Danny Granger could miss opening night with calf injury

A calf injury might take Danny Granger out of the mix for the Pacers' season opener. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

There's not yet any cause for alarm, but Danny Granger has again drifted out of the Pacers' active rotation with injury. Earlier this month, Granger suffered a calf injury in a preseason game against Dallas that has sidelined him -- from both practice and games -- since. According to Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star(via EOB), Pacers head coach Frank Vogel acknowledged that the injury is more serious than initially thought, while calling into question Granger's availability for the team's season opener on October 29th.

“There’s a chance he could play on opening night, but it’s probably unlikely,” Vogel said. “He was on track to maybe have a role with the starting unit. Now, he’s struggling to find his timing. We’re running the offense through Lance (Stephenson) when he comes off the bench. We’ll see where he’s at on a day-by-day basis.”

Granger played in just five games last season because of a knee injury. The calf injury is unrelated to that, but Vogel said he is concerned that Granger is not building enough strength in the knee because he has been unable to practice for several days. The Pacers finish their pre-season schedule at Dallas on Friday.

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