Danny Granger‘s injury woes went from bad to worse today when the Pacers announced their leading scorer from last season will miss approximately three months. According to the release, the 6-8 Granger received an injection Tuesday to treat left patellar tendinosis, which is an injury typically brought on by overuse.
For Indiana, this is a huge loss (check out what I wrote on the situation on Monday). Three months could mean Granger will miss close to 50 games (exactly three months from now will mean Granger misses the Pacers’ next 46 games). Already this year, the team has shown they can’t compete at a high offensive level without him. Sure, their rebounding and defense have been spectacular, but their lack of perimeter shooting on the other end is destroying the balance in half-court sets.
In their first real test of the season in San Antonio on Monday night, the Pacers shot 34 percent, had nearly twice as many turnovers (19) as assists (11) and scored just 79 in a blowout loss. Over the next three months, they could struggle to stay above .500, and in the East with teams like New York, Brooklyn and Milwaukee looking vastly improved, the team that nearly toppled Miami in the playoffs last year might need a late-season run just to get a decent seed in the playoffs.
[RELATED: Who’s More Important To Their Team: Danny Granger Or Eric Gordon?]
I’ve had really bad knee tendonitis before (eventually needed surgery to remove half of my patellar tendon). It’s not fun at all… basically because unlike injuries that force you off your feet, tendonitis is just pain. You can play through it, but it’s extremely limiting. You can’t jump. You can’t explode. You can’t make quick cuts without feeling like someone is repeatedly stabbing a knife through your knee. Plus if you push it, which is what many will do, the injury will worsen, and the recovery time will expand. The only way to beat it is with rest, and after this injection, Granger will have plenty of that.
Will this kill Indiana’s season?
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