Part of the Miami Heat’s plan to woo the Big Three back to South Beach appears to be the addition of Danny Granger, the oft-injured former Pacers’ small forward who was last seen coming off the bench for the Los Angeles Clippers. Granger, who agreed to a 2-year, $4.2 million deal, is a shell of his former All-Star self, so it’s hard to imagine this will move the LeBron needle very much.
On another note, the signing definitely has a “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” feel to it. In 2011, when LeBron James, Dwyane and Chris Bosh were making their first NBA Finals run, Granger, then a star on an up-and-coming Pacers team, publicly rooted against the Big Three in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals. Miami faced the Bulls and Mavericks in those two series, and Granger didn’t hold back on his thoughts about the “Yankees of the NBA”:
I could care less who won between the bulls and the heat… I’d prob root for chi anyways.. The heat tryin to be the Yankees of the NBA smh
— Danny Granger (@dgranger33) May 13, 2011
The heat ran into that WALL aka ” the Bulls defense!”
— Danny Granger (@dgranger33) May 16, 2011
Wow miami is giving up
— Danny Granger (@dgranger33) June 13, 2011
I feel like we just won the chip haha… So happy that Dallas beat Miami!!!
— Danny Granger (@dgranger33) June 13, 2011
Three years later, and after two playoff exits at the hands of the Heat (in 2012 and ’13), it is at least somewhat amusing that Granger landed there.
[Twitter]
