The early (very early)takes on Griffin are that he struggles with his 20 ft. shot, tenacious rebounder and excellent shot blocker. PERFECT we haven't had this except when Hakeem was on his 13 game streak last season. We have plenty of people who can hit a 20 ft. jumper- I think it is great to have someone who can rebound, block shots, and put back shots. Griffin sounds like he meets a serious need for the Rockets. Also being 19 yrs. old his shot will develop and come around. He shot well before in college. Also T. Morris looks very good. This is a positive off season already for the Rockets- I like the nucleus- Francis, Mobley, Langhi, Taylor, Griffin, Morris Are any of these guys near 30 yrs old? ------------------
Francis - 23 Mobley - 26 ( Turning 27 in sept) Langhi - 24 Taylor - 25 Griffin - 19 Morris - 21 ------------------ "Break off the block like Maurice Green" --- Steve Francis President of the Moochie Norris fan club.
Francis3- thanks for the age breakdowns- If we can lock in these guys that should put a smile on any Rocket fan's face ------------------
agreed. in fact, i'm glad he's missing those 20 footers right now. the last thing we need is for him to fall in love (ala motay) with the long jumper. it's ok to have the long j to keep the d honest, but what we need is a true inside/out threat. they'll fall eventually, but right now, he needs to keep working inside. ------------------ here's a verse: hating this name is a full time job for me; shandon in the nba is highway robbery!
what about Cato, our Center of the Future? ------------------ The title will come to ClutchCity once again.
Eddie Griffin will have an immediate impact on the Rockets with his rebounding and shotblocking. Some players seem to do those things instinctively...and he appears to be one. Those abilities will transfer to the NBA game readily, and he will obviously improve as he bulks up and learns the ropes. Would not be surprised to see him starting very soon if not immediately. Whether he is a 3 or a 2 is almost a question of semantics. Taylor's offensive game is closer to a 3, and Griffins's closer to a 4. It will depend a lot on matchups. Wouldn't surprise me to see Griffin playing center a fair amount. Absolute height is overrated; standing reach is more important than height (I never understood why height was the "marker" as you don't rebound with the top of your head!!). A million other things such as footwork, smarts, strength, jumping ability (how quick and how high), tenacity, and quickness also are factors. Outside of maybe Shaq, there aren't many centers on the planet who can simply overpower the defender. Seems to me a guy named Russell, or something like that, did pretty well at center at 6'9", even facing Wilt. Point is, height is overrated. I'm really not worried about his shooting % at this early date. The fact that he CAN knock down the outside J is a tremendous asset. This will come with experience, learning the pro game and better shot selection. Also playing with the "A" team will help immensely. Would rather he work on his inside game both with back to and facing the basket. Can't wait to get my first look at him on July 26.
