Danny Granger is willing to submerge his ego and relinquish the Indiana Pacers’ franchise-player role to Paul George.

Granger recently returned after a nine-month hiatus caused by a knee tendon injury.

“I think the biggest deal about it is the assumptions since I was coming back that there’d be a competition between us, when it’s actually the opposite,” Granger said. “The way he can break defenses down, the way he can create, I can just stand, catch and shoot, drive – it makes my job easier. He’s coming in at such a young age – he’s 22 now – I’m going to be 30 in a month and a half.

“I have no problem – I’ve been in the league eight years – I have no problem passing the mantle to him, to leave the team to Roy (Hibbert) and George.

“My whole team I watched get drafted. I’ve watched all of them grow. So I have no problem passing the mantle. At all.”

Granger has helped foster a true team environment.

“Sometimes on NBA teams you’ve got guys competing with each other,” Granger said. “That’s the thing about our team. We compete against the other team. Whoever’s scoring, whoever’s playing, whoever’s passing the ball, whoever’s doing whatever, we’re rooting for that person. I think Frank Vogel, he did a good job of instilling that in all of us. Play for your teammates.”

Roy Hibbert has said that he will pay the fine of Lance Stephenson.

Stephenson received a $35,000 fine, which constitutes 4 percent of his pre-tax salary for the season.

Stephenson intervened following a shoving match between Hibbert and David Lee.

Hibbert called Stephenson a good teammate for defending him.

David Lee and Roy Hibbert have each been suspended one game for their part in Tuesday's altercation.

Lee's agent said he plans to appeal the suspension, but will sit out Wednesday's game against the Knicks.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Lance Stephenson were each fined $35,000 for escalating the altercation.

Danny Granger admitted sitting out with a knee injury was "kind of depressing." But he finally felt good returning to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons.

“It feels good to be back,” Granger said. “I missed all of this.”

Granger says his knee still is not 100 percent and he's uncertain when it will reach that point. For now, the key for Granger is to stay confident in his knee and not think about his movements and cuts off the knee.

“It’s such a process,” Granger said. “You go back three weeks when I started practicing, it would get sore, then the next week it was less sore and last week it was less sore. They say it’ll eventually go away. We have all the MRIs to back it up. It’s a matter of getting my knee acclimated to playing at a high speed.”

The Indiana Pacers are unwilling to give up a first round pick in exchange for J.J. Redick.

Redick remains available, with the Pacers, Bulls and Spurs among the candidates for his services.

The Pacers are reportedly amenable to a minor trade involving Gerald Green, D.J. Augustin or Tyler Hansbrough.

J.J. Redick will be looking for a four-year, $40 millon contract on the free agent market, according to sources.

Redick is unlikely to get a deal that hits $10 million annually, but teams with interest in dealing for him contend a $7 million per season amount is likely.

The Pacers, Bucks, Bulls and Wolves have been interested in Redick.

The Magic are willing to re-sign Redick at a deal at approximately $5 million per season.

Donte Greene has been cleared to play after recovering from a fractured ankle.

Greene has received interest from the Nets, Pacers, Hornets, Spurs, Bulls, Knicks, Magic, Rockets and Cavaliers.

Greene was expected to sign with the Nets before his injury.

Paul George credits Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw for helping him become an All-Star in just his third year season.

"He's really helped me out," George said of Shaw. "He's the one that gets on me. If I'm not playing well, if things aren't going right, and he knows I'm the reason for it, he'll let me hear about it."

During last season's lockout, Shaw watched film and broke down George's game.

"When he got here (after the lockout), I immediately noticed his size and his ability to defend and he had all the tools, the footwork," Shaw said. "It was just a matter of getting his confidence up."

Shaw doesn't have a problem speaking up to George when he sees something he doesn't like.

"He doesn't hold back on anything, and I mean anything," George said. "I like that. It's good to hear that. We do most of our talking while we're on the court or after practice. He'll also sit (with) me and we'll go over film."

The Houston Rockets have been linked to a potential trade for Danny Granger.

But one source said the report is inaccurate about their interest in acquiring Granger, who has a large contract.

The Indiana Pacers have reassigned Miles Plumlee to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s NBA Development League affiliate. 

Plumlee (6-11, 255, Duke) re-joins the Mad Ants following seven previous assignments when he played in 12 games and averaged 12.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 31.2 minutes. He has appeared in seven games for the Pacers this season, averaging 0.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.6 minutes.