FanHouse MikeDunleavyJr

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Not long ago, the Indiana Pacers were said to have a character problem, what with players such as Stephen Jackson, Ron Artest and Jamaal Tinsley. That issue, we know, has been taken care of.

Now the Pacers have a talent problem. As in, not enough of it.

Clippers coach/general manager Mike Dunleavy hasn't taken losing well this season, turning into a bit of a craggy old man. Last month he accused Dwyane Wade of skirting the rules of basketball constantly, and he seems to be at constant war with Elton Brand's camp over their shocking summertime split.

Now he's up to mischief bred closer to home. In a talk with Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, he blames agents for injured players staying out of the line-up so long.

"When guys get injured, typically you have agents that are going to tell them, 'There's no reason to hurry back. Make sure you're 110% healthy before you come back,' " said Dunleavy, also the team's general manager. "I think that's one of the things you have to try and guard against. We don't ever want anybody coming back that has a chance of injuring themselves."

Baron Davis (bruised tailbone), Zach Randolph (sore left knee), Jason Hart (right elbow tendinitis), Chris Kaman (strained left arch), Mike Taylor (fractured right thumb) and Ricky Davis (sore left knee) all have timetables that may not be met because of the reason Dunleavy outlined.

On the outset, this looks like Dunleavy passing the blame for a bad season. Coaches often blame luck, circumstances and injuries for poor play. That's standard. But whining that players could be on the court helping out but won't because of selfish interests pushed by personal managers with financial security as Priority A? That comes off as, well, whining.

And while we could guess which Clip he speaks of all night, I'll instead note that the one NBA player who has the oddest, most conspicuous long injury this season has been ... Mike Dunleavy Jr.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. Dirk follows Shaq's lead, announces his retirement date a few years ahead of time.

2. San Jose Mercury News. Chris Mullin doesn't seem at all mad at Monta Ellis. Turns out Mully is a Vespa enthusiast too.

3. Sacramento Bee. Randy Brown tried to punk Kevin Martin. It would have been a good one.

4. Indy Cornrows. Making the case for bringing Mike Dunleavy Jr. -- possibly Indiana's best scorer -- off the bench.

5. Blazers Edge. How trade sausage is made.

6. Toronto Star. The new Raptors road alts are pretty hot. Every fanbase wants black jerseys.

Don't look now (really! don't! that's how they snare you!), but the Pacers have won four straight, and ladies and germs: We have a hot race for the 8th seed in the East.

Atlanta scored a massive win over Orlando last night, thanks to tremendous output from Joe Johnson (34 points on 20 shots, 7 assists, 3 steals) and solid efforts all around. That put the Hawks at 30-39, which would be 12th place in the West... but is 8th in the East. Awesome!

But those Pacers are only 1-1/2 games back themselves, thanks to a road win at Chicago. The improbably decent pairing of Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy combined for 49 points on 60% shooting, and Larry Hughes shot 2-11. (Fun!)

The Nets are actually tied with Indiana for 9th place, after a loss at Philadelphia. But no one really cares about the Nets, because they have been almost as disappointing as the Bulls (if that's possible). Not to disparage Nets fans (it's not your fault), but seeing the Celtics visit Atlanta or Indianapolis in the first round would be vastly more entertaining than a few more games at the 'Zod. Boo Nets!