Less than three years ago, Danny Granger was the face of an up-and-coming Indiana Pacers squad that seemed poised to challenge LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference for many years to come. But injuries halted Granger’s influence on the Pacers, and he mostly watched from the bench as Indiana realized its destiny as a game yet inevitably doomed challenger to the Heat over the next two years. And despite his diminishing on-court value and trade from the Pacers midway through last season, surely no one saw Granger signing with Miami this summer – especially if James wasn’t wearing red and black. But with his new and wholly surprising NBA circumstance finally underway, the former All-Star maintains that LeBron’s absence actually stands to benefit his career.
Granger committed to signing with Miami this summer when it appeared James was staying put. Despite his highly contentious relationship with the Heat in the past, Granger’s acquisition made sense for both sides: Erik Spoelstra’s team was in need of cheap additions carrying a high variance, and Miami’s status as four-time reigning Eastern Conference champion fit Granger’s status as a veteran seeking a winner. Of course, the bit-playing role he was going to be asked to fill behind LeBron was perfect, too. Granger was a shell of his best self last season, and the Heat needed a forward capable of hitting open shots and defending multiple positions in Shane Battier’s absence.
It was a perfect if taboo marriage, but then James spurned the Heat for Northeast Ohio and everything changed. And though Granger could have reneged on his handshake agreement with Miami upon LeBron’s decision, he believes the hole created by James’ vacancy represents the perfect opportunity to resurrect his career.
Via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
t’s two-fold,” [Granger] said. “Yeah, I think everybody would like a chance to play with LeBron. But in the same aspect, a guy like me, who’s trying to reestablish myself, him leaving isn’t a terrible thing for me. It gives me an opportunity to play more, affords to do more of what I used to do. My initial reaction was to come to play with him, but once he left, it still was a good situation for me.
“I reassessed a little bit, myself and my agent. But at the point where I was at, it was more about me reestablishing, rather than the money or something like that. I’ve made a bunch of money. I just want to reestablish myself as the player that I was previously.”
First thing’s first – Granger’s wish to regain the form that once made him Indiana’s franchise player is a delusion of grandeur. A rash of lower body injuries has sapped Granger of the mobility and coordination that made him such a tough offensive cover four years ago, and worse, he simply isn’t the shooter he used to be, either.
Granger was one of basketball’s most effective and prolific long-range marksmen in his prime, averaging at least five three-point attempts per game and shooting above 38 percent from deep every season but one from 2007-2008 to 2011-2012. But he shot a poor 33.6 percent from beyond the arc in 2013-2014, and managed only 37.8 percent from the field overall. That’s an unplayable statistical profile unless the player in question is a canny playmaker and plus defender, or simply an absolute ace on the other end of the floor. Granger is neither.
Miami was counting on Granger’s three-point performance to bounce back this season when signing him, whether LeBron was on the team or otherwise. But as he so optimistically states, the Heat will likely be asking more of Granger in 2014-2015 now that James is gone. But even if Granger’s skills and athleticism were to suddenly, miraculously return, there would still be one little problem for his prospective renaissance – he’s still a reserve.
Luol Deng will be doing his best approximation of James at small forward and part-time small-ball 4 this season. Despite LeBron’s absence, Granger won’t be getting the huge opportunity to rebound his career of which he speaks. At best, he’ll be a solid, 20-minute reserve – hardly an unworthy reality for a 31 year-old with such a checkered injury history.
Is James’ departure actually better for Granger, then? It just depends how one weighs team and individual success. Considering his role wouldn’t be drastically different even if The King was still playing in South Beach, though, Granger’s hopeful boasts don’t exactly pass muster.
What do you think?
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