Pacers rookie forward Tyler Hansbrough is battling an inner ear infection and there is no timetable for his return to the court.

The infection has sidelined him for 15 of Indiana's last 19 games and there is no timetable for his return.

"It's a major setback for us," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "To have a guy that we drafted in the lottery only get just a tad over 500 minutes to this point in time is not what we had in mind and it's not what he had in mind. Not only is he injured and missing games, he never got training camp and by not getting training camp, that is significant."

Hansbrough came down with the inner ear infection in December and dealt with a shin injury in training camp that delayed his professional debut.

"That's when I realized it was more difficult than I planned," Hansbrough said. "This is the first time I've had an inner ear infection. To be honest, I've been pretty much injury free until this year. It's frustrating. It's the dizziness that's keeping me out."

He's been practicing alone with an assistant coach.

"The fact that I'm not taking part in any contact drills tells you where I'm at with things," said Hansbrough. "I'm not putting a timetable on my return. We'll see when things start to clear up. If you're off balance, you put yourself at risk of getting hit."

He is averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds this season.