25 Dec 10 The Wait For 2011: Will Help Ever Come For Danny Granger?

Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesFor the 27 year old Danny Granger, its yet another year wasted in his prime. The lone All Star of the Indiana Pacers has been waiting for GM Larry Bird provide him with some kind of aid ever since he became the face of the franchise.Granger is only two years removed from being selected to the Detroit Lions
NBA All Star team and even though last season was a struggle he still averaged 24 points a game.Granger however has been stuck within a situation in Indiana that has been in total chaos since the battle at the Palace. With contract situations like Jermaine O'Neal's, Stephen Jackson's, Ron Artest's, and Jamaal Tinsley's, Bird has been relatively incapable of making any moves in the off-season.Granger has been playing along side T.J. Ford, Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Foster, Josh McRoberts, Soloman Jones, and Troy Murphey all of whom's contracts end at the end of next season.Granger has been the only bright spot for a Pacers team that features an Up-Tempo offense that you would think should flourish with speedy guard Ford at the helm plus Murphy and Dunleavy running along side.Ford however doesn't get along with head coach Jim O'Brien while Dunleavy and Murphy are just talent teases, players who fill up stat sheets but do so inefficiently and have never been winners.However the Pacers do have a solid running mate for Granger in former Green Bay Packers jersey
Georgetown center Roy Hibbert who has made legitimate strides since he entered the league.Also, Brandon Rush has proved to be a decent role player off the bench and former National Player of the Year and North Carolina Tar Heel Tyler Hansbrough has a lot of upside if he returns from last seasons leg injury.Also the Pacers made some wise decisions in the draft after signing Paul George and the second round steal in Lance Stephenson.George is a prototypical clone of Granger's skill set and Stephenson is young and rare but extremely talented. Both players show a lot of Houston Texans jersey
upside for the future if they're developed properly.Other than that however the Pacers must wait patiently and hope that their only All-Star does not get disgruntled to the point that he wants to be traded.This all rides on Granger's patience and confidence in GM Larry Bird because until next summer he's all indiana's got.