Danny Granger will miss rest of 2012-13 NBA season

Regardless of whether he starts on the court or on the bench, a healthy Granger could mean big problems for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Granger might not be quite as prolific as he was pre-injury, but having another solid scorer in the lineup makes the Pacers even more dangerous ... especially with their rebuilt bench.

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Granger missed almost the entire season due to a knee injury that took longer than expected to fully recover -- after making his debut with a brief five-game stretch in late February, he was sidelined for the rest of the season -- but that isn’t keeping him from believing that he’ll be back in the Pacers’ starting lineup next season. Via Mike Wells at the Indianapolis Star:

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Granger went under the knife in October for patellar tendinosis. He returned in late February, but only played in five games before soreness began to crop up again in the knee. After several weeks of rehab, Granger, the Pacers’ training staff and Dr. James Andrews agreed that shutting it down and undergoing surgery was the best course of action.

Granger is expected to be ready in time for training camp next season.

Editor’s Note: This entry has been updated.

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While Indiana has played well this season, they certainly could use Granger’s scoring ability. The Pacers are just 24th in the NBA in scoring, putting up 93.8 points per game. Granger has led the team in scoring the last five seasons, averaging 18.7 points on 41.6 percent shooting overall and 38.1 percent from three last year.

Indiana’s game on Saturday against Detroit will be the second of a home-and-home between the two teams. The Pacers destroyed the Pistons 114-82 on Friday night in Indianapolis.

While a prior report stated that Granger would ultimately decide whether or not he was ready to return on Wednesday, as SB Nation’s Pacers blog, Indy Cornrows, notes, it feels like nobody wanted to push the forward onto the court prematurely.

There’s still a chance that Granger sits until after the All-Star break. Indiana is deciding whether it would be better for the 29-year-old to get a game or two in before the break or to just give him more rest. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said the team will see how Granger responds to Sunday’s practice and then have him go through practice on Tuesday before making a decision.

Yet to play this year after recovering from a left knee injury, Granger returned to non-contact activities almost a month ago. The leading scorer for the Pacers the last five seasons, the forward averaged 18.7 points per game last season and only played in two preseason contests this year.