OK, so it isn't that hard to do these days, but a win is a win. I was actually torn last night. Should I watch baseball or watch the Pacers play Miami? I couldn't decide, so I flipped back and forth until the end of the Pacer game and then watched the Padres and Astros game until I fell asleep.
The Pacers were in control of this one pretty much from the start. With Miami playing mostly D-Leaguers, it was a pretty boring affair unless you didn't get enough Kasib Powell, Stephen Lasme, and Blake Ahearn while they were in college.
Indiana won 105-85 in a snoozer, but one important thing did happen. Jermaine O'Neal came back after missing 33 games (I counted). He came off the bench, played 18 minutes, and threw in 9 points. He definitely had some rust, but he also had a ton of energy, which was good to see.
While JO was getting his run in, Danny Granger continued to impress on the court. He lead the team with 23 points on 7-for-17 shooting, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
The bench played heavy minutes because the game was out of hand for most of the second half. One thing that confused me was the lack of playing time for Shawne Williams. He only logged 3 minutes. I don't get the up-and-down rationing of his minutes. He is THE BEST player off the bench for Indiana. I just don't get it. Another thing that bothered me was the lack of playing time for Ike Diogu. Again, PLAY HIM! I understand that the team has money invested in other players, but Diogu is better than some of those players that are getting heavy rotation.
Enough on that for now. Indiana is now 31-43 and is three games out of the 8th spot in the East. They could still sneak in though. With their remaining eight opponents being @Boston, @Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Atlanta, @Philly, Charlotte, @Washington, and then closing out the season with the Knicks. I see 4 wins with a possibility of 6 or 7. But, they could also go winless 1-7...they aren't losing to the Knicks!
Next game is Wednesday night @ Boston on ESPN.
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Comments
In my opinion, Granger can be one of the top talents in the league within the next couple of years. He has the mental capacity that you want in your star player. Once the team becomes more successful, people will talk about him more and more.
It's funny what you say about Diogu being a lottery pick, because he was actually picked 9th in the same draft that Granger was taken 17th!
I think Shawne Williams can be the Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA next season if given the chance.
I'll see what I can do about the comment box...thanks for the feedback.
Who would you compare Granger to? I came up with Stephen Jackson, but that is mostly based on statistics.
Who would you compare Shawne Williams to?
Can either of these guys defend to save their life?
I would say Granger is closer to Scottie Pippen with a dash of Shawn Marion sprinkled in. Granger can shoot from outside, but he can also play inside. He can get to the basket on his own when he wants. His defense is improving. He is averaging 1 steal and 1 block per game right now. Throw that in with his 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists a game, and you have a nice complete package. He's only 24 and improving still.
Williams is a bit harder for me to place who he plays like. If I had to, I'd say he is like Matt Barnes right now. A slasher that can also shoot. I think with more playing time, he can really develop into a player like Caron Butler. Williams isn't a great defender, but with his arm span, I think that he can get up to the 2 steal, 1 block a game range.
You can catch them playing tonight on ESPN against Boston. Well, at least Granger will be playing. I'm hoping Williams will get some time tonight too.
When Chris Quinn is arguably the 2nd best player on a team, something is wrong. Also when Blake Ahearn is actually seeing the floor, things are worse.
How good is Granger? I don't see him very much at all.
Why doesn't Ike see the floor? Wasn't he a lottery pick sometime in the last 4 years? His numbers have always been solid from what I remember. I would think he would see more minutes than Kareem Rush. Everyone knows who Kareem is. He is a shooter that should be the 10th man on a team.
Shawne was so raw when he left Memphis. He should receive minutes too though. Everyone knows who Rush, Daniels, Diener, etc are. People don't know who Shawne is yet.
Your comment box is very slender btw. Kinda annoying. May want to make it wider.