Danny Granger stands by statement

Danny Granger hasn't changed his mind.

The Indiana Pacers' leading scorer still believes his team matches up better against Chicago than the Boston Celtics in the playoffs because of the Bulls' reliance on Derrick Rose. Nor does he care if that opinion gets tacked to a bulletin board in the Bulls' locker room as they prepare for Saturday's opening game at the United Center.

"It's the honest truth," Granger said following the Pacers' practice at Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday.

"In the playoffs, you don't need no bulletin-board material. Especially a team like Chicago; they're the No. 1 seed and have their eyes on a championship, so they should be ready to play regardless."

Granger's recent statement wasn't intended as an insult to the Bulls, and certainly wasn't a slight to Rose. The Pacers tossed enough verbal bouquets at the point guard on Thursday to leave a scent that could be picked up in Chicago. Team president Larry Bird went first.

Bird, who achieved legendary status after leading Boston to three NBA championships in the 1980s, said he probably would have voted for Rose as the league's Most Valuable Player if he had a ballot, with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James close behind.

"Rose seems to have taken his game to another level in a short period of time," Bird said. "I knew he was a very talented player, but I didn't know he was going to be this good. He's quick, he's strong, he's powerful and he's starting to hit his jump shot, which makes him almost impossible to guard."
 

"His speed and size are unparalleled," said Vogel, who took over for the fired Jim O'Brien on Jan. 30. "He's definitely the fastest guy in the NBA. He's got Allen Iverson quickness, but he's very strong. Chauncey Billups strong. That combination is a killer, so you try to make him beat you from the perimeter but he's now established that he's a great jump-shooter. It's a pick-your-poison type of thing with him. He's got it all."