It was long after a recent game had ended, and Danny Granger walked into the locker room with beads of sweat running down his body and his game shorts still on.

But he wasn't sweating because of the game. It came from his postgame workout, which has become his routine.

The 17th pick in this year's draft, Granger has gone from looking like a regular in the Indiana Pacers' rotation to spending a lot of time on the bench, watching and learning.

"I talked to coach (Rick Carlisle) about it and he said it's a rookie thing," Granger said. "We're so deep and we're such a veteran team, it's kind of hard for me to come in and play. I did have a good preseason, but I have to earn my spots here and there.

". . . Coach told me some nights I'll play a lot and some nights I won't."