Ok, before anyone misreads what I'm about to say and thinks I'm remotely down on acquiring Griffin, let me say for the record: I think that getting him was an incredible move, the kind of move that builds champions, the kind of high-risk/high-return move that I was praying for, and mentioned in that post where I quoted Bill Walsh who states that most teams make conservative moves and gradiate towards the mean, championships are built by people who take chances...Ok, so there you have my opinion on the move, and it won't change if Griffin turns out to be a bust, it's a great move. Ok, having said that, I really think we all need to take a step back, a deep breath, and get some perspective on Griffin, and I don't mean his supposed character questions. He's a great piece to add, maybe a cornerstone of a powerhouse team...IN THE FUTURE! I see all these posts where otherwise knowledgeable Rockets fans are already counting on this 19 year old kid to solve our rebounding problem, be a major scorer, negate the value of getting Webber, ect...This makes little sense to me. Let's assume the guy's a stud and is going to be a great player. Ok,fine, but take a look at the rookie years of most great players. A lot of them took a while to get acclimated, and most of those were a lot older and more experienced than Griffin. There are exceptions, of course, but that's why they're called exceptions. Take a look at the numbers for your average Rookie of the Year candidates for the last while..A sprinkling of really good years (Duncan, Van Horn, Carter, ect. ) but most ROY candidates had decent years upon which they built big careers, and this is even more true the younger they were. And that's assuming that Griffin is a ROY candidate, of which there is no gurantee...Also, with a few exceptions, the statistical year the rookies who've made an impact had had an inverse correspondence with the over-all talent of the team, and if we consider the Rockets a good team, (as opposed to Pierce's Celts, Carter's Ratpors, Brand's Bulls, even Stevie's Rocks) then that decreases the odds of Griffin having a significant impact this year. So, while I'm flying mile high about the long term affect of acquiring Griffin, let's try and keep our feet on the ground about the probability of that impact being extreme this year. ------------------
im definitely taking a deep breath step back an remotely going down on my griffin bobblehead with kind high-risk/high-return moves and praying for more what ifs that wong chang if griffin turns out to be a busted bobblehead it still a great move.character questions everyone asks me and axtually tries to answer for me while I sit there pondering.how annoying.Ok,fine, but rookie years are not looks at most great players while getting acclimated to socalled exceptions to the hall of fame like dennis rodman.shawn marion is a freak of nature but take a look at the numbers for you average freaks who sterns doesn't like enuf to give rookie of the year candidate limited edition bobblehead dolls. made of high impact wood for flying a mile high like pierce's celts, carter's raptors, brandless and clipped bulls looking at stevies rocks which decrease the odds of eddie's hollly mooother of 3s reigning to the what if chants from yesteryear. what if.
I don't think you're taking into account that most of the players you mentioned were expected to come in and have a major impact and be first or second option on their team. With Griffin, it's alot different. He's going to be the 3rd, or more likely 4th option on offense, and his role is much more clear cut than if he had been picked by other teams. Other teams would have expected him to do alot of everything ie: Golden State, Detroit. With the Rockets, we don't neccesarily need his offense, though he is a definite upgrade in this department. He was brought in to alleviate Mo of his rebounding duties and provide a weakside presence we haven't had since Robert Horry and Hakeem in his prime. What's great about Eddie is that, to an extent, he fills the two needs of the Rockets, shooter/slasher/creator and shotblocker. His role is one that shouldn't be hard to fill. If he were being asked to go out and score 15 a game, then I could understand what you're saying, but any scoring he provides is a bonus, not a neccesity. ------------------ The Smurfs were Communists [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited June 29, 2001).]
I honestly think Griffin will come in and play really, really well -- much beyond his age. The reason I say that is becasue of what he was able to do in College. As a Freshman, he averaged almost 20 and 10 and 5. . . presumably he would've taken some time to adjust and would've had maybe a 15 and 9 and 2 season at best. I really think he can step in now at the SF and give us about 13 and 7 per game. ------------------ CC.net's most courteous driver Oh yeah, and I'm looking for a job right now, so hire me please
