No credit for Eddie?

That's a damn good question. I looked at the ESPN box score, and he didn't get credit for a block. I thought they might have given him credit for a steal, since he trapped the ball and just basically took it away, but Griffin has a zero for steals as well. That sucks to rob a rookie of his second NBA block.

 

Now now, calm down guys. Kevin Willis got just as much of the ball as Eddie Griffin did. In situations like that, you know good and well you don't give a 19yr old rook the block over a grizzled veteran. Plus, Kevins contract is up this year so im sure he apperciates a little stat padding a bit more than the rook would. haha

 

I really don't remember Willis getting as much of that block as Griffin. Kevin stopped the forward progress of the player, but Eddie was the guy who pinned the shot up against the glass, and eventually came down with the ball.

 

ESPN Insider is definetely not giving Eddie much love (except for that last Paragraph):

Future stars or rookie mistakes?
by Chad Ford

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Three games into the season may be a little early to be anointing a rookie of the year, but it's not too early to begin talking about it, apparently.

Nets coach Byron Scott says that Richard Jefferson's tough defense and athleticism have made him a lock. Celtics coach Jim O'Brien appears ready to hand the hardware to Joe Johnson after two solid performances. Bulls guard Fred Hoiberg, after being lit up by Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley, says the former Iowa State point guard has already got it wrapped up. Shane Battier is the sentimental favorite and is already getting huge minutes in Memphis along with fellow rookie teammate Pau Gasol, who is close to stealing away the starting power-forward slot from Stromile Swift. Both of the Warriors' rookies, Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, are vital parts of their team's rotation as evidenced by Murphy's 14 points last night. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan is even praising a rookie -- Andrei Kirilenko. Will the madness never end?

Could this year's rookie class be a big improvement over the disappointing class of 2000? Insider talked to an Eastern and Western Conference scout to get their early takes on some of the top contenders for Rookie of the Year. "I think you've got to give a leg up to Tinsley early, the Eastern Conference scout said. "He came in and blew Isiah Thomas away with his leadership ability. He's not the best shooter, but the guy has already wrested control of this team. He's a winner and a lot of teams like the Celtics and Hawks made a huge mistake by passing on him in the draft."

Actually the Hawks didn't pass on him. They drafted Tinsley with the 26th pick. Still, the point is, rookie point guards aren't supposed to be running a team in the first week of the season. "I've never seen anything like it," Pacers president Donnie Walsh gushed to the New York Post. "He has taken over our team."

"I also think Battier will be rock solid this whole season," the Eastern Conference scout said. "He's already silenced most of his detractors who said he wasn't athletic enough to play in the league. He's going to a more rounded Wally Szczerbiak and that's not too shabby. I think the other guy who will definitely turn into something special is Kirilenko. You know when Jerry [Sloan] starts giving a rookie minutes, he's got game. The key for him was the Jazz stashing him away in Europe an extra few years -- letting him develop out of the scrutiny of the press here in the U.S. It seems to have worked."

Our Western Conference scout, understandably, likes a Western Conference player -- Richardson. "He's truly cut in the mold of guys like Vince Carter. He'll struggle a little bit early, but he's still shooting over 50 percent from the field, is a fantastic finisher and a good defender. It's only a matter of time before he's starting over there."

Though saying his shots for Rookie of the Year are slim, both scouts heaped praise on the Blazers' Zach Randolph. "I think we missed something when Zach came in," said the Western Conference scout. "Maybe he just doesn't work out well. That kid, if he keeps his head on straight, and that was a concern this summer, has all the tools to be another Elton Brand. He's going to push Mo Cheeks to play him this season despite the Blazers' depth."

The key to winning the award is minutes. Players such as Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler or DeSagana Diop don't have a chance because they're not going to see the light of day from the bench. Everyone's early preseason favorite, the Pistons' Rodney White, is also stuck to trash minutes right now, hurting his chances.

If there's one early trend it's that the guys with experience are contributing early. That could change as the season progresses and some of the younger guys such as Kwame Brown, Eddie Griffin and White get more time under their belts.

"In four years, I think we'll be talking about Brown, Griffin and White as the best guys in this rookie class," the Eastern Conference scout said. "There is so much talent and all three guys are in real good situations that will allow them to grow at a little slower pace. Chandler will be up there too if he's patient. . . ask Jermaine O'Neal or Tracy McGrady. For these young kids, the key is patience."

Which is why we're already forecasting rookies of the year, three games into the season.