Much like with Bulls fans, it’s been a frustrating season for Indiana Pacers aficionados as they’ve made wishes under breath to get their superstar back in time for the playoffs. Of course, another thing that usually remains under breath is that the wish to have a full-strength team is to be able to dismount Heat from their throne. But the Pacers organization themselves just revealed today that Danny Granger will miss the rest of the season with knee surgery.
After a medical procedure to deal with patellar tendonitis, or Jumper’s Knee, Granger played only five games upon his return to the lineup. The forward was visibly not well and only averaged 5.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 0.6 APG over that hobbled stretch. The organization decided to pull Granger from rotation, exploring less bold measures to deal with Danny’s pesky soreness in his knee, but nothing seemed to work. It is now obvious that pursuing surgery on his left knee is the only viable option.
The Pacers are still a formidable team without their former leading scorer, they’re currently just below the Knicks for 3rd in the East, but it would be wrong to state that they’re better in Granger’s absence. With the league’s 21st-best PPG, they’re in desperate need for an offensive boost, something that a healthy Granger would provide. Paul George has risen in Granger’s absence as an All-Star and current leading scorer, but at 17.6 PPG, his numbers aren’t nearly as high as they need to be in order to pose any risk to Miami.
With the revelation last night, that even a war-torn Bulls team can beat a juggernaut like Miami playing physically, the Pacers must like their chances at an ECF win. Their play can be just as scrappy as the Bulls’, and in certain ways, are currently a deeper team than Chicago. But Chicago was able to snap Miami’s win streak by outpacing them offensively, and offense might turn out to be Indiana’s Achilles heel. A knee for a heel, it turns out.
Granger had also been a vocal leader in last season’s playoffs, and that might be another positive that will be missed. He’s expected to return for training camp.
