Can someone name the last 19 year old that had a major impact his rookie year? Not Sromile, not Kobe, not Garnett, not Miles....etc..etc... You have to go all the way back to Isiah Thomas to name a 19 year old who came into the league as a superstar player. PLEASE...PLEASE, do not put your expectations that Griffin will be the savior this year. At most expect him to get some duty at the 4 and the 3, with his minutes increasing as the year progresses. He is ONLY 19, I am getting a bit worried that we expect him to make a serious impact. I hope that he will one day, but I would not be surprised if his first year is spent mainly on the bench, learning. BahDakota ------------------ How long do I have to endure this ?
Shareef Abdur-Rahim. ------------------ It was the time of the preacher, in the year of '01 Now the preachin' is over, and the lessons begun . . .
I guess if the Rockets were as bad as Vancouver was, they could afford to let Griffin play. However, they aren't so Griffin will learn by coming off the bench. Tolp, good call on Rahim though, but my point is still valid. Hardly ANY 19 year olds make large impacts in their rookie years. [This message has been edited by BahDakota (edited July 16, 2001).]
But do the Rockets have someone good enough to keep Griffin out of the starting line-up? In that way, i think they are similar. Stephon Marbury also had an impact as a 19-yr old. ------------------ It was the time of the preacher, in the year of '01 Now the preachin' is over, and the lessons begun . . .
Hey Bah, I think you've got to take into account the fact that the game has changed a little bit lately in terms of the age of rookies. The fact is that there are more high school players jumping straight to the NBA and more early entrants than in previous years simply because the coaches now recognise that they want to play the best players available. Now I also think it's silly to expect a player to come in and dominate in their rookie season when the team will be expecting them to be a role player anyway, but sometimes fans have expectations - take Jason Collier for example, he came onto this team last year to fill a role and because he's not "all star calibre" in terms of athleticism, plenty of posters on this BBS have written him off. I agree that we shouldn'e expect Shareef sttyle numbers from Griffin, but I also think it's fair to expect the kid to play and to play well. ------------------
Hey Dakota! I asked that question first at 10:18! BAH! ------------------ President of the CC.net Realist Club, everyone needs a dose of reality once in a while... [This message has been edited by Pete Rose Mobster (edited July 16, 2001).]
Magic? ------------------ Rarely is the question asked: Guns kill squirrels than REDRUM to fools across the nation?
Abdur-Rahim averaged 18/6 for Vancouver the year after his freshman year in college... Kevin Garnett averaged 10 points, 6.5 board, and 1.5 blocks his rookie year. I think that's a realistic expectation for EG... ------------------
Lamar Odom? ------------------ Clutchcity.net... source for all your Rockets, Astros, political, music, humor, and Gordita news.
Kemp was 19 when he played his first year. However, he only averages 13 minutes that year (coming off the bench?). His second year, at 20, he averaged 30 minutes 15 points and 8 boards. If Griffin starts and gets those minutes (30), I can see him putting up 15 and 8.
Don't be surprised to see Eddie Griffin lead the Rockets in rebounding at around 8/game. Mo won't average more than 6.5, and Dream/Cato will be injured most of the year. ------------------ "Oh No..." -Bill Walton in 97 just before Stockton's buzzer beater
Yep Odom was 19 on opening day when he came into the league, and he had 17 ppg, 7 rpg and 1.61 bpg. The league is different, 19 year olds can make an impact now. I think, though, that people are getting mixed up between the expectations of dominating, and the expectations of contributing. There is no way he is going to come in an dominate being the 3rd or 4th option. He can't be a savior of a team that is already making great strides, but he can help push the team over the top and into the playoffs. This isn't like Garnett, or Shareef going to bad teams, this is a young player stepping into a winning situation, that will help him adapt easier and quicker to the NBA. ------------------ "Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another." - Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air
Lamar Odom turned 20 a week after the season started. Remember that he was originally apart of McGrady's 97 draft class. He was ineligible his first year at Rhode Island when Cuttino and Tyson Wheeler led their team to the brink of the Final Four. Most people don't realize that Cat and Odom were teammates for a year and frequent competitors in one on one practice duels. Abdur-Rahim turned 20 a month after his rookie debut. We also talking about a kid that as a freshmen at Cal, was the PAC-10 player of the year, and 3rd team All-American. This was during one of the Golden Eras of PAC-10 basketball with 2 teams winning the championship in 3 years. (While Griffin on the other hand sturggle in route to scoring under 16 ppg and under 40% shooting in conference play. A down year in talent for the Big East I might add) Also, that year was one last great years for talent for college basketball in general. So the competition was fierce as oppose to the college basketball landscape these days, which is considerably weaker in talent. Add in the fact that Griffin will not turn twenty until the end of the season, I still think it's unrealistic to compare Griffin with Abdur-Rahim and Odom, especially on the offensive end.. Abdur-Rahim was just a much more accomplished player in college with a very mature offensive game. His spin moves, and low post moves in general were very refined. Odom is a better outside shooter, superior ball-handler, and just more versatile on the offensive end. Also, factor in that he actually had a team with sub-par talent and carried them to the NCAA tournament with a game winning shot in the conference tournament. Griffin, on the other hand, played on a team with top-10 talent, yet they finished one game above 500 due to selfish play(Griffin definately played a role in this) and poor coaching (I'm starting to buy into TPL's argument about Tommy Amakker being a poor coach). Odom was clearly more ready to make an impact on the next level with a balanced game. Griffin is going to be able to provide some shot blocking and rebounding. But his offensive game is going to take time to develop. If he averages 8 rpg and 2 bpg, I would be ecstatic. ------------------
Franchise will give him a run for his money. ------------------ The title will come to ClutchCity once again.
Man this is so Typical! Before the draft everyone is talking about how great EG was and how he was the one person that could come into the NBA and make a huge impact. His tallent was compared to the greats of the game and what and endless supply of talent he is. Everyone said he was the best and that the Rockets had no chance at moving up for him. And then by some maricle Rudy T and CD pull off a trade that brings us the unthinkable. Now it seams like a new thread or post pops up almost hourly reminding everyone that EG is certainly no KG or Kobe or not even someone with Darius Miles talent. Don't get your hopes up because EG is certainly no Shareef! EG is going to be a good player for years but he certainly does not have the talent that the great ones have like Jordan, Bird, Olajuwan, Magic, KG, Duncan, Kobe...etc... To that I say BULL! I think EG has just as much talent today as I did before we all thought we had a chance to draft him. I am just as excited now about EG as I was during chat when it was anounced that the Rockets made a major trade for EG. I still think EG is a major candidate for ROY just like I did before the Rockets aquired him. And like Rudy I think EG has something special to offer the NBA that the avg star NBA player does not. Someone please tell me because I was not around when the Rockets made the trade for Steve Francis but was there this many second guessing Stevies chances to make an impact in his Rookie year? In case there is any doubt as to my stance on EG's contribution this year let me make it clear. I expect Eddie Griffin to make a major contribution this year! Maybe not in the form of points but certainly in low post defense, rebounding, shot blocking and fast breaks. He may be only 19 but his defensive and rebounding skills are light years ahead of his age. ------------------
My overall point is that Griffin is not ready to be a HUGE leader. ------------------ How long do I have to endure this ?
No one is asking him to. We're asking him to contribute rebounding and shot-blocking. We've seen that 19-yr olds can contribute in the NBA, that's all we are asking him to do. ------------------ It was the time of the preacher, in the year of '01 Now the preachin' is over, and the lessons begun . . .
As evidenced by many predicting 52, 53 win seasons, some are. ------------------ The title will come to ClutchCity once again.
