Indiana Pacers

Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers, who has played in only five games, will miss the remainder of the season after opting to have surgery on his injured left knee. The All-Star small forward, who has averaged 18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game in his eight-year career, missed the start of the season after having surgery in October for patellar tendinosis. Granger returned to action as a reserve on Feb. 25 but played an average of 14.8 minutes in five games before soreness prevented him from making a full comeback.

Shaquille O'Neal will have number 34 jersey retired on Tuesday night at Staples Center as the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks. On Monday night, former teammate Brian Shaw said he's excited for O'Neal. "He deserves it.  He's a big part of the Laker tradition," said Shaw, the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers.  "He was directly responsible for a lot of that.  I couldn't be happier for him. " Although O'Neal left the Lakers somewhat contentiously in 2004 after winning three titles with the team (eventually even becoming a Boston Celtic)

The Lakers (34-32) visit the Indiana Pacers (40-24) on Friday night. The Pacers are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. Defensively, Indiana is a bear, holding teams to just 89.7 points a game. The Lakers score 102.4 points nightly, but can they get close to that with Kobe Bryant on the shelf with a severely sprained ankle? Earl Clark, still starting for the injured Pau Gasol (foot), also sprained an ankle Wednesday but is expected to be available in Indiana. The Lakers lost a close one at Staples Center to the Pacers in late November on a last-second layup from point guard George Hill.

Right now, the Clippers are a bad basketball team. They are playing their worst basketball of the season at the time of the season they least can afford it. Their 109-106 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night was just another sign of how poorly the Clippers have been playing. And no matter that the Clippers cut a 24-point, third-quarter deficit to one point late in the fourth quarter, they have still lost four of their last five games. Sure, the Clippers can point to the fourth-quarter bench play of Jamal Crawford (25 points)

It isn't often that the worlds of professional sports and classical music come together in harmonious union. But that is apparently what's happening at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, one of a several U.S. orchestras that has found itself in dire condition this year. The owners of the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers announced this week that they have agreed to pledge $750,000 each to the troubled orchestra. The pledges were made as part of the orchestra's fundraising campaign to raise $5 million before Feb. 3. "Just like our Colts, every team can achieve success with a rallying cry from its fans and that time is now for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra," Jim Irsay, owner of the National Football League team, said in a news release.

David Morway resigned Tuesday as general manager of the Indiana Pacers amid reports that Larry Bird is on the way out, too. Morway was hired by the Pacers in 1999 and had been GM since 2008. The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday that Bird is expected to leave the Pacers, citing an unidentified person with direct knowledge of the situation. The Pacers and owner Herb Simon declined to comment. The 55-year-old Bird was the Pacers coach from 1997-2000, taking the team to its only NBA Finals appearance that last year, before returning to the front office in 2003.

After being named the NBA Executive of the Year this season, Larry Bird will reportedly step down as president of the Indiana Pacers. Bird took over as president of the team in 2008 and helped transform it into a contender in the East. The Pacers made their deepest playoff run in seven years this season, reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat. Bird is “100% sure” he will not return as president of the team, according to the Indianapolis Star, which cited an anonymous source it said had direct knowledge of the situation.

Mark Wade will get another opportunity at making an NBA roster, a task which has proven too tall in the past for the 6-foot guard. The Indiana Pacers announced the signing of the former Banning High and El Camino College standout Thursday. He was due to report today for the opening of the Pacers training camp at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Wade, who will turn 24 on Oct. 15, led the Continental Basketball Assn.

Dick Versace, the Detroit Pistons assistant who arrived in town in time to watch the Indiana Pacers snap a nine-game losing streak, was named head coach of the Pacers today. He arrived Wednesday night, 30 minutes before the tip-off of the Pacers game with Atlanta. Indiana won 116-113. "I will not accept losing from this team or any team that I coach," Versace told a news conference this morning. "When I'm introduced to the players, that will be my opening statement and we'll go on from there."

Jack Ramsay, dismissed after last season by the Portland Trail Blazers, was hired as coach of the Indiana Pacers Friday. Ramsay, 61, has 785 National Basketball Assn. victories with three teams in 18 seasons, the most of any active coach. Red Auerbach, who won 938 games with the Boston Celtics before moving into the team's management, is the only coach with more. "Why he was let go at Portland is their mistake and our gain," Pacer General Manager Donnie Walsh said.

Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers, who has played in only five games, will miss the remainder of the season after opting to have surgery on his injured left knee. The All-Star small forward, who has averaged 18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game in his eight-year career, missed the start of the season after having surgery in October for patellar tendinosis. Granger returned to action as a reserve on Feb. 25 but played an average of 14.8 minutes in five games before soreness prevented him from making a full comeback.

What's more boring than watching one of the better teams in the NBA blowing out one of the worst? Having to cover it on TV. That's just the situation the viewers and analysts on NBA-TV were in Tuesday night as the Indiana Pacers held a 42-29 halftime lead over the Orlando Magic. But just when the situation seemed about as bleak as it could get, a new hero emerged to save the day: Ice Cream Guy! So-called highlights from the first half of the game were broken up with clips of a bearded male fan, likely in his 20s, trying to enjoy a giant mint chocolate chip ice cream cone while watching the game.

The Lakers (34-32) visit the Indiana Pacers (40-24) on Friday night. The Pacers are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. Defensively, Indiana is a bear, holding teams to just 89.7 points a game. The Lakers score 102.4 points nightly, but can they get close to that with Kobe Bryant on the shelf with a severely sprained ankle? Earl Clark, still starting for the injured Pau Gasol (foot), also sprained an ankle Wednesday but is expected to be available in Indiana. The Lakers lost a close one at Staples Center to the Pacers in late November on a last-second layup from point guard George Hill.

INDIANAPOLIS - Kobe Bryant is expected to play Friday against the Indiana Pacers. "He's better. A lot better," Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni said. Bryant sustained a severely sprained left ankle Wednesday against Atlanta and was declared out indefinitely by the Lakers. He did some shooting almost three hours before tip-off, testing out the ankle. D'Antoni said the coaching staff and athletic trainer Gary Vitti would watch Bryant closely when the game starts. "We'll all sit together and we'll have a conversation," D'Antoni said.

MIAMI AT INDIANA : Tuesday, 4 p.m. PST. The Pacers are making something out of what looked like a lost season as recently as early last month. Danny Granger's knee injury may have deprived the team of Fab Four status, but Indiana retains a Paul (George) and a George (Hill) capable of making fans swoon. Miami is still Miami, though LeBron James' bruised right knee has team trainers and worrywarts working overtime. The Eastern Conference player of the month for November and December has no intentions of slowing down, intending to make it three for three with another stellar month.

It isn't often that the worlds of professional sports and classical music come together in harmonious union. But that is apparently what's happening at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, one of a several U.S. orchestras that has found itself in dire condition this year. The owners of the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers announced this week that they have agreed to pledge $750,000 each to the troubled orchestra. The pledges were made as part of the orchestra's fundraising campaign to raise $5 million before Feb. 3. "Just like our Colts, every team can achieve success with a rallying cry from its fans and that time is now for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra," Jim Irsay, owner of the National Football League team, said in a news release.

Brian Shaw wants this to be an easy homecoming. He really does. He spent 12 years as a player, scout and assistant coach for the Lakers but didn't get the job to replace Phil Jackson. He was upset he wasn't hired, especially after finding out through media reports, not the Lakers, that Mike Brown got the nod. So Shaw returns Sunday to Staples Center as the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers and might wonder "what if?" … but only if his mind lets him. "I don't really like to play that game and look back because if I dwell on that, I'm really cheating the team I'm with now," Shaw said in a phone interview with The Times.

Indiana Pacer Danny Granger is looking to complete an off-court move called the house flip. He bought the Hollywood Hills home of "The Vampire Diaries" screenwriter Kevin Williamson four months ago for $3.715 million and recently put it back on the market at $4.195 million. The sleek contemporary, built in 1990, features walls of glass, 15-foot-tall ceilings and wrap-around terraces. Designed for entertaining, the house sits on more than a half-acre with a pool area bar and a swimming pool.

The wait continues for the two Steves. Lakers point guards Steve Nash and Steve Blake will not play Tuesday against Indiana, making it 21 combined games they've missed because of injuries. Nash took part in some agility drills and also jogged Monday. He will do the same routine Tuesday. The Lakers decided against sending Nash for an MRI exam Monday but could order one if he feels pain later in the week. Nash has been sidelined since Oct. 31 because of a small fracture in the head of his left fibula.