Lets not get crazy here, comparing him to Rasheed Wallace, thats going out on a limb. To say the very least, he may have some range like Rasheed but his shot is in no way as good as Wallace's. And he has no post game to speak of, as of right now he is just a big skinny guy who can shoot trees and block shots. He could very well be one of those foreign players.
Pip, are most foreign players shot blockers? Can Wallace shoot the 3? That being said, it is too early to tell what kind of player Eddie will be. I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg.
I think it is closer to Garnett's defensive game w/ D. Nowitzki's offensive range. I can dream can't I?
Eddie is better than Rasheed or Duncan at the same age. I am not saying he will be better than those two, but he is off to a better start.
No way. Duncan was awesome at this age. Come on guys it is only 2 games, I like what I see but he is still only shooting 33% or so for the season. Consistency is the name of the game. DD
Common don´t complain on griffin, he has most definetly been a blast those games he has given minutes.........duncan,wallace,garnett are humans and i think griffin can be bether then all those if he only get the minutes and trust from his coach.......
Tim Duncan was in a much better setting than Eddie. When Duncan first stepped on the NBA floor he had David Robinson and a world of depth around him. He also played immediately. He also had 4 years division 1 basketball at Wake Forest. Let's compare Eddie to duncan after Eddie is 22 years old. We really do not know what Eddie's full potential is yet, but I like what I see. I see Eddie Griffin surpassing Rasheed as a more complete player without the schitzo attitude.
No way we will ever know if Duncan was as good as Eddie at 19. Eddie was just as good as a college freshman if not better than Duncan. That is all we have to compare since Duncan played 4 years of college and Eddie opted for the pros. Eddie's f/g% is 35% and rising. Since he has been starting it is 51% so I guess we will see how long he can keep that up.
Disagree. Sometimes when he's playing, I get the impression that his attitude (if he weren't a rookie and was allowed -- by his team and the league -- to show more attitude) may approach Wallace's rather than Duncan's. As far as his game, though, I'm not quite sure. I'd say if we're comparing him to NBA superstars, it'd be a cross between KG and (GASP!) Karl Malone. I guess I see a little Mailman in him mostly because they keep playing that high pick off of him. Imagine a Rockets version of Stockton-Malone -- Francis-Griffin. That potentially could be a great team to watch!
I can really see the Wallace comparison. I also think he is very similar to another Philly product, Tim Thomas. I think Griffin is a Wallace clone, minus the outbursts. If he can dominate the paint like Sheed, then look out.
I have tried to find Duncan's stats as a freshman at Wake Forest, but I have not been able to find them. If anybody can post them, I would appreciate it. I would love to compare Griffin and Duncan as freshman. I have a VERY hard time believing that Duncan was measurably better as a 19 year old than Griffin.
You're getting the wrong impression. Griffin was quiet on the court in college, and from all reports I've heard, was quiet on the court in high school. In his interviews, he's very quiet.
Eddie Griffin had one of the best freshman seasons ever. Tim Duncan averaged about 9.8 ppg and 9.6 rpg as a freshman. His career in college was one of continual improvement, but by no means was he better than Eddie Griffin at 19.
That is what I was thinking. Eddie had over 4 blocks a game during his freshman year while playing against top flight talent in the Big East. Eddie is playing as well as any 19 year old I have ever seen
Its not Duncan fault he played 4yr of college. I hop Eddie just develops like Duncan. He could learn a lot by watching him and using that off the glass shot like him. I just hope he continues to improve and I'll be content. I also hope that he can get shots closer to the goal so his fg% won't be Antoine walker like at the low 40's. Those guys have too much talent to shoot 41,42%
If Griffin did that good in his freshman year, does that say that he will be better than Duncan in the near future.
I see a lot of Rasheed Wallace in Griffin's game. EG has outside touch. EG has similar reach. It looks like EG has a really nice turn around, which is Wallace's best move. (I think Rudy needs to give EG more post opportunities. He could establish the turn-around and start working on the secondary moves.) EG needs a few years of maturing physically & skill-wise before he reaches the Wallace-level. I do see EG having a little better defensive timing or awareness. So he may, once he beefs up, have more impact on the defensive side and be a more legit 5 than Wallace. I never saw EG play in college, and I was excited on draft day because EG was very highly rated and put up huge Big East #s as a freshman. Having now seen him play more lately, I thought of the same comparison to Wallace. He may never be Malone or Barkley, but I don't think its a reach to think EG could be a little better than Wallace in 4 years. I would be pretty happy with that result. I'd take that with a healthy Steve, Cat & whoever.
