Danny Granger Playing for Team USA…Not a Good Idea

Written by AMT Contributor, Chad Smith

I am in no way an NBA Scout and don’t claim to be one.

I am just a fan of the game, and like everyone else, I have my own personal opinion about players in the league. As a life long fan of the Indiana Pacers, I feel I have a better understanding of the players on the team, as I watch them almost every game.

Who’s to say I know anything about Danny Granger?

I think most people would agree that Granger has definitely become a very good player in the league. Leading the franchise in scoring the last couple of years, including an all-star game appearance last year, many would say he continues to improve.

When I watch Danny Granger, it is hard to compare him to any other player in the league. He has the frame of a Josh Smith, but can shoot like Paul Pierce.

He is 6’8″ but he doesn’t rebound nearly enough, and spends way too much time on the perimeter. His defense is also something that definitely needs to improve for him to become a great player (nobody on the Pacers plays defense anyway).

Obviously he is the face of the franchise right now for the Pacers, but I don’t know how much that is actually speaking about his game. The Pacers have been in a downward spiral ever since the brawl at the Palace.

Granger was a steal in the draft, but I beg the question; is he going to still be the face of the franchise in five years?

If the answer to that is yes, I think the Pacers are in deep trouble.

It doesn’t take an elite player to stand out from the rest of the Pacers players, but Granger definitely would be a great role player for a team like Boston or Cleveland. The problem is, he is our Scottie Pippen, and we have no Michael Jordan.

Granger would be an amazing sidekick for an NBA super star, but as of right now, playing for the USA team is not something he needs to be doing.

It was sad to watch him play only a few minutes in the all-star game last year, and he doesn’t really do anything that will make your draw drop. With the all-star team, he was merely a spot up shooter.

With the USA team, when you look up and down that roster, you really have to ask, should he be there?

I’m not sure what he brings to the table; especially to a team that is as loaded as Team USA with LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Carmelo, CP3, Bosh, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Granger and I’m happy he is our guy here in Indy, but I don’t really see how he can help the team, and not playing could really hurt his confidence. I hope that I am wrong, but I wish he would just stick to working on his NBA game, and becoming a “great” player in the league.

If he is capable of being a great role player that can give the team a long range shooter, then it could be a good thing. If he struggles to get involved in the offense though, and doesn’t work on his defense, it could be a bad thing for the best team ever assembled.