Today the Indiana Pacers traded Danny Granger and a second round draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen. Great trade for the Pacers. A trade that improves their chances at winning an NBA Championship. A trade that no writer or expert is saying the Pacers shouldn’t have done. A trade that will help the struggling bench become that new and improved bench the Pacers have been searching for the past few seasons. Its just a damn good trade that Larry Bird pulled off.
And even knowing all this, I am still saddened. For it was Danny Granger who was the lone beacon of light in some of the darkest days for Pacers fans. It was Danny Granger who gave the Pacers something to cheer about when no one else on the roster did. It was Danny Granger who refused to bow to LeBron James ever, instilling that tough grit that this roster has.
And even knowing all this, I am still saddened. For it was Danny Granger who was the lone beacon of light in some of the darkest days for Pacers fans. It was Danny Granger who gave the Pacers something to cheer about when no one else on the roster did. It was Danny Granger who refused to bow to LeBron James ever, instilling that tough grit that this roster has.
Remember when Danny Granger got called for this bull shit foul against LeBron which allowed the Cavs to tie the game with less than a second left?
Remember when the Pacers ran then ran the exact same play for Danny Granger and LeBron got called for the foul and Granger hit the game winning free throw?
It was Danny Granger who told Larry Bird to draft Paul George, knowing that this day was bound to come because of it.
He was a class act and a total pro the entire time in Indiana. As a rookie he had to deal with some of the Ron Artest drama. And then he had to go through a brutal rebuilding period, where he was starting alongside TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Mike Dunleavy Jr and Troy Murphy. And right as the team started to show its strength, an injury took it away from Granger. He went on to miss nearly the entire 12/13 season which saw the Pacers fall in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat.
He was a class act and a total pro the entire time in Indiana. As a rookie he had to deal with some of the Ron Artest drama. And then he had to go through a brutal rebuilding period, where he was starting alongside TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Mike Dunleavy Jr and Troy Murphy. And right as the team started to show its strength, an injury took it away from Granger. He went on to miss nearly the entire 12/13 season which saw the Pacers fall in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat.
I’ve been through favorite players of mine being traded from my favorite team before. Jermaine O’Neal was traded by the Pacers back in 2007. Donovan McNabb was traded to the rival Redskins. But there is just something about the Granger trade that makes me sad. I really hate to see him go.
Every Pacers fan knew this would be his last season with the team. Indiana couldn’t afford to keep him and re-sign Lance Stephenson. And as Fred Mascherino sang “I’m gonna hate to see you go” in a song from 2007 that none of you reading even know, it’s how I felt watching Granger play this year. It was inevitable, but I didn’t think today would be the day. And I guess thats what makes this more difficult. I wasn’t ready.
When I left for work this afternoon I had Granger’s player profile up on my computer. There was a smiling Danny Granger in a Pacers uniform with the team logo behind him. As I sat down at my desk after work, I clicked refresh. Now staring back at me was a stone-faced, serious Danny Granger, wearing a different team’s jersey and a new logo behind him. I felt this pit in my stomach, not wanting to believe what I was seeing, even though I had known about the trade since it went down.
Sports has dem feels. Gonna miss you Danny Granger. You have been a great Pacer. #33 forever.
Every Pacers fan knew this would be his last season with the team. Indiana couldn’t afford to keep him and re-sign Lance Stephenson. And as Fred Mascherino sang “I’m gonna hate to see you go” in a song from 2007 that none of you reading even know, it’s how I felt watching Granger play this year. It was inevitable, but I didn’t think today would be the day. And I guess thats what makes this more difficult. I wasn’t ready.
When I left for work this afternoon I had Granger’s player profile up on my computer. There was a smiling Danny Granger in a Pacers uniform with the team logo behind him. As I sat down at my desk after work, I clicked refresh. Now staring back at me was a stone-faced, serious Danny Granger, wearing a different team’s jersey and a new logo behind him. I felt this pit in my stomach, not wanting to believe what I was seeing, even though I had known about the trade since it went down.
Sports has dem feels. Gonna miss you Danny Granger. You have been a great Pacer. #33 forever.