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.
In the weakest NBA draft in years, sitting out might have been the best thing to do. All the fireworks were done before it even began. The Cavs traded for Shaq. The Magic added Vince Carter. The Wizards snagged Mike Miller instead of the No. 5 pick. Several teams showed little interest in getting involved.
Keep reading after the jump for the Eastern Conference rundown.
In our first true shock of the draft, Indiana picked UNC senior forward Tyler Hansbrough, the most hard-working athlete in the history of hard-working athlete.
Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski had reported minutes before Indiana's pick was announced that the team would be grabbing a different senior, Sam Young of Pitt. Instead, Young might drop to the 20s. Where everyone expected Hansbrough to land.
The day of reckoning has arrived for some 90 or so prospects hoping to be an NBA Draft pick. The day of reckoning has also arrived for some 9,000 mock drafters, who desperately try to get it right even though no one ever could on a consistent basis.
And, if I may, a word about the recent backlash against mock drafts from the key mock draft writers. The major draft experts from ESPN and DraftExpress told the New York Times last week that they hate mock drafts. But the mock draft is like their version of a test. It's too arbitrary, too black and white. It creates an impossible task. But thems the breaks when you're in a field in which performance matters. If Chad Ford didn't have to put out a mock, he could forever avoid criticism, basically. It's his job to analyze and predict the draft. How could we judge his efficacy without looking at his mock the morning after? It's like Amar'e Stoudemire telling everyone he hates to rebound. (Oh wait ...)
I love mock drafts! You'll find my final version after the jump.
FanHouse was fortunate enough (thanks to the kind folks at EA Sports) to talk with likely No. 1 overall 2009 NBA Draft pick -- and current cover superstar for EA's NCAA Basketball 10 -- Blake Griffin. That's right, as of Tuesday, it was announced that Griffin would grace the cover of everyone's favorite college basketball game.
We talked to Blake about the upcoming draft, what it's like to be on the cover, the fear of being thrown into a losing culture like that of the Clippers, what kind of suit he'll be wearing on draft night, and, of course, his favorite video game of all time. The full interview is after the jump.
As we roll on toward the 2009 NBA Draft, FanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller turn their attention toward the players who deserve the hype. Previous draft debates focused on Ricky Rubio and Hasheem Thabeet.
Ziller: At the end of our last debate, you asked who I thought deserved more hype. That is, of course, a tricky question, considering the entire draft is built on hype. In fact, the role of the media (professional, semi-pro and amateur) is often to debunk hype. As many have ruminated, it's highly unlikely the next Amar'e, Maravich, Wade and Dikembe are really in this draft.
With only one lottery pick (Washington), there isn't a lot of draft buzz around the Southeast Division. The Orlando Magic, who reached the NBA Finals, don't have any picks, and the Miami Heat, who lost in the first round of the playoffs, have only picks in the second round.
Washington Wizards
Picks: No. 5 (first round), No. 33 (second round). Needs: After such a disastrous season, they need one of those Obama Stimulus giveaways. They need a quality big man who can rebound, but they also need help on the perimeter so that Gilbert Arenas can limit his minutes and avoid getting hurt again. They need depth, and most importantly, they need some durability because there were too many guys sitting out too many games last season.
Over the next six days, we'll take a look at each team's needs heading into the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 25.
First up, the NBA's Pacific Division:
Golden State Warriors
Picks: No. 7 (first round); none in second round. Needs: A true point guard; a decision-maker/passer/high basketball IQ type, and it wouldn't hurt to have another big body up front. Possibilities: Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Jonny Flynn, Tyreke Evans (pictured), Jordan Hill. Put it into the equation: For more than a year now, the Warriors have been wrestling with the issue of whether or not Monta Ellis can play point guard. If they end up drafting one, that will tell exactly what the Warriors think.
We have less than 10 days to go before the 2009 NBA Draft. That means now is the time for all teams and agents to blow as much smoke as possible. Got an iffy first-round prospect on your client list? Pull out of a workout, starting rumors of a promise! Worried about falling to a team with a bad situation? Ankle tweak! Concerned one of the worst general managers of our time is attempting to fleece you? "My, that Swedish power forward is looking pretty good ... maybe we'll just take him."
Of course, the greatest thing about the NBA draft is that there actually is a Swedish power forward this year, lost JoBro Jonas Jerebko. Searching for YouTube videos and scouting reports on improbably bred players you have never heard of is a time-honored tradition. (Miss you, Petteri Koponen!) We know the names who will fill the top end, but do we know where they'll end up? YOU BE THE JUDGE.
Tyler Hansbrough is the quintessential college basketball player. He was completely dominant at Carolina -- despite what often appeared to be a heightened sense of clumsiness and boarish (typo intended for effect!) behavior -- en route to becoming one of the greatest college basketball players of all time.
Now he's headed into the NBA draft, having seen his stock drop relatively far from two years ago, and most people will tell you that Hansbrough will not perform at a level in the NBA that even remotely rivals that of his performance as a Tar Heel. Of course, Tyler won't tell you that. And, obviously, it's the bloggers' fault that he's not being given enough credit before the draft. Doy.
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.
In the weakest NBA draft in years, sitting out might have been the best thing to do. All the fireworks were done before it even began. The 
In our first true shock of the draft, Indiana picked UNC senior forward 
The day of reckoning has arrived for some 90 or so prospects hoping to be an 
FanHouse was fortunate enough (thanks to the kind folks at EA Sports) to talk with likely No. 1 overall 2009 
As we roll on toward the 2009 
Over the next six days, we'll take a look at each team's needs heading into the 
We have less than 10 days to go before the 
Tyler Hansbrough
