There were times during the year when Posey was limited in practice because of knee soreness, but the injury wasn't discovered until a postseason MRI was performed. Posey didn't miss game time because of the injury, but he did sit out six games with a sprained left elbow.

"It was a small tear (in the knee)," Bartelstein said. "They went in, fixed it, he's feeling great, and everything worked out really well. He'll be back in another four or five weeks at 100 percent.

"He's about as tough as they come. When it comes to toughness, James Posey is in the upper echelon. The doctor said the knee looked great; very little wear and tear for a guy who has played so long (10 years). Everything looks really good going forward."

The surgery was performed last Friday by Miami Heat physician Harlan Selesnick. Posey played two years for the Heat.

"He's had a long relationship there," Bartelstein said. "Nothing against the Hornets doctors; they're terrific. It's just that James had a history with Dr. Selesnick and is comfortable with him and is going to be spending time in Miami at his home there. It's always good to have the surgery done where you're having the rehab."

Bower declined to give any details of the surgeries performed last week on Posey and center Tyson Chandler, who had work done on his troublesome left ankle and toe.

"Our release pretty much covered it," Bower said of the 71-word announcement the team made about the procedures Tuesday night. "Just based on privacy and the whole thing, we don't have a lot to comment about injury situations."

Bower said no other Hornets players are scheduled for surgical procedures during the offseason.

Chandler's agent, Jeff Schwartz, has not returned phone calls seeking comment.

Bartelstein, meanwhile, said he has spoken to Bower as recently as Tuesday regarding Pargo's possible return to New Orleans.

"Jeff and I spoke about a bunch of things, and Jannero was something we discussed, and we'll take it a step at a time and see where it goes," Bartelstein said. "There's nothing new to talk about now, but we'll look at it and see what happens.

"I think you could say there's mutual interest. That's fair to say."

Pargo, despite an offer from the Hornets last summer, signed instead with Dynamo Moscow, a one-year deal worth $3.8 million in the Russian Super League.

Pargo secured a buyout from Dynamo Moscow in January and eventually ended up with Olympiacos in the Greek League of Euroleague Basketball. He was released May 5. Pargo, who averaged 3.5 points and 1.4 assists in Euroleague play, is recovering from sports hernia surgery performed about two weeks ago.

In 2007-08 with the Hornets , Pargo averaged 8.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 80 games and was a key component in the team's march to the Southwest Division championship and postseason success.

"I think there are a lot of people interested," Bartelstein said. "He's healthy now; had the surgery about 10 days ago. He feels great and is now 100-percent healthy. We're just going to take a deep breath and digest everything and figure out what's best.

"Olympiacos has also expressed interested that they'd want him back. We've talked about that. There are a lot of things for him to consider."

Pargo is free to negotiate with any NBA team because he's coming from the European league. A free agent with an NBA team must wait until July 1 to begin negotiating for next season.

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Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.