Danny Granger's Value to the Indiana Pacers

(Courtesy of Sportsgrid.com)

    The Indiana Pacers are in an enviable place at the moment. They took a significant leap forward in their ascension towards an NBA title this past season. The team finished with a 49-32 record, good enough for the third seed in the eastern conference. In the playoffs, the Pacers managed to advance to the eastern conference finals before losing to the eventual champion Miami Heat in seven games. The team may have suffered a painful loss, falling just short of the NBA finals, but their progress is encouraging. The series against the Heat saw the Pacers make improvements as a team. Their physical, bruising style of play managed to stymie the Heat for long stretches at a time. However, when Miami went on one of their seemingly unstoppable runs, Indiana lacked the scoring punch necessary to keep up. The offensive prowess they were missing could potentially lie with Danny Granger. The Pacers can keep Granger and see if he can regain his scoring ability, or trade him for another point producer, either way the team's ability to take the next step depends on Granger.  

The Missing Piece
During the regular season, the Pacers were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Their combination of length and physicality carried them to the top of most of the defensive ranks in the league. According to ESPN, during the regular season the Pacers ranked first in opponents' FG% per game at 42%, second in opponents' points per game at 90.7, and was first in opponents' points per shot attempt at 1.10 points. The playoffs were a different story as the defense remained elite, but the offense was lackluster at best. Granger could potentially provide a spark to the Pacers' sluggish offense. He certainly is not the all-star player he once was a few years ago, but is still a versatile scorer capable of the occasional outburst. Granger is only two seasons removed from leading the Pacers in scoring, so he maybe 30 years old, but he still presents a viable perimeter threat the defense must respect. His familiarity with the Pacers' sets and his scoring ability could make Granger the team's best option to supplement their offense and catapult them into the NBA finals. 

The Trade Piece
The Pacers could decide that the uncertainty regarding Granger's health is too much of a risk for them to assume and be moved to trading him. His $14 Million expiring contract would be an absolute boon to a team looking to shed a large chunk of salary. If Granger proves that he can still play at a relatively high level after dealing with knee problems, his trade value can only rise. For the Pacers, the issue is what they can get in return in a potential trade for their one-time franchise player. Two teams in particular can provide the Pacers with the pieces they need in order to strike a deal for Granger.

The freshly renamed New Orleans Pelicans could prove to be a worthy and willing trade partner for the Pacers. A potential swap of Granger for embattled Pelicans guard Eric Gordon has been rumored around NBA circles for some time, but the timing makes this trade more plausible. Gordon would give the Pacers their best off-guard since Reggie Miller. He can score from anywhere on the floor, and on a team with limited perimeter options, Gordon would be a welcome addition. For the Pelicans, the trade would be as much about clearing out position logjams as well as acquiring Granger. The acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans this offseason have rendered Gordon redundant in the backcourt. Replacing him with Granger in the lineup would bring more balance since Evans is more of a two-guard  than a small forward, and Granger could play power forward in small ball lineups. Additionally, if he does not work out, the Pelicans would have a large expiring contract to use next offseason. 

The Gordon for Granger swap would be ideal for the Pacers, but if that seems unlikely, another team they could potentially negotiate with is the Boston Celtics. The C's are attempting to rebuild after the Big Three Era and Rajon Rondo is the last remnant of that team.  A package built around Granger for Rondo would be the starting point of a deal, and since their salaries do not exactly match, other players or draft picks would have have to be included in a trade. For the Pacers, they would get one of the top point guards in the league capable of organizing their offense and creating easy scores for Paul George, David West, and Roy Hibbert. George Hill did an admirable job last season, but the team needs more perimeter creators, and Rondo is a clear upgrade in that aspect. The deal for the Celtics is about cleaning house and clearing salary. This deal would send Rondo to a contending team capable of harnessing his surly attitude and net the Celtics a significant expiring contract which would further contribute to their rebuilding efforts. 

Granger's Fate
Chances are that Granger will remain with the Pacers for at least the first half of next season. He has had the whole offseason to recover from his knee issues, so he should be at or close to full strength by the time the season rolls around. It would behoove the Pacers to monitor him and see how he produces before they decide to ship him off to another team. As appealing as a potential trade might be, Granger is the best option to fill the scoring void the Pacers lack.  He is capable of lighting up the scoreboard and holding his own the defensive side of the court.  If Granger returns to the team healthy, and produces, then the missing piece in order to punch a ticket to the NBA finals may already be on the roster.

Rajon Rondo: Holdover from the Past or Bridge to the Future

(Courtesy of the Boston Herald)

     The trade of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets this offseason signaled the end of an era for the Boston Celtics. Pierce has been synonymous with the Celtics for the past 15 seasons and Garnett brought a championship back to Boston. Their departures have paved the way for a full-scale rebuild for the team.  The Nets sent four possible first round picks to the Celtics for the two future hall-of-famers, which should help supplement Boston's rebuild. In the meantime, the team is now younger, and more athletic but also inexperienced and offensively inept. These shortcomings will be overlooked since the goal will be to give young players such as Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, and Jared Sullinger as many minutes as possible to help their development. Naturally, the Celtics will more than likely lose plenty of games this season due to their youth movement, but that in turn will likely yield a probability of selecting one of the studs available in the 2014 draft.  All of the elements are in place for the Celtics to completely embrace a long overdue rebuild, but before this can occur, they must figure out what to do with the last remaining member of the 2008 championship team: Rajon Rondo.  As it stands now, the team can either keep him as crucial piece to their future, or trade him to bring in more assets.  

The Case for Keeping Rondo
To put it plainly, Rondo is the best player left on the Celtics' roster at the moment and that should be enough of a reason to keep him.  He is their best playmaker and has been one of the best assist men in the NBA for the past few seasons.  The team currently lacks any significant offensive firepower, but at least Rondo would keep the offense organized.  He and Bradley would also make a very good defensive backcourt capable of pestering opposing guards.  Additionally, Rondo is young enough to be considered an integral part of the Celtics' new core and cheap enough not to disrupt their cap situation too much. This new era of Celtics basketball will thrust Rondo into a leadership position where he could potentially emerge as an even better player than before, one capable of leading the team back to prominence. If the Celtics believe that Rondo is capable of that, then Danny Ainge and Co. might be better served sticking it out and seeing where he takes them.  

The Case for Trading Rondo  
Rajon Rondo is coming off ACL surgery, and while it is no longer a death sentence to an NBA player's career, it is significant enough to cause concern. Fortunately, his playing style does not require tremendous athleticism or leaping ability, and he should be recovered by the time this season starts. Injury concerns aside, the other 31 NBA teams should be well aware of what Rondo can do on the court when he is healthy. One of the premier floor generals in the league, Rondo is capable of spearheading a defense and effectively orchestrating an offense. He is also known as one of the most competitive players and might not adapt well to the Celtics rebuilding plan, which is sure to come with its fair share of losses. The defeats could potentially weigh on him and further agitate a notoriously petulant player. The Celtics would be wise to entertain offers for Rondo as he is still capable of contributing to a contender in need of an elite point guard.  

The Celtics have entered a transitional period for the franchise. The team is no longer contending for an NBA championship, and will not be anytime soon. The goal should be to acquire cheap, young assets and draft picks to rebuild the franchise from the ground up. Unfortunately, that means parting with any remnants of the era, and that includes Rajon Rondo.  The rebuild requires a clean slate with young players put in positions earn playing time and grow their games. Rondo would merely inhibit their progress with his stubborn nature, and in turn negatively affect an impressionable young locker room. Danny Ainge would be wise to deal Rondo while he still has value and begin the Celtics' rebuild on the right foot.