Pacers' George, Granger are similar

Basketball Betting Lines

06/26/2010 -

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Ron Artest was one of the best players in the NBA when the Pacers drafted Danny Granger for him to mentor.

Artest saw something in Granger, prompting him to proclaim that the versatile forward would become a star. Granger made good on Artest's claims by making the 2009 All-Star team.

Now, it's Granger's turn to be the teacher.

The Pacers took Paul George with the 10th pick Thursday night, drawing immediate comparisons to Granger. The two worked out together before they knew George would become a Pacer, so they had a head start on building a relationship.

Pacers president Larry Bird sees similarities between Granger and George, but also sees a connection between Artest's mentoring role in 2005 and Granger's current task of helping George develop.

``No question,'' he said Friday. ``He's working out with Danny now. He's been working out with him for a period of time. It's the same thing.''

George hopes for similar results.

``If you've been under Ron, you kind of gain his hardworking ability,'' George said. ``He instilled that in Danny, and I can only hope and pray that Danny does the same for me.''

Granger is 6-foot-9, an inch taller than George. Both are good perimeter shooters and excellent free throw shooters. They come from mid-major schools out West - Granger from New Mexico, George from Fresno State.

His scouting report sounds nearly identical to Granger's from five years ago.

``He spaces the court, he's athletic, great upside, passes the basketball, can finish at the rim,'' Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said.

Bird said George could be an immediate contributor like Granger was.

``This young man has a great opportunity to get a lot of playing time,'' he said. ``It's on his shoulders.''

Indiana finished last season with a 32-50 record, their worst finish since 1988-89, and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. O'Brien is back after a third straight losing season and 104-142 record with the team. The Pacers also ranked 27th in the 30-team league with average attendance of 14,202.

The Pacers did not pick up a point guard in the draft, one of their needs, and instead took Cincinnati's Lance Stephenson with the 40th pick and traded up to get Louisiana Tech forward Magnum Rolle.

But they are happy about George.

Bird said George has the same confidence level and ``chip on his shoulder'' that Granger had when he was picked 17th in 2005.

``He (Granger) told me when he first walked in the door after we drafted him he was going to be an All-Star, and that he was a hard worker, and that he was going to continue to work hard,'' Bird said. ``That's what I see in this young man.''

Granger's growth has been unusual. He improved his scoring average by at least five points the first four years of his career. He averaged 25.8 points in 2008-09 and was selected the NBA's most improved player, then averaged 24.1 points last season.

George showed his work ethic with a dramatic improvement from the free-throw line last season. He shot 70 percent as a freshman, but 91 percent as a sophomore.

``I've always been a good free throw shooter,'' he said. ``My freshman year, I just wasn't as comfortable at the line as I was my sophomore year. I knew what I was capable of and I knew my numbers didn't project what type of shooter I was. In the offseason, I spent a lot of time at the free-throw line, doing standstill shooting to work on my form.''

George averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds as a high school senior in California before two strong years in college. It's been a long time since he's had to fight for playing time.

``It's competition,'' he said. ``No job is given, you have to compete for it. I think that will make all of us better. Whatever lineup we have, that person will deserve it. I'm ready for the challenge.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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