Pacers Pregame: Granger’s return means four-man bench
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Co-Editor
INDIANAPOLIS – With Danny Granger targeting a return on Friday, Pacers coach Frank Vogel revealed his plans for Granger’s reintegration. He has played in only five games since the 2011-12 season, so it should come as no surprise that Granger will begin his road back off the bench. Vogel said he will give Granger all of the backup wing minutes, which means the Pacers play with only one true shooting guard in the rotation.
After a number of stops and starts this season, Vogel sounded hopeful that all of the uncertainty is nearing an end. Granger was supposed to be ready to start the season even as he used training camp to finish rehabilitation from knee surgery. Then Granger strained his left calf, and that’s caused him to miss the first 23 games and counting.
“I’m excited,” Vogel said. “We’ve been waiting for quite some time to see what this team is going to look like with a healthy Danny Granger. That’s my first emotion. Obviously, I’m very excited for him to get back in there. He’s worked extremely hard on his conditioning. I’m excited for him to start being a basketball player again rather than a patient.”
Vogel has gone to a four-man bench more often than last season, using C.J. Watson at point guard, Ian Mahinmi at center and Luis Scola at power forward every game with one wing instead of two. Without Granger, Solomon Hill, Chris Copeland and Rasual Butler all have received rotation time, but often just one at a time.
So with Granger, is the four-man bench here to stay?
“Potentially,” Vogel said. “I like playing a 10-man rotation. When you have guys playing at the level our guys are playing at, like Paul (George) and Lance (Stephenson) in particular, I’ve been extending those minutes. With that being said, just playing Danny Granger 10 minutes a game is probably not enough. We’ll use him for the backup wing minutes rather than backup small forward minutes.”
A couple other notes from the pregame:
* Indiana’s defense has let the opponent shoot 40 percent or better in eight straight games. Vogel was asked about slippage, especially after Charlotte put up 94 points on 47 percent shooting here. “It’s what you emphasize, and when we’re emphasizing offensive execution sometimes you get away from the details that make great defensive play,” Vogel said.
How much of Indiana’s success is based on those details and attention to fundamentals?
“It’s a big part of it. Discipline and effort. We’re looking to combine our talent and experience with focus and discipline,” Vogel said.
* Detroit leads the NBA in offensive rebound rate and brings in one of the biggest front lines in basketball in Josh Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.
“Nothing new from the last time, they’re still dominating the paint,” Vogel said. “Monster front line. Brandon Knight is playing a lot better. What Stuckey’s doing off the bench is very impressive.”
So what’s it like preparing for all of Detroit’s weapons?
“Scary,” Vogel said.
