Question for the Pacers fans on the board, what's the feeling about Granger? I thought he might make it back in time for the playoffs. Is Indiana just done with him or is there excitement among the fan base about look how far we got without him just think when comes back?
i dont see why they cant bring him off the bench...they def need more shooting and scoring from their 2nd unit. next yr is the last yr on the contract. i'd def try to give him one more chance. he wouldn't disturb chemistry and fills a need.
he's family, as far as most fans are concerned. of course, there's a group that dislikes him. i hope he comes back strong and gives the bench a super boost. hard to say what actually happens. i suspect he'd back as a Pacer. as for how well he'll be able to play, that's equally hard to guess. he has tendinosis (same thing as Pau). he went through a treatment, it didn't help.
pretty much impossible cap-wise. that would put them far into tax when combined with West/George new contracts. not to mention, Gordon is kind of a diva so i might actually prefer to see how Lance Stephenson develops rather than be stuck with Gordon's contract and health/attitude issues. Lance has a ton of talent, physically he's a tank for a SG.
This trade almost happened at the deadline, I forget why it didn't though. If EGO was healthy (and didn't have a much longer contract than Granger) it would make sense. I don't see much of a market for Granger, although he'd be a very expensive 6th man (I can't see him and George starting together anymore). I could see the Kings trading Thorton and either Salmons (or Thompson) for Granger. Maybe Wizards go for him if they don't get Otto Porter. Maybe the Suns give them Scola or something.
<br> I agree with the Stephenson comments. Lance Stephenson was at one point considered to be one of the best prospects coming out of high school. Ever since it seems that he's just been involved with lots off the court issues. If he can keep his act together he still has all the physical tools to become a force for the Pacers as he actually gets the development time he needs.
He is expected to recover fully. He missed the full year because they hoped he would not need surgery but would recover with rest and rehab. Didn't work, and surgery was plan B. The issue of course is the one year left on his contract. Assume they re-sign West at a market value deal and sign Paul George after next year to a max deal. Hibbert and Hill are locked up. Thus there's no cap room to re-sign Danny unless he would take a huge pay cut. They'd probably like to keep Stephenson and upgrade the bench rather than paying Granger. So there seems to be two viable options: 1) Get the most out of him next year and let him walk or depart in a sign-and-trade 2) Trade him next season, mid-year, if he proves to be healthy. I'd like to see a 3rd option, but I think there is only a possibility of keeping two of the three among West, Granger, and Stephenson. Lance would be by far the cheapest and youngest, so he has an advantage if they think he can develop (he's just 22). They will have to make a decision on West before they know if Danny can come back. If somebody blows West away with a near-max offer that the Pacers can't match, I could see Danny step in next year as a small-ball 4. But it doesn't fit their philosophy as well, and Hansbrough would have to be brought back as the physical option at the 4 give the concern of Granger being healthy. Hansbrough as a starting 4 makes me want to puke, despite the fact that he actually played decently with the starters a few games this year when West was out.
IMO, Granger will be with the Pacers to start next season because of his injury and contract. Both George Hill and Lance Stephenson need to be replaced as starters. Hill just isn't good enough and never will be. Stephenson is too much of a headcase for a contender to stake their future on.
Thanks for the feedback. In regards to West how much do you think the Pacers would offer to retain him?
i'd expect 10-12 mil a year / 4 years would be his range. 1 last multi-year contract, and there's no reason to expect a paycut compared to what he makes right now. if anything, he's played well enough for a raise.
If Indiana somehow wins tonight's game, I'd imagine Danny Granger will try very hard to make a comeback for the finals, no? Even though there's only a 2 day rest until the start of Game 1 of the finals, I don't think he'd let an opportunity at a ring slip away, because there will always be the critics saying he doesn't deserve it. Is he capable of coming off the bench?
He's an above average point guard, physical, plays solid defense, and can handle the ball. He's not spectacular at anything, but his game doesn't have any major holes either. Whats with the hate?
Indiana needs to improve its bench, they could easily turn Granger's expiring into two solid bench players. Also if Indiana doesn't bring back West, I'd imagine they'd make a run at Millsap, he's kind of in the mould of West.
What "hate" are you talking about? I like George Hill (I'm an Indy native just like him) but he has serious limitations as a starting PG. His handles are shaky. His decision-making is questionable. When defenders overplay him, he doesn't have the athleticism, speed or floor-vision to make them pay. He tries hard on defense. Hill is a backup PG playing too many minutes.
