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.
印地安那溜马在本季的东区冠军赛出色的表现，把卫冕军迈阿密热火逼进了抢七的绝境，
已经展现且证明了，他们是个名符其实有实力争夺总冠军的劲旅。
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.
但或许最令人感到佩服的，是他们在少了侧翼的得分手 ─ Danny Granger，这位大部分认
为在本季之前溜马的最佳球员，这样的情况下还能走这么远。Granger本季因受左膝伤势所
苦，只出赛了5场加起来74分钟的时间，而他预计在下一季归队应会给溜马更多的可能性。
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.
现在问题当然就是，他到底能不能很容易地，与这一支他整季都只能作壁上观的新溜马重新
融合。对 Granger 他自己而言，期望可以在回归时重回先发阵容。根据印第安纳波利斯星
的记者 Zak Keefer 的报导：
“但星期三最主要谈论地对象是针对 Danny Granger，这位前全明星本季带着膝盖伤势，仅
打了5场比赛。在东冠第七战结束之后，Granger 说他希望可以在下一季重回先发位置。”
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.”
溜马总教练 Vogel 当时被问到他是否跟 Danny Granger 的观点一样时，他表示：
“或许吧，我们必须要他回来的状况而定，我的期望会是至少他要完全康复。我跟他说过如
果他可以完全康复且保持着跟他生涯那样的水准，那他就会是一个先发。”
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.
没有关于篮球上的理由说明这样的做法行不通。Granger 和刚打出明星身手的 Paul George
两人之前已经一起担任过溜马的双翼，而他们的能力互补地效益也很棒。George最强项就是
他一直以来都很全能，特别是在防守上的才能。溜马应该在防守对手的2、3号位置上不会有
什么问题，再加上 Stephenson 在今年的大跃进之后还可以增加球队轮替的弹性。
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.
但是有一个潜在的问题。身为一个前全明星他下一季的薪资超过14M(同时也是合约年)，
对于 Granger 在进攻端的贡献和球队的重要性，会有一定程度上的期望。总体而言，他
在 Paul George 还未成为全明星前，也花了一段时间才成长到现在这样。而 George 应该
会在2014-15球季开始之前得到一份顶薪合约，溜马可以打双翼加上 Roy Hibbert(他已经在
去年拿到4年期约)这样的阵型。在今年夏天的东区冠军赛之后，目前看起来如果溜马必须在
“Granger vs George”去抉择，应该会是保George放Granger。换句话说，他们的顺位次序
并不会像 Granger 对自我的评价。尽管他应该还是会先发，但角色重要性上恐会慢慢式微
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.
对溜马来说没有理由不欢迎他们朝思暮想的 Granger 归队，因为他是个非常有天份球员同
时也是球队的看板球星，不管他会担任的角色为何，都会让溜马对于其他球队而言更加危险
。然而我们还是得知道这些潜在的复杂问题，就是单纯拼凑天份并不是万灵丹。球员们必须
要能够磨合得来且认知自我的角色为何，才能发挥最大的效益，而这样的磨合过程在难度上
往往都是多于预期的。