By: Daniel Shaw

Daniel Shaw — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:55:39 +0000

Good, the Knicks are on life support… at least until 2010. But enough of them, let’s talk Pacers. We lose three games we should have won, then win one we should have lost. That’s Pacers’ ball for ya. This tells me one thing… we are not ready for a definitive play-off push. The Hawks last season, after trading for Mike Bibby, were tuning up to make a run. After taking the Celtics to game 7, they officially arrived. We are not there yet, but we are closing in. I don’t know how much of a difference Dunleavy will make, although many believe it will be a great improvement for our win column, but I think we are still one player away from starting our play-off push next year. Perhaps Carlos Boozer? Maybe, or perhaps an underrated PF ready to blossom when given a chance. My hopes are down for this Pacers team though. We are decent for a team that made drastic changes over the summer, but things will get better by the start of next year… Dunleavy, don’t rush back and jeopardize your career, rest up, rehabilitate, get quicker and develop even more. Granger will be our next Reggie Miller… … … now that I think about it, maybe, just maybe we have a play-off push in us, IF Granger can develop a Reggie-like game dominating presence. I mean, Reggie wasn’t the greatest athlete; heck many consider him an average guy with an phenomenal shooting game. There must be some aspect of Granger’s game that he can develop that can propel us to that level of competition where we can say, “The Pacers are one of the top teams in the East”. Miller was feared for the three-pointer and his outside shooting, not to mention the “daggers” - those game-winning shots. If Miller was standing at the half-court line, there was a defender inches away from him. What will, or what can Granger be known for? His dominating defense? Ron Artest was that for us, but he had other traits to complement the team. Granger’s defense is impressive when he tries hard enough, but it is inconsistent. Maybe the ability to make three pointers? He is still improving there, but it doesn’t stand out like Reggie. For Granger, it will be his all-around game. He won’t be as popular as Kobe, or have so much attention as LeBron, but when see Granger in about 2 or 3 years, people will sit back and think and say, “u know what, Granger is a winner”, because by then, the Pacers will be a top team. Granger will average 28, 6, 6, 3 and 2 steals (hopefully 1 turnover per game) Granger has the potential, and I know that is what Larry Bird is hoping for, for Granger to develop into Indiana’s next Reggie Miller. That is why Bird will not bring in a better player than Granger. He will bring in supporting players, but not someone greater than the eventual star. Think about it. Bird traded for Dunleavy, not Jason Richardson. He is a good supporting player, but that trade was clearly unbalanced. Granger, u must elevate your offensive game. The progress you have made is the expected progress everybody projected. But if you want a team that will make a definitive play-off push this year, you must quickly elevate to Kobe and LeBron playing caliber. I don’t think we will get that this year, but eventually, it will come. Larry Bird, in the back of his mind, wants exactly what I am saying, but for the sake of the fans and our team, Dunleavy must come back and carry some of the load, which will decrease Granger’s rise to stardom. So that’s my opinion – in summary, we are playoff capable, but not a definitive playoff team, unless Granger doubles his production. When Dunleavy returns, we will develop that chemistry that will prepare us for next year’s defining push. In the end, Granger will slowly or quickly become the next Reggie Miller (game-winning moments and all) and have his jersey retired (right before Jeff Foster – if both continue and finish their careers with the Pacers) Tell me what you think Jon, I know it is long, but just the thoughts of this New York Pacer fan. Looking forward to the next Podcast.

By: Daniel Shaw

Daniel Shaw — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:12:30 +0000

I live in Brooklyn NY, and all I hear is Lebron 2010. I will always hate the knicks, even if they get LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Shaq, whoever. On to our team… these guys really piss me off. I think we may have prematurely predicted good things for this team. Good grief! the Turn over KILLS us. We cannot stop turning the ball over!!! I almost threw my channel changer at the TV when Granger turned the ball over for the umpteenth time in the 4th. I think every loss we had was because of turnovers. We should have only one loss this season; every game except the one against the Bulls was winnable. Jim O’Brian needs to do something about this high number of turnovers. TJ was brought here to create, let him distribute the ball, not Granger and Damn sure not Rasho. Crunch time, Danny need to catch and shoot, or create for himself off-the-dribble and score. His ball handling skills are questionable at best. That’s his number one priority right now: develop an unstoppable off-the-dribble game. Dunleavy may have a career threatening injury. Great, more bad news. And where’s Hibbert? Arrrgh, another Loss!!! And to cap off the night… the Knicks won. A horrible night for this Pacers’ fan.

Comments on: NBA Trade & Orlando Look Out!

By: Daniel Shaw

By: Daniel Shaw