against the Miami Heat at Conseco Fieldhouse. He practiced Monday for the first time in more than two weeks.

The Miami Heat may have a lot more to worry about than a tough loss to one of their top Eastern Conference rivals.

All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal left the game with a sprained right ankle with 6:35 remaining as the Heat dropped a 105-102 decision to the Indiana Pacers, who got 27 points from Jermaine O'Neal.

Shaq landed on Ron Artest's foot while grabbing the rebound. He rolled his ankle and fell to the ground awkwardly.

Shaq, who scored 18 points, had to be helped off the court, but X-rays were negative and he his considered day-to-day.