Dunleavy Could Return Sooner Than Expected

Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy should return to full strength at some point and could return to the court sooner than later, according to his father.

Dunleavy Jr. had surgery Friday to remove a bone spur from his right patella tendon.

"They had the best possible result," Dunleavy Sr. said Saturday night. "They took a large bone spur out but there was very little damage to his tendon.

"As far as I know, they didn't have to graft. Everything I was told, it couldn't have been any better."

The Pacers have said that Dunleavy's recovery time with be "lengthy," and there have been reports that he might still be recovering when training camp starts this coming fall.

"It doesn't matter what the timing is as long as you have a full recovery. I think his issue was it could have taken up to a year if they had to do a graft. I'm not sure what the timing is now, but it probably cuts it down some," Dunleavy Sr. said.