In four years, Danny Granger has gone from the 17th player picked in the 2005 draft – behind such notables as Martell Webster, Fran Vazquez and Yaroslav Korolev – to the NBA's fifth leading scorer, trailing only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.
His neighborhood has changed dramatically.
Granger spoke with FanHouse Tuesday afternoon, proud of his new association with EAS (Energy-Athletics-Strength, a nutrition/supplement product), but even more proud of the NBA player he is becoming.
He won the league's Most Improved Player Award in 2009, when he averaged 25.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Indiana Pacers. He has become a franchise foundation, thriving in Indiana while a major housecleaning commenced around him.
LOS ANGELES -- Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw played alongside Boston's Larry Bird in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Shaw also was a teammate of Kobe Bryant during the Lakers' title days in the early 2000s.
FanHouse had a chance to talk with Shaw about the similarities and differences between two of the greatest players of all time.
If a rivalry between LeBron James' Cavaliers and Kobe Bryant's Lakers doesn't come to pass, it's not going to be because the two have formed an off-court relationship in recent years.
It will be because one of those teams -- and likely one of those players -- faltered on the way to the NBA Finals. And not just faltered this year, but next year and the year after that and so on.
There's no doubt the NBA fraternity of players has gotten more close-knit over the years, and nobody likes the excessive glad-handing and embracing before games. But so what if James and Bryant are friends?
The more you think about it, the more you start realizing the table is set.
We're on the verge of something really big here. Something a little different and a lot better than just your run-of-the-mill playoffs with a nice matchup for the NBA Finals.
What we have is the possibility of a classic NBA rivalry beginning: A rivalry not unlike the one between Larry Bird and the Celtics and Magic Johnson and the Lakers from 25 years ago.
Isiah Thomas once cornered me in a hallway and issued a warning, mob-boss-like. "If you squeeze me again, you'll be sorry," he said. I'm not certain what warranted the threat -- and it's nice to know I haven't awakened to a horse's head in my bed -- but it was a classic snapshot of what King Isiah was like when he ruled the world, when he was a two-time NBA champion, when he was the best little man who ever played the game.
Now, years later, he is humbled, deleting the mountains of scandalous cache in his personal hard drive and rebooting himself amid the smallest of templates. He is escaping New York, where his dreadful tenure as boss and coach of the Knicks was exacerbated by a sexual-harassment case against him, and attempting to salvage his career and life at Florida International University, where a basketball team that hasn't had a winning season in 10 years played to average crowds of 693 fans last season.
'HouseCast is FanHouse's audio podcast. Watch out. You might just get what you're after.
"Burning Down the 'House," the most popular podcast on FanHouse, storms the court in its return to the airwaves this week as Ryan Wilson and Will Brinson chat with special guest Seth Davis -- CBS analyst and SI.com writer, as well as author of the new book "When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed College Basketball" -- to talk about Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson, "bloggable stories" and the Cameron Crazies. Additionally, Brett Pollakoff swings by to discuss the state of the NBA, the MVP race, and Shaq on Twitter. We also talk to Michael David Smith for a quick take on whether or not Jay Cutler is "a little b*tch." So, ease your chair back, stop working and indulge.
Hit the jump to listen to the audio or download specific segments, or right-click here to download the full MP3.
Even the casual basketball fan knows about the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry, and its beginnings in the 1979 NCAA National Championship Game. Seth Davis' book, "When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed College Basketball," chronicles the beginning of that rivalry in '79, and the long-lasting effect that the game has had on the way we all watch college basketball. The book drops Tuesday, just in time for the 30-year anniversary of the game (you can purchase it here). Read FanHouse's review of the book after the jump.
TNT finally ceded to Bill Simmons' demands this year, offering up a game of H-O-R-S-E at the All Star Game festivities. The competitive game is a throw back to every playground and childhood basketball memory. Despite some giving the network a hard time for going this direction, a game of H-O-R-S-E is awesome for everyone.
Well, unless they try to ruin it with corporate sponsorship. Which is what TNT appears set on doing. Because they're not playing H-O-R-S-E anymore; now it's G-E-I-C-O (via FirstCuts).
It's hard to believe now, but once upon a time the Central Division was a powerhouse. As recent as 2006 it sent all five of its teams to the playoffs, and in 2007 it featured the top three records in the East. But last year? Only two made it to the postseason, including the disappointing Cavs, who followed up their NBA Finals appearance by winning five fewer games than the season before and failing to score as many points as they gave up.
Can the Central regain its luster in 2008-09? Well, the Pistons are still the Pistons, which means their ticket to the postseason is already punched, and the Cavs are tagging along for the ride so long as LeBron James is around. The Bulls, Pacers and Bucks will still bring up the rear, but at least there's honest-to-goodness hope they're headed in the right direction after making a series of offseason moves. Let's take a look at the most compelling storylines.
Larry Bird has been frank with his concern about the Pacers' image problem, telling the Indy Star last month, "All the off-the-court problems have been a disaster for us. ... It's something we said we were going to clean up and we're doing that."
Jones is about as professional as they come and would be a great influence on Indy's roster, but HoopsHype cites a source claiming Jones will be waived immediately, which would explain why cash was included. Williams will be reunited in Dallas with Rick Carlisle, who coached Williams his rookie year. I'm not entirely sure how he fits in with the Mavs or whether his prospects for playing time will be increased, but a fresh start will probably do him as much good as it will the Pacers.
In four years, Danny Granger has gone from the 17th player picked in the 2005 draft – behind such notables as Martell Webster, Fran Vazquez and Yaroslav Korolev – to the NBA's fifth leading scorer, trailing only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.
If a rivalry between 
Isiah Thomas
TNT finally ceded to 
