Larry Bird consulted Danny Granger about drafting Paul George.

Pictured: Two hard-asses.

An excellent article from Bill Reiter of Fox Sports delves into the relationship, and chemistry, between Danny Granger and Paul George. With Granger slowly working his way back from knee tendonosis and George emerging as a star, some pundits have questioned whether or not the two guards can coexist. And while the majority of the story deals with the respect between the two players (George says Granger has "been like a brother."), there is an interesting nugget which describes just how PG became a Pacer.

“(Paul and I) had gone through the draft and we were working out together,” Granger said. “It was the day of draft day, and – we have the same agent – I’d been working out with him for about a month. So I got about five calls from Larry Bird. Larry Bird never calls me. And he’s like, ‘Danny, I need you to call me back. Danny, I need you to call me back.’ 

“Finally, I call him back, and he’s like, ‘Ah, what do you think of this kid Paul George?’ 

“I’ve been working out with Paul.” 

“He’s like, ‘Yeah, tell me what you think.’’’ 

“I say, ‘You better take him.’ That’s what I’m saying. ‘Dude, you gotta take him.’ 

“Is he good?” Bird asked. 

“Dude. He’s really, really good.” 

“All right, that’s all I wanted to hear,” Bird said. “Bye.” 

“And that was it,” Granger says. “And later that night we selected him.”

While it's not bizarre for Larry Bird, the former Pacers president of basketball operations, to discuss draft prospects with certain players, especially a player so central to the franchise, it certainly was out of the ordinary. As Granger said, "Larry Bird never calls me." And Bird is well known for his tight-lipped, and terse, demeanor. Even in the quotes provided by Granger, Bird says a paltry 27 words, with a simple "Bye" capping the conversation.

I couldn't help thinking, since drafting Paul George has worked out so well, whether or not Larry Legend still calls up Granger from time to time to ask him his opinions on various topics.

(Phone rings) 

"Hello?" 

"Danny. It's Larry. I have a question." 

"Uh... O.K." 

"Have you seen Argo yet?" 

"Yeah." 

"Is Ben Affleck no longer a raging douche?" 

"Yeah! He's a normal human being again. You gotta see it!" 

"Alright. That's all I wanted to hear. Bye." 

After rereading this situation, I'm convinced this is absolutely plausible, and therefore unequivocally true.