During the telecast Saturday night it was mentioned that Diener is quite the jokester.
As Suaveness kept mentioning Saturday night Granger's confidence right now is at a very high level
http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/web_071105.html
CAUGHT IN THE WEB
Like Dunleavy, Pacers grin and bear it
By Conrad Brunner | Nov. 5, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like Mike Dunleavy, the Pacers have been smacked in the mouth, albeit figuratively, their reputation bloodied by dire preseason predictions.
Like Dunleavy, the Pacers have taken the hit and moved on, managing to find a way to smile through the stitches.
More than any other player on the roster, Dunleavy is the symbol of the Pacers' encouraging start. Like the team, his talent has been doubted. Like the team, he has much to prove. Like the team, he has come to life in Coach Jim O'Brien's system, averaging 22.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
His fast start, however, is just one of many encouraging signs:
Danny Granger is taking the next step toward legitimate stardom, playing with a heretofore unseen confidence;
Adding playmaking ability to his continually growing defensive presence, Jermaine O'Neal has demonstrated the ability to control a game when his shot isn't falling;
Jamaal Tinsley has regained the look of a point guard that knows what his team needs and when it's needed;
With Kareem Rush outside, Ike Diogu inside, Marquis Daniels everywhere in-between and Travis Diener and Andre Owens forming a strong offense-defense tag-team at the point, the second unit looks more like a second wave;
There's a developing sense – one that has been missing in recent years -- that this team will come up with the necessary stop, loose ball or big shot.
Of course, the defense is and likely will remain a work in progress for awhile. The Pacers are as vulnerable on the perimeter as feared, with the breakdowns outside leading to foul trouble inside.
Even so, there's a lot to like about these Pacers, not the least of which is the quiet, unassuming and yet steely confidence they seem to be developing.
INTERNOTES …
It didn't take long – less than one game, in fact – for at least one fan in Conseco Fieldhouse to express his feelings about O'Brien. During a timeout in the second half of the home opener, one lower-level fan shouted, "I love Jim O'Brien" more than once. Unfortunately, the coach being a coach, O'Brien didn't hear it. "I absolutely did not (hear the fan)," O'Brien said with a smile. "Whoever that is, that's great, thank you. I love him, too."
There'll be more to come on this, but Diener is taking on the look of the good-humored provocateur in the locker room, jabbing teammates with nicknames. Emerging star Granger, for example, is "Hollywood." While O'Neal was finishing up an interview last week, Diener walked by and casually said, "What's up, Kwame?" Of course, he who dishes must take. Diener already has been dubbed "Tony Hawk," among others.
After the league-mandated two-year wait that comes with a new uniform design, the Pacers were finally able to add an alternate color this year, unveling their, um, "gold" unis against Miami Friday night. Though they look a lot better than their pinstriped cousins from a previous era, gold they aren't, so it probably won't be long before somebody brings back the "banana suits" label.
At age 29, Eddie Gill doesn't exactly fit the D-League profile. Nevertheless, the former Pacers guard – cut by the Nets in training camp – was the No. 1 overall pick in the developmental league's draft, taken by the Colorado 14ers.
After lashing out at the Pacers organization in general and team President Larry Bird in particular in an interview with a North Carolina newspaper about how his brief tenure here came to an end, Darrell Armstrong quickly called The Indianapolis Star to issue an apology. "I want the fans to know that Larry was definitely trying to get me into a situation that would be good for me," Armstrong said. "My feelings on having to wait so long on getting released won't change. This was the first time in my career I had to go through anything like that. I want to apologize to the Pacers organization for what I said."
As Suaveness kept mentioning Saturday night Granger's confidence right now is at a very high level
http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/web_071105.html
CAUGHT IN THE WEB
Like Dunleavy, Pacers grin and bear it
By Conrad Brunner | Nov. 5, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like Mike Dunleavy, the Pacers have been smacked in the mouth, albeit figuratively, their reputation bloodied by dire preseason predictions.
Like Dunleavy, the Pacers have taken the hit and moved on, managing to find a way to smile through the stitches.
More than any other player on the roster, Dunleavy is the symbol of the Pacers' encouraging start. Like the team, his talent has been doubted. Like the team, he has much to prove. Like the team, he has come to life in Coach Jim O'Brien's system, averaging 22.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
His fast start, however, is just one of many encouraging signs:
Danny Granger is taking the next step toward legitimate stardom, playing with a heretofore unseen confidence;
Adding playmaking ability to his continually growing defensive presence, Jermaine O'Neal has demonstrated the ability to control a game when his shot isn't falling;
Jamaal Tinsley has regained the look of a point guard that knows what his team needs and when it's needed;
With Kareem Rush outside, Ike Diogu inside, Marquis Daniels everywhere in-between and Travis Diener and Andre Owens forming a strong offense-defense tag-team at the point, the second unit looks more like a second wave;
There's a developing sense – one that has been missing in recent years -- that this team will come up with the necessary stop, loose ball or big shot.
Of course, the defense is and likely will remain a work in progress for awhile. The Pacers are as vulnerable on the perimeter as feared, with the breakdowns outside leading to foul trouble inside.
Even so, there's a lot to like about these Pacers, not the least of which is the quiet, unassuming and yet steely confidence they seem to be developing.
INTERNOTES …
It didn't take long – less than one game, in fact – for at least one fan in Conseco Fieldhouse to express his feelings about O'Brien. During a timeout in the second half of the home opener, one lower-level fan shouted, "I love Jim O'Brien" more than once. Unfortunately, the coach being a coach, O'Brien didn't hear it. "I absolutely did not (hear the fan)," O'Brien said with a smile. "Whoever that is, that's great, thank you. I love him, too."
There'll be more to come on this, but Diener is taking on the look of the good-humored provocateur in the locker room, jabbing teammates with nicknames. Emerging star Granger, for example, is "Hollywood." While O'Neal was finishing up an interview last week, Diener walked by and casually said, "What's up, Kwame?" Of course, he who dishes must take. Diener already has been dubbed "Tony Hawk," among others.
After the league-mandated two-year wait that comes with a new uniform design, the Pacers were finally able to add an alternate color this year, unveling their, um, "gold" unis against Miami Friday night. Though they look a lot better than their pinstriped cousins from a previous era, gold they aren't, so it probably won't be long before somebody brings back the "banana suits" label.
At age 29, Eddie Gill doesn't exactly fit the D-League profile. Nevertheless, the former Pacers guard – cut by the Nets in training camp – was the No. 1 overall pick in the developmental league's draft, taken by the Colorado 14ers.
After lashing out at the Pacers organization in general and team President Larry Bird in particular in an interview with a North Carolina newspaper about how his brief tenure here came to an end, Darrell Armstrong quickly called The Indianapolis Star to issue an apology. "I want the fans to know that Larry was definitely trying to get me into a situation that would be good for me," Armstrong said. "My feelings on having to wait so long on getting released won't change. This was the first time in my career I had to go through anything like that. I want to apologize to the Pacers organization for what I said."
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