Enthused by the acquisition of Peja Stojakovic and the coinciding end of the Ron Artest saga, Pacers players and coaches hoped Thursday's practice would signal a fresh start for the team.

Instead, the news was hauntingly familiar. Jermaine O'Neal, the team's leader in scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking and its primary low-post offensive presence, will miss at least eight weeks with what was described as "a significant tear in his left groin" in a statement released by the franchise.

"You're doing so bad, you lose four in a row, you're not playing well, then you come in and you're thinking you'll have a good practice and start turning things around somehow and the first news you get is that," said Sarunas Jasikevicius. "It's just crazy. But, hey, that's the way it is."