IC Cold Links: Oh Shin! Chalk Up Another Pacers Injury

It's just been one of those summers.

First it was Mike Dunleavy's never-ending saga with his knee. Brandon Rush played only one summer league game before injuring his knee, which sidelined him for the rest of the month. Then, the man who made the summer league a watchable event, Josh McRoberts, went and tweaked his ankle which put him in street clothes for the summer. Danny Granger missed the Team USA workouts to rest his knee. Now, first-round draft pick Tyler Hansbrough is the latest victim as he's forced to rest almost two months because of a bum shin.

That is almost half of the Indiana Pacers for those of you counting at home.

Is there a Reggie Miller curse on the club? Did Jonathan Bender's return to basketball hex his former team? Does Jamaal Tinsley practice voodoo on his former teammates?

If you're the happy-go-lucky optimist type, you can at least say it's good that we're getting these injuries out of the way during the summer months. Better now than later. You have to hope that the rest on their knees and other appendages will help them once the season begins in late October.

But for those who think a little darker, this team is doomed straight to Hell. Well, maybe that's a little too dark, but with all these mounting injuries, it sure makes it difficult to see this Pacers team making it through the 09-10 season unscathed by serious injuries to its top players. Of course, it would be an anomaly if the team was healthy. Only three Pacers players since 2004 have played an entire season -- Granger 06-07, Dunleavy 07-08, and Jarrett Jack last year.

But isn't it time that the blue and gold is due for a healthy season? Maybe if we sacrifice Bowser to the NBA Gods, it will bring health to this injury-prone franchise. I'm willing to try anything. More on Hansbrough's injury and other links after the jump.

Tyler Hansbrough played in 108 games during his first three years as a North Carolina Tar Heel, but at the start of his senior season, he injured his right shin. It was actually a stress reaction condition, which if not treated or rested properly could have developed into a stress fracture. The Tar Heels rested Hansbrough in four the team's first six games, and Hansbrough finished the rest of the season by leading the team to the NCAA Championship.

That injury has returned. After some sterling summer league play, Hansbrough will take the rest of the summer off and not return to action until training camp in order to rest the lingering shin injury. The Pacers press release noted that the rest is intended to let it fully heal before the season begins. It begs someone to wonder, can Hansbrough go 82 games without this inflammation occurring again?

• Here is the ESPN story that covered the first shin injury a year ago before the college basketball season began. ESPN medical analyst Dr. Michael Kaplan noted the following: "the MRI likely showed increased uptake in tibia (leg bone) suggesting a stress reaction. An overload or overuse type phenomenon occurs with inflammation and, ultimately, fatigue failure with stress fracture. This is a precursor condition to stress fracture. A period of rest is mandatory for tissues to quiet down or worsening injury will result."
• At the time, The Disabled List, a sports medical blog, also took a look at Hansbrough's injury. Again, the only healing magic for the injury is rest.
• The Indianapolis Star reports about yesterday's announcement that Hansbrough will be officially missing 6-8 weeks of summer conditioning.
• If you'd rather remember the good times that Hansbrough had at UNC, check out this commemorative magazine titled "The Legend of Tyler Hansbrough" here. The article is longer than some books, but for Psycho-T fans, it rocks.
• The Anderson Herald Bulletin writes about A.J. Price's determination to overcome struggles in his life.
• If there is a trade between the Celtics and Pacers, it will not include Gabe Pruitt. The Celts waived the point guard yesterday.
• Finally, your Jamaal Tinsley update. The Miami Heat have canceled a meeting scheduled for this weekend between Pat Riley and Tinsley, according to the Miami Herald. No reason was given and talks still could be revived with the Heat.