| PACERS | at | HAWKS |
 Ford |
Point Guard |
 Bibby |
 Jones |
Shooting Guard |
 Johnson |
 Rush |
Small Forward |
 Williams |
 Murphy |
Power Forward |
 Smith |
 Hibbert |
Center |  Horford |
 Watson |
Sixth Man |
 Crawford |
 O'Brien |
Coach |  Woodson |
Bruised heel may bench Granger for opener
By Conrad Brunner | Oct. 27, 2009
| Wednesday's Game |
|---|
|
7:00 p.m., Road TV: Fox Sports Indiana Radio: 1070 The Fan |
With NBA Most Improved Player and Danny Granger doubtful because of a bruised heel and Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough also out, much of the Pacers' star power could be in suits instead of uniforms.
"He could play but he's doubtful at this point," said Coach Jim O'Brien of Granger. "We don't think it's anything long-term. It's just a bruise. He's a tough guy. He practices when he's hurt but he couldn't practice today and it's the day before we play so we'll have to wait and see what happens."
Granger missed the last three days of practice after aggravating the injury in the final preseason game, a 114-112 victory over San Antonio last Friday night in Bloomington.
"It was bothering me throughout the preseason but I wasn't paying too much attention to it," Granger said. "In that last game against San Antonio I did something to it and I woke up the next morning and I could barely walk. It's been coming along pretty quickly but it's still pretty painful.
"We got an MRI on it (Monday), it's just a bruise. It is just a matter of that area of your heel, because it absorbs so much impact and it has a lot of nerve endings in there and that's where all the pain is coming from."
Granger was the team's leading scorer in the preseason at 18.6 in just 24.6 minutes and totaled 29 with 14 rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes against the Spurs.
If he can't go, Dahntay Jones likely would move into the starting lineup at shooting guard with Brandon Rush shifting to small forward. Luther Head would become the first wing player off the bench and Earl Watson likely would also get minutes at shooting guard.
How to compensate for the loss of the team's best player?
"We go out there and compete and doing the things we've been doing all week to get ready to play," said Jones. "We're relying on team concepts rather than one man. Danny's a great player but it'll be a team victory if we get a chance to win.
"We would love to have Danny but if we don't, we have to keep on moving. It's part of our game so we'll be ready to play regardless of the situation."
The Pacers were 9-6 without Granger last season, so they have had experience dealing with his absence short-term.
"That's part of practices and coach putting everybody in and going through different situations," said. T.J. Ford. "We experienced that last season with a lot of guys going in and out of the lineup. Coach does a great job preparing guys and making sure guys are ready so I think everybody is pretty much capable of playing with any lineup but we still have go to out there and play."
TRENDS
The Pacers were 3-4 in the preseason. … Indiana ranked last in the NBA in points allowed (111.0) but tied for seventh in field-goal percentage defense (.429). … Roy Hibbert had three games of at least 20 points and averaged 13.6 along with a league-high 3.57 blocked shots. … Brandon Rush scored 63 of his 87 points in the second half. … Ford averaged a team-high 2.2 steals. … The Pacers were outscored by 60 from the free-throw line.
KEY MATCHUP
Much of Atlanta's offseason focus was on strengthening the second unit through the acquisitions of veterans Jamal Crawford, Joe Smith, Jason Collins and Maurice Evans and the drafting of Indianapolis product Jeff Teague. The Pacers should also have a better bench once the team returns to full health but with the injuries piling up the bench will be hard-pressed to keep pace.
INJURY REPORT
Pacers - G-F Mike Dunleavy (knee) and F Tyler Hansbrough (shin) are out; F Danny Granger (heel) is doubtful; C Jeff Foster (back) is questionable.
Hawks - None reported.
