That’s how some of us folks in Pacer land have referred to Danny Granger and Ron Artest in recent years.
Danny gets The Gift tag since he inexplicably and surprisingly fell into the Pacers lap at pick #17 in the 2005 Draft despite appearing in the top ten in virtually every preceding mock draft.
Ron gets The Curse cause…yeah.
Essentially, Granger is the only decent thing to happen to this franchise since the Brawl. And now, considering every other major player from his draft class except him has gotten an extension and he is still set to become a restricted free agent in June, some people are worried.
There’s a good story from Dime on this very issue today discussing why his finer qualities illustrate the need for the Pacers to lock him up ASAP (the deadline to get it done is today), but the author does keep things in perspective as well.
I’m not saying Granger should be given $70 or $80 million right now, and I can understand if the Pacers want to follow the example set by the Sixers with Andre Iguodala: give Granger a year to show he can really be a legit #1 guy (and in the meantime, figure out this team’s identity and where he fits into that picture), then make it a priority to re-sign him when he’s a restricted free agent next summer. I just hope that if that is their plan, Granger is made aware of it. Because while having a chip on one’s shoulder and something to prove is one thing — a good thing, in most cases — you don’t want your franchise player feeling disrespected by the franchise.
Personally, however, I just wish they would just get the damned thing signed already, especially because he’s going to have a lot more 30-point nights given this talent-deficient roster. Really, the only place for the pricetag to go is up. The team will likely overpay by a million or two per regardless of the timing, but it really doesn’t matter at this point in the team’s history.
Like the wise Greek goddess of sneakers once said: Just do it.
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I was on Yahoo and found your blog. Read a few of your other posts. Good work. I am looking forward to reading more from you in the future.
Tom Stanley