Danny Granger's 2012-2013 NBA season is over. Despite speculation that Granger would return tonight against the Rockets, the Pacers have announced that Granger will have season-ending knee surgery on the knee that has bothered him since the end of last season.
In the end, the Pacers' captain and leading team scorer for the last 5 seasons, played only 5 games and averaged just 5.4 points off the bench. Sad, but can't say we didn't see it coming. Granger played a few games in the preseason before undergoing a platelet-rich plasma procedure. He came back and went through that 5-game stretch in late February before being shelved again.
Th truth is, Granger sitting out until next season won't have much of an effect on the Pacers this season. They've been without him all season and have done well enough to likely end the regular season as a top 3 seed. And even had they had Granger (at 5%, 50% or 100%), they were not going to beat the Miami Heat (let's be honest). So why not let this team see how far they can go with Paul George and David West? Why not let Paul George try and take his game to the next level this offseason?
Does this mean Granger is done in Indiana? Pacers' brass say he is a part of the team's future, and I suppose as long as his injury status is uncertain, is is unlikely they'll get fair value for him. But if he can be traded for a few decent bench pieces, will the Pacers consider it?
With David West to become a free agent, this is turning out to be a very interesting offseason coming up for Indiana.
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