<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The comparison has hovered over Danny Granger's basketball career almost from its beginning. He wouldn't mind carrying it all the way to the end. As a kid growing up outside New Orleans, Granger assigned himself number 33. His cousin, like most every other kid in the 1990s, claimed 23, Michael Jordan's number. Granger, a willing sidekick, figured the number belonging to Jordan's teammate, Scottie Pippen, was a natural for him. One year into his NBA career, it still is. Granger's rookie stats with the Indiana Pacers last season were remarkably similar to those of Pippen's when he made his debut with the Chicago Bulls in 1987-88. While not particularly surprising to Granger, whose build and skills have brought legitimate comparisons to Pippen beyond a jersey number, that's encouraging for a franchise suffering hunger pangs for positives. Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh quietly invoked Pippen's name after Granger was drafted in 2005, and feels more confident in it now. "He looks physically like Scottie," Walsh said. "He's got a similar gait and the same type of body. Scottie really improved, and I think he'll go in the same direction. That puts him as an all-around player."</div> Source
