INDIANAPOLIS -- Not long ago, the Indiana Pacers entered each season expecting to contend for the NBA championship. Now, they're just trying to avoid injuries and stay out of trouble.

The Pacers missed the playoffs last season for the first time in a decade. They know they'll need to be careful, on and off the court, to avoid sitting out the postseason again.

"I think if everybody does their job, we're going to be fine," All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal said. "I think everybody has to do a better job of understanding what they need to do away from basketball."

For the first time since 2001, the Pacers enter the season without Ron Artest or Stephen Jackson, both traded away the past two years following a string of on- and off-court troubles. With them went much of the talent and bravado for which the Pacers had become known.

Though O'Neal isn't as optimistic as usual with his eighth season with the Pacers starting Wednesday against Washington, he offered a glimmer of hope to fans and a warning to the media.

With the Pacers' continuing struggles, no move is out of the question, even the departure of Jermaine O'Neal.

"We're not going to be as bad as you guys think we are," he told reporters as the team started training camp four weeks ago.

That could be true if the Pacers stay healthy, but O'Neal has missed 82 games the past three seasons and point guard Jamaal Tinsley has missed 93 in the same span.

O'Neal tore the meniscus cartilage in his left knee last season and was hobbled the final two months as the Pacers finished 35-47 three years after winning an NBA-best 61 games. He had surgery in the offseason and says he's ready to go.

The Pacers also could improve if they respond to their new coach. Jim O'Brien replaced the fired Rick Carlisle, and he has promised to lead a team that hustles and pushes the tempo.

In Boston and Philadelphia, O'Brien led teams that had losing records before he took over to the playoffs his first season. He led Boston to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001-02 and has a 182-158 record in five seasons as an NBA head coach.

Perhaps the biggest roster move the Pacers made was deciding not to trade O'Neal even though he was mentioned in trade rumors with New York, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Lakers.

O'Neal averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 2006-07, one of the best seasons of his 11-year career. In the weeks after the season ended, he said he respected the Pacers but wasn't interested in being part of a rebuilding project.

Now that O'Neal is staying, at least for now, he's trying to make the best of the situation.

"I'm here, I'm happy to be here," he said. "I feel good. I like the staff, and I like the guys."

With Artest and Jackson out of the way, Tinsley has become the focal point of Pacers fans' ire. Tinsley and Marquis Daniels face a trial in December on charges stemming from a Feb. 6 fight at an Indianapolis nightclub.

Despite that, Tinsley is coming off one of his best statistical seasons. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.9 assists in 72 games, the most games he's played since 2002-03.

Although Tinsley also was the subject of trade rumors, O'Brien told management he wanted to coach the talented floor general.

"I don't think that he has necessarily played the type of offensive basketball that has allowed him to play at his best," O'Brien said. "I'm anxious to get him out there, anxious to get him in the flow the way I envision our offense being."

The Pacers also are looking for a breakout year from Danny Granger. The third-year forward averaged 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, and he'll be free to roam this season.

"We'll get up a lot of shots and we'll shoot a lot of 3s -- that's right up my alley," Granger said. "I won't have a problem with that."

The three players the Pacers acquired in last season's trade that sent Jackson and Al Harrington to Golden State now will have a chance to start on equal footing with the rest of the team. Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu struggled at times after joining the team in January.

"I think the situation here was in a little bit of disarray," O'Brien said. "It's tough to be able to acclimate them into a system smoothly."

Indiana ranked 23rd out of 30 teams in 3-point shooting last year and was the worst field-goal shooting team in the league. The Pacers added guards Kareem Rush, Andre Owens, Stephen Graham and Travis Diener in the offseason to help fill the perimeter shooting void.

None are household names, but O'Neal said they are hungry. He said combining them and the holdovers who are upset about last season's finish could be a good mix.

"Everybody who played here last year thinks it was a failing year," he said, "but sometimes, failure makes you stronger, physically and mentally."