Pacers president Larry Bird has repeatedly said that the club hasn't had a leader since Reggie Miller retired four years ago.

Danny Granger received a $60 million extension from the team last Halloween, but is he ready to be the team's unquestioned leader?

"It's a big responsibility," Granger told the Indianapolis Star. "I have to show up on a consistent basis. I can't take nights off. I'm ready for it, and I'm ready to take whatever criticism that comes with leading a team."

Former Pacers star and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose believes that Granger can be a leader.

"Leadership is a fine line in sports, and a lot of times you hear teams, actually great teams, have tremendous leadership and teams that are not so good, their leadership is questioned," Rose said. "Ultimately you're going to be judged by wins and losses. I think (Granger) is the kind of talent that guys will be able to rally around."

Granger is an introvert, but Dwyane Wade, the leader of the Heat, says that a leader doesn't have to be an extrovert.

"(Leadership) doesn't just mean being the best player or most vocal person or loudest voice on the team," Wade said. "It also means knowing what to say, how to say it to certain guys and when to say it. It's something I had to grow into until it was my time."

Via Indianapolis Star

Indiana Pacers

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