| PACERS | vs. | BLAZERS |
 T.J. Ford |
Point Guard |
 Steve Blake |
 Dahntay Jones |
Shooting Guard |
 Brandon Roy |
 Brandon Rush |
Small Forward |
 Martell Webster |
 Troy Murphy |
Power Forward |
 L. Aldridge |
 Roy Hibbert |
Center |  Joel Przybilla |
 Mike Dunleavy |
Sixth Man |
 Andre Miller |
 Jim O'Brien |
Coach |  Nate McMillan |
By Conrad Brunner | Dec. 8, 2009
A week ago, Brandon Rush was dealing with a drastic change in his professional circumstances. After starting the first 15 games, he was not only removed from the lineup but from the regular rotation. Coach Jim O'Brien named the four reserves that would expect to play regularly and Rush's name was not among them.
Now, Rush is dealing with another drastic change – but this one represents an opportunity to regain that lost ground.
With Danny Granger out at least 4-6 weeks with a torn plantar fascia on his right foot, Rush is back in the starting lineup as the Pacers open a stretch of nine games in 14 days against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday in Conseco Fieldhouse (7 p.m., Fox Sports Indiana, 1070 The Fan).
Coach Jim O'Brien's two options are Rush and Mike Dunleavy but with the latter limited to roughly 20 minutes per game as he rebuilds strength and conditioning after the long layoff due to knee surgery last March, O'Brien turned to the second-year player from Kansas.
"We're going back to Brandon because you've got a guy on the wing limited to 20 minutes in Michael and you can use that up pretty quickly if he's the starter," he said. "I want to try to make sure as best I can to have our best team available at crunch time. … I think (Rush) will probably be a little more effective as a starter than he was before we put him on the bench."
Rush totaled 52 minutes, nine points and 10 rebounds in three games after being benched. Though he didn't rack up impressive stats, he played aggressively and with confidence.
"It was definitely a good feeling (to get extended playing time)," Rush said. "(O'Brien)'s still got confidence in me. Everybody on the team's got confidence in me. I've just got to stay ready and stay confident."
Rush returns to the lineup against the team that originally drafted him in 2008, trading him to the Pacers (along with Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts) for Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu.
"Brandon's completely ready," said Dahntay Jones. "We all go through struggles and we go through hard times. Brandon's been working hard and we have confidence in him to come through his struggles and have some good play for us now."
The Pacers won't get much sympathy from the Blazers, who are without Coach Nate McMillan (ruptured Achilles tendon) and just lost center Greg Oden for the rest of the season due to a fractured left kneecap that required surgery on Sunday. Guard Rudy Fernandez underwent a mocrodiscectomy Tuesday to relieve pressure from a nerve root in his lower back that is causing leg pain, leaving the team with just nine healthy players.
Portland (13-9) has lost three in a row. Assistant Coach Dean Demopoulous will fill in for McMillan during the team's four-game road trip this week.
TRENDS
The Pacers are 14-8 in games Granger has missed, 1-0 this season. … Dunleavy has averaged 8.7 points on .370 shooting in the last three games. .. T.J. Ford was scoreless twice last week, the first time that's happened in his NBA career. … Tyler Hansbrough has averaged 12.8 minutes, 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in the last six. … Roy Hibbert's 12-point outing in L.A. was the first time in nine games he scored in double figures. … Jones has shot .375 in the last six games, including 1-of-10 from the 3-point line. … Troy Murphy has averaged 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and .517 shooting in the last three. … The Pacers are 3-10 when they attempt 20 or more 3-pointers. … Indiana was outrebounded 111-72 and outscored 34-3 on second-chance points in the last two games.KEY MATCHUP
Indiana's defense showed signs of coming around in the last two games of last week's road trip, limiting the Jazz and Clippers to averages of 92.0 points and .393 shooting on back-to-back nights. With Granger out, defense becomes even more important against a struggling Portland offense that has averaged just 92.5 points in the last six games.INJURIES
Pacers -- Granger (foot) and Travis Diener (toe) are out.Blazers -- Nicolas Batum (shoulder), Fernandez (back and leg), Patrick Mills (foot), Oden (knee), Travis Outlaw (foot) and Jeff Pendergraph (hip) are out.
