It’s time for some Pacers players to step up because the cavalry is not coming over that hill. Not until about the start of February, anyway.
The Indiana Pacers announced that their leading scorer of the past three years Danny Granger will be out three months after he “received an injection Tuesday to treat left patellar tendinosis.”
That sore knee has kept Granger out of much of training camp and the Pacers early season games.
This news is a blow to the Pacers, although it is better than the “out indefinitely” label that was on him. At least something is being done now.
Indiana still is a playoff team without Granger (perks to being in the Eastern Conference) but they are not a team that threatens Boston or anyone else for the No. 2 seed. At least the way they have looked so far.
The Pacers are 2-2 this young season and being about .500 fits their pretty pedestrian play so far.
But they have the talent to be better. Considerably better. However, it means Roy Hibbert has to play like the max player he is paid to be — 8.8 points a game on 45.7 percent shooting and 7.8 rebounds a game isn’t good enough. Paul George has to be more efficient — scoring 14 points a game on 40.7 percent shooting makes you a gunner, not the best perimeter player on the team, which is what he needs (and has the talent) to be.
Granger is out until well into 2013. It’s on the rest of the Pacers now to step up and show they can grow from where they left off last season.
