http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/web_061120.html
Caught in the Web
by Conrad Brunner
Nov. 20, 2006
Granger Becoming 3-Point Specialist
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When it became clear Danny Granger would fill the void at small forward created by Peja Stojakovic's departure, the Pacers had to take stock of that supremely important position.
On the plus side of the ledger, Granger would provide much better individual defense, comparable if not superior rebounding, more athleticism and timely if not prolific scoring. On the minus side, well, there was simply no way Granger – or anybody else on the roster, for that matter – would be able to replace Stojakovic's 3-point threat.
Or would he?
While no one's quite ready to proclaim Granger the heir to the Pacers' long line of 3-point royalty extending from Billy Keller to Chuck Person to Reggie Miller to Chris Mullin to Sam Perkins to Stojakovic, the young forward has done his best to live up to the standard they set.
Granger ranks just two spots behind Stojakovic at 16th in the NBA's 3-point percentage leaders at .447 (17 of 38). In the last seven games, he's gone 15-of-29 (.517).
"It's something he's worked on," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "He made some last year and really we feel Danny and (Rawle) Marshall both have to develop into good, solid 3-point shooters for us just so we can space the floor and have room for Jermaine (O'Neal) and Al (Harrington) and (David) Harrison to work on the inside. I'm encouraging them to keep working on it. Same thing with Orien Greene, same thing with all our guys, Shawne Williams, Marquis (Daniels). But Danny and Rawle, in particular, we're counting on in the near future."
Granger's emergence as a 3-point threat is by design. He posted a .392 career mark from the arc in college, so was disappointed in the .323 accuracy of his rookie year while adjusting to the 23-foot, 9-inch distance. So Granger went to work on his shot over the summer and the results are evident.
"It's coming along," Granger said. "I think I'm getting more open looks with Al and J.O. and Jack (Stephen Jackson) posting up so much. It's coming along well. It's still a focus. I try to get up shots before and after every practice.
"I just kind of have to pick and choose my spots. We have so many other offensive weapons on our team and I'm starting with them so I just have to pick and choose where I'll get my points in."
There also was a bit of old-school pragmatism in the plan to become a more effective 3-point shooter. Knowing he would be at best a tertiary option with the starters, Granger knew he'd need to maximize the relatively few opportunities he would get to score.
"Exactly," he said, laughing. "If I can only get three up if I make all three that's nine instead of six."
Though Granger's shooting has been a pleasant revelation, it is not the most important gauge of his overall performance. His primary duties are to provide staunch perimeter defense, often against the opposition's top threat, while playing a major role both on the boards and in transition. Even without scoring a point, if Granger fulfills those duties he will have played a major role.
Because of the smaller starting lineup, rebounding is particularly important for Granger, who averaged 4.9 as a rookie. He's currently at 4.6, a number that needs to improve.
"He's doing some good things offensively and his shooting is coming around," Carlisle said. "Right now, with our rebounding situation we need him to step up for us and be a guy that can be a third rebounder with that first group. He has the experience. He played the four a lot in college, he played the four a lot last year. Defensively when it comes to rebounding we need him to think a little bit more like that when he's at the three."
Though he captures a lot of attention when he fills up the box score, Granger, like Carlisle, does not gauge his performance by his point total. His most important responsibilities are the largely intangible aspects of the game.
"Some nights I'm going to score a lot of points, some nights I'm not," Granger said. "If I can help the team by rebounding and my defensive intensity then I think it's a good game."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDDIE'S NOT-SO-EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
Before landing a two-year contract with the Pacers in 2004 – the first guaranteed NBA money of his career – Eddie Gill had bounced around Greece, Italy, the IBL, ABA and D-League, a basketball journey rich with experience and hardship.
It's likely he never experienced anything like the past few months in Russia.
Gill signed a reported $600,000 contract to play for Dynamo St. Petersburg, a young but dynamic franchise that was began play in 2004 and enjoyed immediate success. In early October, however, on the verge of a new season, the franchise suddenly folded. As best I can determine from scouring various international Websites, it seems Dynamo was largely funded by a sponsorship from the city. But the city was urging Dynamo to merge with a cross-town franchise in order to consolidate resources. When Dynamo's management balked at the idea, the city pulled its funding.
According to one of the reports, a major source of the enmity between the city and franchise was this: the KGB apparently owns a stake in all Russian sports teams with the name Dynamo, and the St. Petersburg city board was stocked with former Communist Party officials that apparently did not hold the former secret police agency in high regard.
Because the franchise folded in October after NBA teams had opened camp, Gill had no shot at returning to the U.S., so he cast about for gigs in Europe. The good news is he landed with a team in Moscow.
Dynamo Moscow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Granted, this wasn't one of those weeks where candidates were lining up, but one guy did emerge. After racking up 30 points off the bench against Boston and New Jersey, Marquis Daniels earned a promotion to the starting lineup Saturday in Milwaukee, replacing the slumping Stephen Jackson. The player acquired for Austin Croshere finally has started looking comfortable and therefore playing more aggressively in the Pacers' system, averaging 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in three games last week.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME OF THE WEEK
After getting outscored by 50 points in the first 2½ games of the week (losing to Boston 114-88, New Jersey 100-91 and then trailing Milwaukee 50-35 at the half) the Pacers finally came to life and dominated the second half 67-50 to pull out a much-needed 102-100 victory over the Bucks despite the absence of leading scorer Al Harrington. In the process, the Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STAT OF THE WEEK
That the Pacers would have three players in the NBA's top 20 in 3-point percentage is surprising enough. But consider the players: Darrell Armstrong is sixth (.560), Al Harrington ninth (.500) and Granger 16th (.447). Those players entered the season with career 3-point marks of .334 (Armstrong), .288 (Harrington) and .323 (Granger).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Explaining reports of a heated discussion with Rick Carlisle, Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh in the visiting coach's office after the loss in Boston, Jermaine O'Neal had the last word: "It wasn't an argument. It was opinions stated about games and situations and that's what it was. Everybody's prideful. When you expect to win and you get beat the way we got beat, you're going to be a little more emotional. Our conversation maybe should've waited till (the next day), till things calmed down a little bit. But if you didn't have a person with passion, a person that cared, you'd be in trouble."
Caught in the Web
by Conrad Brunner
Nov. 20, 2006
Granger Becoming 3-Point Specialist
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When it became clear Danny Granger would fill the void at small forward created by Peja Stojakovic's departure, the Pacers had to take stock of that supremely important position.
On the plus side of the ledger, Granger would provide much better individual defense, comparable if not superior rebounding, more athleticism and timely if not prolific scoring. On the minus side, well, there was simply no way Granger – or anybody else on the roster, for that matter – would be able to replace Stojakovic's 3-point threat.
Or would he?
While no one's quite ready to proclaim Granger the heir to the Pacers' long line of 3-point royalty extending from Billy Keller to Chuck Person to Reggie Miller to Chris Mullin to Sam Perkins to Stojakovic, the young forward has done his best to live up to the standard they set.
Granger ranks just two spots behind Stojakovic at 16th in the NBA's 3-point percentage leaders at .447 (17 of 38). In the last seven games, he's gone 15-of-29 (.517).
"It's something he's worked on," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "He made some last year and really we feel Danny and (Rawle) Marshall both have to develop into good, solid 3-point shooters for us just so we can space the floor and have room for Jermaine (O'Neal) and Al (Harrington) and (David) Harrison to work on the inside. I'm encouraging them to keep working on it. Same thing with Orien Greene, same thing with all our guys, Shawne Williams, Marquis (Daniels). But Danny and Rawle, in particular, we're counting on in the near future."
Granger's emergence as a 3-point threat is by design. He posted a .392 career mark from the arc in college, so was disappointed in the .323 accuracy of his rookie year while adjusting to the 23-foot, 9-inch distance. So Granger went to work on his shot over the summer and the results are evident.
"It's coming along," Granger said. "I think I'm getting more open looks with Al and J.O. and Jack (Stephen Jackson) posting up so much. It's coming along well. It's still a focus. I try to get up shots before and after every practice.
"I just kind of have to pick and choose my spots. We have so many other offensive weapons on our team and I'm starting with them so I just have to pick and choose where I'll get my points in."
There also was a bit of old-school pragmatism in the plan to become a more effective 3-point shooter. Knowing he would be at best a tertiary option with the starters, Granger knew he'd need to maximize the relatively few opportunities he would get to score.
"Exactly," he said, laughing. "If I can only get three up if I make all three that's nine instead of six."
Though Granger's shooting has been a pleasant revelation, it is not the most important gauge of his overall performance. His primary duties are to provide staunch perimeter defense, often against the opposition's top threat, while playing a major role both on the boards and in transition. Even without scoring a point, if Granger fulfills those duties he will have played a major role.
Because of the smaller starting lineup, rebounding is particularly important for Granger, who averaged 4.9 as a rookie. He's currently at 4.6, a number that needs to improve.
"He's doing some good things offensively and his shooting is coming around," Carlisle said. "Right now, with our rebounding situation we need him to step up for us and be a guy that can be a third rebounder with that first group. He has the experience. He played the four a lot in college, he played the four a lot last year. Defensively when it comes to rebounding we need him to think a little bit more like that when he's at the three."
Though he captures a lot of attention when he fills up the box score, Granger, like Carlisle, does not gauge his performance by his point total. His most important responsibilities are the largely intangible aspects of the game.
"Some nights I'm going to score a lot of points, some nights I'm not," Granger said. "If I can help the team by rebounding and my defensive intensity then I think it's a good game."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDDIE'S NOT-SO-EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
Before landing a two-year contract with the Pacers in 2004 – the first guaranteed NBA money of his career – Eddie Gill had bounced around Greece, Italy, the IBL, ABA and D-League, a basketball journey rich with experience and hardship.
It's likely he never experienced anything like the past few months in Russia.
Gill signed a reported $600,000 contract to play for Dynamo St. Petersburg, a young but dynamic franchise that was began play in 2004 and enjoyed immediate success. In early October, however, on the verge of a new season, the franchise suddenly folded. As best I can determine from scouring various international Websites, it seems Dynamo was largely funded by a sponsorship from the city. But the city was urging Dynamo to merge with a cross-town franchise in order to consolidate resources. When Dynamo's management balked at the idea, the city pulled its funding.
According to one of the reports, a major source of the enmity between the city and franchise was this: the KGB apparently owns a stake in all Russian sports teams with the name Dynamo, and the St. Petersburg city board was stocked with former Communist Party officials that apparently did not hold the former secret police agency in high regard.
Because the franchise folded in October after NBA teams had opened camp, Gill had no shot at returning to the U.S., so he cast about for gigs in Europe. The good news is he landed with a team in Moscow.
Dynamo Moscow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Granted, this wasn't one of those weeks where candidates were lining up, but one guy did emerge. After racking up 30 points off the bench against Boston and New Jersey, Marquis Daniels earned a promotion to the starting lineup Saturday in Milwaukee, replacing the slumping Stephen Jackson. The player acquired for Austin Croshere finally has started looking comfortable and therefore playing more aggressively in the Pacers' system, averaging 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in three games last week.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME OF THE WEEK
After getting outscored by 50 points in the first 2½ games of the week (losing to Boston 114-88, New Jersey 100-91 and then trailing Milwaukee 50-35 at the half) the Pacers finally came to life and dominated the second half 67-50 to pull out a much-needed 102-100 victory over the Bucks despite the absence of leading scorer Al Harrington. In the process, the Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STAT OF THE WEEK
That the Pacers would have three players in the NBA's top 20 in 3-point percentage is surprising enough. But consider the players: Darrell Armstrong is sixth (.560), Al Harrington ninth (.500) and Granger 16th (.447). Those players entered the season with career 3-point marks of .334 (Armstrong), .288 (Harrington) and .323 (Granger).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Explaining reports of a heated discussion with Rick Carlisle, Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh in the visiting coach's office after the loss in Boston, Jermaine O'Neal had the last word: "It wasn't an argument. It was opinions stated about games and situations and that's what it was. Everybody's prideful. When you expect to win and you get beat the way we got beat, you're going to be a little more emotional. Our conversation maybe should've waited till (the next day), till things calmed down a little bit. But if you didn't have a person with passion, a person that cared, you'd be in trouble."
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