/ laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"
Tweet
The last time Danny Granger played in New Orleans he scored more than 30 points in a playoff loss during his senior year at Grace King High School.
Six years, two universities and two NBA seasons later, Granger is returning to his hometown tonight when the Indiana Pacers take on the New Orleans Hornets. And he's returning as a significant part of the Pacers.
"I'm pumped about it," said Granger, whose high school got 300 tickets for the game. "One week is the longest that I've been back to New Orleans since I got to the NBA. The city has been different since (Hurricane) Katrina."
Granger is heading back home with a refreshed attitude after two seasons of changing roles.
One minute, Granger was the bright-eyed rookie backing up Ron Artest. The next he was thrust into the starting lineup after Artest was traded. Then it was back to the bench on the offensive-loaded starting lineup early last season, to finally being counted on to defend the opposing team's best perimeter player and be a scoring threat after the eight-player trade in January.
Granger acknowledges his increased role last season took a toll, saying he "hit a wall" by the end of the season. He told coach Jim O'Brien during their initial meeting that he didn't prepare to be one of the team's go-to players. Granger led the team in minutes played and was second in scoring last season.
"It really was overwhelming," Granger said. "I got tired from it and my body was hurting. I had to score and I also had to guard people like Carmelo (Anthony), (Dwyane) Wade and LeBron (James). I'm ready for it this year."
With his expectations so high, Granger conditioned himself to where he can be effective on both ends of the court.
"Whenever anybody is open-minded about the shortcomings they've had in the past, I think you'll see growth," O'Brien said. "I don't think it'll be a breakout year for Danny, and I don't mean that to be negative; I expect him to have a really strong year, but he also has the type of mentality that he's going to be improving his game for many, many years to come."
The one thing Granger, who is listed as the Pacers' starting shooting guard, doesn't want to do is stand behind the 3-point line and become shot happy. He did at times last season. He wants to use his athleticism to get to the basket, which should later free him for open jumpers.
O'Brien said the Pacers' offense, based off constant movement and screens, will help Granger avoid camping out on the perimeter.
"He saw (Wednesday against New Orleans) that Mike Dunleavy got some really good opportunities at the basket and our offense is symmetrical that everything you see one wing do, the other wing has that ability to do things. In our passing game we attempt to keep the low post area open to take advantage of having fairly tall wing players."
Having to be depended on to score shouldn't be a problem for Granger because O'Brien said you'll be able to "throw a blanket" over Granger, Dunleavy, Marquis Daniels and Jamaal Tinsley's statistics because all four players are capable double-digit scorers.
"I don't really look at it as where (Granger) is," O'Brien said. "I know he can score and I view everybody as being able to put up quality numbers on any given night. It might be a different guy every night."
Injury update: Daniels is doubtful for tonight's game with a bruised left knee, which is not similar to the injury he suffered last season.
Call Star reporter Mike Wells at (317) 444-6053.
Comment