The Pacers began promoting swingman Danny Granger as the new face of the franchise last season when they put him on the team's media guide.

Granger didn't do anything to hurt his stature with the organization when he averaged a team-high 19.6 points and started all 80 games he played in last season.

Granger picked a good time to have a career season. The Pacers have until Oct. 31 to offer him an extension but Granger will become a restricted free agent next summer if the two sides can't agree on a deal before the end of October.

Pacers officials and Granger's agent, Mark Bartelstein, have said neither party is going to press the issue.

"You always like to get something done, but at the same time, if we don't then Danny will just go into the season," Bartelstein said. "I think Danny's best basketball is ahead of him. He loves it in Indiana, the fans and the organization. We would love to get something done, but we have to see if there's a deal that makes sense for both sides."

It wouldn't be surprising if the Pacers waited until next summer before signing Granger to a long-term deal because they want to avoid overpaying him.

It wouldn't be out of the question for Granger to ask for a contract similar to the one Philadelphia gave Andre Iguodala (six years, $80 million) this summer since many say the two play a similar style.

The Pacers and Granger want to avoid having a dragged-out negotiation like the one Atlanta's Josh Smith went through over the summer. The two sides definitely don't want a situation like Chicago's Ben Gordon, who still hasn't re-signed with the Bulls.

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