Bob Kravitz: Pacers should keep Danny Granger

Danny Granger probably won't be an Indiana Pacer beyond this year, not with him being in the final year of a contract that pays $14 million a season. And he understands that. The Pacers aren't going to pay the luxury tax, unless team owner Herb Simon has an epiphany, and there's the not-so-small matter of re-signing free agent-to-be Lance Stephenson next summer.

But Granger, who returned to the lineup Friday against the Houston Rockets, wants desperately to remain a Pacer beyond the trade deadline, to help take this team as far as it can go this spring.

"It's really important for me to remain a Pacer," he said Saturday. "I feel like I've been a big part of the building, gone through a lot of the bad years and now the good. I'd love to stay, but I understand the business of basketball and I understand that I might be a trade commodity."

The Pacers will have two options: They can hold onto Granger and hope he helps lead them to a championship and ultimately lose him to free agency for no compensation, or they can trade him before the Feb. 20 deadline.

The best call is to keep him. Hope he returns to something close to his All-Star form and turns into one of the most dynamic bench scorers in the league. As good as this team is now, 21-5 heading into Sunday's home game against Boston, imagine the Pacers with Granger off the bench instead of, say, Orlando Johnson or Rasual Butler.

"I've talked to Danny, talked to his agent; I'm not looking to trade him," team President Larry Bird said Saturday. "But you never know. If the right thing came along that would help the franchise, I would have to look at it, but I'm not out there looking at deals."

If the Pacers did deal Granger —and he'd have to be healthy for anybody to want him — they'd have to take back $14 million in salary commitments. That means bringing back guys who are in the final year of their contract, along with trade exceptions.

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"We couldn't take back guys who are going to be $14 million next year," Bird said.

Will Granger struggle in his comeback? Absolutely, he'll struggle. He's missed nine months. Even when he's been healthy, he's always been a slow starter throughout his career.

There's a reason for that, according to the eternally honest Bird.

"He doesn't work hard enough (in the offseason)," Bird said. "He's not a guy who'll push himself to the brink like a lot of our guys do. He works hard but he doesn't push himself. That's why he starts slow every year and he just works his way back. Now this year, he's been hurt, so it's a different deal."

A word for Pacers fans: Patience.

Because in the long run, Granger could be the difference between beating the Miami Heat in the likely Eastern Conference Finals matchup and falling short for a third straight time.

I get the sense that Pacers fans have dismissed Granger, or at least forgotten about him, but we're talking here about a former All-Star and a guy who will give you significant points, whether he's a starter or, more likely, as a leading light off the bench.

The Miami Heat have kept Greg Oden in mothballs, all in the hope of having him play a couple of productive minutes here or there against Roy Hibbert. But it's the Pacers who have the true secret weapon waiting to be unleashed come the springtime, and that's Granger.

"You know how I feel about Danny," Bird said. "He brings so much more to our team than people realize. Watching the game Friday night, our team finally looked complete. Just his toughness, his ability to shoot the ball from the outside. What we're going to need is for him to defend. It all boils down to how he defends, and that'll determine how many minutes he gets."

Before the season — before Granger had his setback with his calf — Bird said he should not lose his starting spot because of an injury. But 26 games into the season, Bird's changed his tune, and for very good reason. Stephenson has been the perfect complementary player, an energizer who doesn't need plays called for him. At this point, there's no reason to tinker with a good thing.

"It's up to Frank (Vogel), but I see him (Granger) coming off the bench for the rest of the season," Bird said. "I think Lance has earned his spot (in the starting rotation)."

Consider this bench now: C.J. Watson, who's been a massive improvement over D.J. Augustin. Granger, a former All-Star. Luis Scola, who's been money since the moment he arrived in Indianapolis. Ian Mahinmi, who gives the Pacers a rim protector when Hibbert is on the bench. And sometimes Stephenson, who often stays on the floor and plays with the second unit.

That is a scary bench — scary in a good way and not in the way they were last year, when they made you hold your breath while Gerald Green chucked up 3s.

Competitively and financially, it makes no sense to move Granger at the trade deadline.

And who knows? If Granger doesn't ask for mega-bucks at season's end, Bird can see ways to accommodate both Granger and Stephenson, however unlikely that may be. It wouldn't hurt if Simon allowed Bird to pay into the luxury tax (again, unlikely).

"Would he (Simon pay the luxury tax)? I don't know," Bird said. "I do what he tells me to do. Right now, his thing is we can't pay the luxury tax. It's like Oklahoma City; we're in the same position. If Herbie came to me, sure, we'd definitely talk about it."

In the end, Granger would be a rental through season's end, but that's a worthwhile purchase. As good as the Pacers are, they can be even better with Granger near the top of his game. He's been here through the bad times, a bright light amidst the darkness of the Jim O'Brien years. Here's hoping he's central to a championship run.

Bob Kravitz is a columnist for the Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or email bob.kravitz@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @bkravitz