Before the All-Star break the Pacers chose not to add another piece to their roster.  The reoccurring theme was “We’re adding a player at the deadline, and his name is Danny Granger…”  Made sense at the time, Danny (a career 18ppg scorer) had missed 50+ games due to a sore knee, but appeared ready to return to the lineup.  Fans waited with anxious anticipation as his return date was pushed back…pushed back…and pushed back again.

Then he returned.

Then…he departed.

He’s out of the lineup for a week (maybe longer), which puts the Pacers in a very tough position.  For the past two seasons, the Pacers bench has been their Achilles heel.  It hurt them dearly in last spring’s Eastern Conference Semi-Finals with the Miami Heat…and things haven’t gotten much better since.  DJ Augustin has once again lost his shooting touch.  Tyler Hansbrough has regressed as an impact player.  Ian ...