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Pacers president Bird says F Granger has regressedBasketball Betting Lines04/21/2010 - INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Danny Granger, now more than ever, understands that Larry Bird is hard to please. Granger averaged 24.1 points this season, fourth-highest in team history and eighth-best in the league, but the Indiana Pacers president said his high-scoring forward took a step back. ``I think sometimes, he rushes into things,'' Bird said. ``He regressed a little bit.'' Statistics support Bird's claim. Granger's scoring average dropped from 25.8 the previous year, when he was an All-Star and finished fifth in scoring, while his 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting also dipped. His overall field-goal percentage fell by two percent. Bird said Granger didn't defend as well as he'd hoped, either. ``I thought his defense was great when he had a challenge, and I thought it was poor when he thought he could overmatch his guy,'' Bird said. ``A lot of nights, he was very good on the defensive end. I'd just like him to be a little more consistent.'' Bird remains on Granger's case for his lack of rebounding - he believes the 6-foot-8 swingman should average 8 or 9 per game instead of the 5.5 he posted this season. But he knows the 27-year-old is a hardworking, competitive player in his prime, who could lead the way if the Pacers are to return to the playoffs after a four-year absence. ``He's a special player,'' Bird said. ``He is the face of the franchise.'' Granger was the league's most improved player last season, the third straight year he had raised his scoring average by at least five points. His steady growth fueled expectations, but his health didn't always cooperate. Granger missed 16 straight games early in the season with a heel injury, which cost him a shot at a second straight All-Star appearance and crippled the team while new players were trying to fit in. Indiana went 25-37 when Granger played and 5-15 when he didn't. ``It's an opportunity that I lost,'' Granger said. ``I think I would have had a great year. It happens, though. Hopefully, it's one of those injuries that won't happen anymore.'' Granger closed the season with a flourish. He scored 30 or more points in 11 of his final 25 games, and the Pacers won nine of those 11. ``It was just the process of getting back from injury and concentrating on the small things,'' he said. ``I wish I had played the whole season and have hit this stride at 60 games. Maybe we'd be in the playoffs. It's a little too late, just save it for next year.'' His teammates noticed his improvement down the stretch. ``He found his rhythm, and within all that, everything kind of came together,'' point guard Earl Watson said. ``You can see everybody playing at a different level.'' Bird believes Granger can make the expected jump next season if he stays healthy. ``I don't worry about Danny in the summer,'' he said. ``Some guys, you worry about whether they're going to do the work and some guys you don't.'' Eight players - Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Granger - have ranked in the top 10 in scoring average each of the past two seasons. Only Bosh and Granger have failed to make the playoffs. Granger knows that his success will be measured more by wins and losses than individual numbers, and there are signs he's starting to elevate his team. Even though the Pacers failed to reach the postseason, Indiana won 11 of its last 16 games, including wins against playoff teams Charlotte, Oklahoma City and Utah. Granger said the team's biggest problem was inconsistency, especially early in the season. ``Sometimes, we'd get on the court and we forget what makes us win games,'' he said. ``It's just a focus that we're all going to have to have, that coach is going to have to have of getting us back into this mindset when the season starts.'' Granger is part of the team's young core that includes Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush, players that Bird and coach Jim O'Brien have said improved this season. Tyler Hansbrough, last year's first-round pick, missed most of the season after dealing with an inner-ear infection and a concussion. He is expected to make a full recovery. ``We think that we have put together some good young players, led by Danny Granger, Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert,'' O'Brien said. ``You put all those things together, there's no reason why we can't take a nice full step forward next year.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Football Betting LinesThe 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite. Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense. Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively. A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season. Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back. Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick. And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker. For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below. 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1 Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1 Donald Brown (IND) 5/1 Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1 Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1 Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1 Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1 Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1 Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1 Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1 Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1 Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1 Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1 Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1 Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1 Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1 Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1 LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1 Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2 Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1 Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1 Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1 Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1 Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1 Jason Smith (STL) 40/1 Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1 Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1 Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1 Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2 Pat White (MIA) 30/1 Field (Any Other Player) 9/1 To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs. For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well. |
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