Danny Granger expects to start next season for the Pacers
The Indiana Pacers made a terrific run through the Eastern Conference this
season, taking the defending champion Miami Heat to the limit in the conference
finals and establishing themselves as a legitimate contender in the process.
印地安那溜馬在本季的東區冠軍賽出色的表現，把衛冕軍邁阿密熱火逼進了搶七的絕境，
已經展現且證明了，他們是個名符其實有實力爭奪總冠軍的勁旅。
Perhaps most impressive was that they did so without the services of wing
scorer Danny Granger, the man many would have tabbed as the team's best player
prior to this season. Granger managed only five games and 74 total minutes of
play this season while suffering through a left knee injury, and his presumed
return next season should give the Pacers even more options.
但或許最令人感到佩服的，是他們在少了側翼的得分手 ─ Danny Granger，這位大部分認
為在本季之前溜馬的最佳球員，這樣的情況下還能走這麼遠。Granger本季因受左膝傷勢所
苦，只出賽了5場加起來74分鐘的時間，而他預計在下一季歸隊應會給溜馬更多的可能性。
The question, of course, is how easily he can be re-integrated into a team that
grew while he was on the sidelines. Granger, for his part, expects to start
when he comes back. From Zak Keefer for the Indianapolis Star (via PBT):
But the majority of the talk Wednesday was on Danny Granger, the former
All-Star who missed all but five games this season with a knee injury.
Following the Game 7 loss, Granger said he expected to be back in the starting
lineup at the start of next season.
現在問題當然就是，他到底能不能很容易地，與這一支他整季都只能作壁上觀的新溜馬重新
融合。對 Granger 他自己而言，期望可以在回歸時重回先發陣容。根據印第安納波利斯星
的記者 Zak Keefer 的報導：
「但星期三最主要談論地對象是針對 Danny Granger，這位前全明星本季帶著膝蓋傷勢，僅
打了5場比賽。在東冠第七戰結束之後，Granger 說他希望可以在下一季重回先發位置。」
Vogel was asked if he saw things the same way. “Probably,” he said. “We
gotta see how he returns. My anticipation is that he’s going to have a full
recovery. I told him if he returns to full health and the ability that he’s
exhibited throughout his career, then he’ll be the starter.”
Vogel added that he challenged Lance Stephenson, who in Granger’s stead had a
breakout year, to “not let that happen.”
溜馬總教練 Vogel 當時被問到他是否跟 Danny Granger 的觀點一樣時，他表示：
「或許吧，我們必須要他回來的狀況而定，我的期望會是至少他要完全康復。我跟他說過如
果他可以完全康復且保持著跟他生涯那樣的水準，那他就會是一個先發。」
There's no basketballular reason this setup couldn't work. Granger and newly
minted star Paul George have played together on the wing before, and their
skills complement each other pretty well. George's best strength has always
been his versatility, particularly on defense. The Pacers shouldn't have much
problem defending both shooting guards and small forwards, with Stephenson
providing another option after the strides he took this year.
沒有關於籃球上的理由說明這樣的做法行不通。Granger 和剛打出明星身手的 Paul George
兩人之前已經一起擔任過溜馬的雙翼，而他們的能力互補地效益也很棒。George最強項就是
他一直以來都很全能，特別是在防守上的才能。溜馬應該在防守對手的2、3號位置上不會有
什麼問題，再加上 Stephenson 在今年的大躍進之後還可以增加球隊輪替的彈性。
Yet there is a potential problem. As a former All-Star who stands to make more
than $14 million next season (also the last year of his contract), Granger has
certain expectations for both his own offensive production and his own sense of
importance to the team. For the most part, he developed that approach over a
time when George was not the All-Star he now is. With George due for a likely
max-level extension to start in 2014-15, it's unlikely that the Pacers can pay
both wings and Roy Hibbert (who already got his four-year max last summer).
Given the events of this summer, it seems fairly certain that the Pacers would
choose George over Granger if forced to pick one. In other words, their new
hierarchy may not match up with Granger's own belief in his worth. While it's
likely he'll start, his role could be diminished.
但是有一個潛在的問題。身為一個前全明星他下一季的薪資超過14M(同時也是合約年)，
對於 Granger 在進攻端的貢獻和球隊的重要性，會有一定程度上的期望。總體而言，他
在 Paul George 還未成為全明星前，也花了一段時間才成長到現在這樣。而 George 應該
會在2014-15球季開始之前得到一份頂薪合約，溜馬可以打雙翼加上 Roy Hibbert(他已經在
去年拿到4年期約)這樣的陣型。在今年夏天的東區冠軍賽之後，目前看起來如果溜馬必須在
「Granger vs George」去抉擇，應該會是保George放Granger。換句話說，他們的順位次序
並不會像 Granger 對自我的評價。儘管他應該還是會先發，但角色重要性上恐會慢慢式微
There's no reason for the Pacers not to welcome Granger back as a sorely missed
team member, because he's very talented and figures to make them more dangerous
regardless of the scope of his role. However, these potential complications
should serve as reminders that talent never adds up in a purely accumulative
manner. Players must fit together and understand their roles to reach maximum
effectiveness, and that process can often be more difficult than expected.
對溜馬來說沒有理由不歡迎他們朝思暮想的 Granger 歸隊，因為他是個非常有天份球員同
時也是球隊的看板球星，不管他會擔任的角色為何，都會讓溜馬對於其他球隊而言更加危險
。然而我們還是得知道這些潛在的複雜問題，就是單純拼湊天份並不是萬靈丹。球員們必須
要能夠磨合得來且認知自我的角色為何，才能發揮最大的效益，而這樣的磨合過程在難度上
往往都是多於預期的。