Pacers Lose Artest After Thumb Surgery

Indiana Pacer forward Ron Artest will be sidelined indefinitely after having surgery Thursday to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb.

The Pacers had no timetable for his return, but seemed to be bracing for an extended stint without their best perimeter defender and second-leading scorer.

“The good news is it’s not his shooting hand, the bad news is it’s a surgery,” said Pacer Coach Rick Carlisle, who hoped that Artest would return by the playoffs in mid-April.

The All-Star first injured the thumb when it got caught in the jersey of New Jersey forward Richard Jefferson on Jan. 17. He aggravated it Tuesday against the New Orleans Hornets.

Al Harrington will replace Artest, who is averaging 18 points and 5.3 rebounds.

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Toronto Raptor star Vince Carter will be sidelined for two to four weeks because of a sprained left ankle, Coach Kevin O’Neill said.

Carter was injured in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s Wednesday loss to the San Antonio Spurs. An MRI exam showed a moderate sprain.

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The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team will play a six-game exhibition schedule this summer before the Athens Olympics.

After opening camp in Jacksonville, Fla., on July 26, the team will play against Puerto Rico before heading overseas. The U.S. will play Germany and Italy in Cologne, Germany, before an Aug. 6 game in Belgrade against defending world champion Serbia-Montenegro. The U.S. will also play twice in Istanbul.