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Knudson: All-Star Snub Won’t Slow Granger Down

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
February 13, 2012

Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t get you noticed. Just ask Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger.

The former New Mexico Lobo was an All-Star selection in 2009, when he averaged better than 24 points per game. Injuries played a role in some struggles last season, but this year, Granger has been a force for the suddenly stout Pacers. He’s accepted a different kind of role this season, one that involves being more of a facilitator and not just the team’s best scoring option. He’s played better defense. And just to show he still can be the go-to guy when needed, Granger scored 12 points in the fourth quarter of a big Pacer win over Utah earlier this month.

Still, when this year’s All-Star selections were announced, Granger was passed over while teammate Roy Hibbert made the East squad as a back-up center, along with forwards Chris Bosh from Miami, Luol Deng from Chicago and Andre Iguodala from Philadelphia. Many observers feel that even though his scoring average is down slightly (Granger is averaging just under 19 points and five rebounds per game) that his sixth NBA season is Granger’s best season to date.  

"We’ve sent emails out and made phone calls and we definitely want the coaches around the league to understand the sacrifices our guys have made to buy into the team approach and how it’s led to winning," Pacers coach Frank Vogel told the Associated Press last week. "And particularly the things we’ve done on the defensive end. I don’t want that to go unnoticed."

Apparently, some of the coaches missed that memo - or at least the fans did. For whatever reason, the brainwashed fan base voted the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony into the starting lineup despite the fact that his team has played a whole lot better since he’s been out with an injury. It’s a good bet that if the fans hadn’t made the massive mistake of voting Anthony onto the All-Star team that the coaches would have left him off the roster entirely, likely in favor of Granger.

Granger’s excellent play comes as no surprise to followers of the Mountain West. He was a force in Albuquerque, averaging 19 points per game and becoming the first Lobo ever to record 60 assists, 60 blocks and 60 steals in a season. He was the Conference MVP in 2005, leading the Lobos into the NCAA Tournament.

That success wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knew him before college. Not only an athletic standout, Granger also excelled in the classroom. Before graduating from New Mexico with a degree in civil engineering, he had been accepted to Yale out of high school in Metairie, Louisiana.

Averaging better than 20 points per game the past three seasons, Granger has gotten better as he’s gained professional experience.  In the summer of 2010, he played for Team USA in the FIBA World Championships. That team won the gold medal, beating host country Turkey, 81-64. He’ll get a shot at returning to Team USA for this summer’s Olympic Games.

Led by Granger, the list of prominent Mountain West alumni in the NBA continues to grow and shine. The four-letter network has even noticed, putting plays like former CSU star Jason Smith’s awesome block of a Kevin Durant dunk attempt into their nightly Top 10. Hoops fans need to stay turned. There’s a lot more to come.
See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.