I was listening to Lance Zerlein on 610 this morning and he said that what we may be witnessing is the evolution of the center position. He said he realized he may be getting ahead of himself but that Hakeem came into the league at around 225 and added 30 pounds. If Griffin adds 20 to 30 pounds, it will put him up in the 240 range. That would easily be enough, particularly considering his shot blocking ability and height, to guard most centers on any given night and would put him at a HUGE advantage on the offensive end not just because he could face up in the post and shoot over guys but because he can stick the three with consistency. Think about how many problems that would solve for the Rockets. He would get all the minutes he wanted split between center and PF, Taylor would have his PF spot and we could use Rice until we were able to bring in a young 3. Now, imagine, for a moment, if Lewis migrated here from Seattle. Suddenly, a front line that was once a terrible weakness, would become one of the better in the league.
I have always thought of Eddie as the futeure center. And I have heard Rudy mention it in passing a couple of times also. People get too caught up in their thoughts of a center having to guard Shaq. You will get nowhere thinking like that. Eddie may have a tough time at center right now, but once he has played in the league a while and had a chance to grow a little bit, I think that that he could be a great center. If he stays healthy, I think he is the most obvious contender for Dreams shot-blocking title.
I think oeilpere said once that if Eddie's puts on weight, at some point, it will affect his shotblocking ability and quickness. That's my only concern.
Only problem is Cato. It will be a miracle if we can sucker another team on taking his contract. It seems that Cato has been playing alot better with 25-30 mpg at center. I wonder if he would still come out to play, if he was not starting? Eddie does not seem to be fazed at starting (eventhough I want him to start), but Cato will probably go back to his old self, if not starting. Hopefully, his recent play will help the Rockets make a trade. Anybody else think that CD will start working on a KING KONG trade before the deadline, like he has done in the past? Its kind of ironic that since Francis/Mobley have taken control of the team, there has been no mention of trades.
I'd bet money that Griffin is only about half an inch shorter than Olajuwon right now, so playing him at center would be great... Let's face it, the days of the traditional center are over. The position is evolving more towards a player that is quick, can move out to 15-18 feet, and that can play two different positions on the floor...EG is that type of player
He's getting probably close to 75% of his minutes at center, now. Based on the way he improved his shot (he was not this good of an outside shooter in college), we can conclude he has the desire to do the necessary work. Put some more muscle on him, and he'd probably be able to be an elite center, IMO. Remember how he frustrated Mutumbo? Took him outside, nailed 3s, and had that turnaround.
I think his body and shot (at least now) are well suited for the 3 or 4. I think you really need a big bodied 7 footer down low who can bang, and I dont see Eddie doing much of that (insert joke here). On the other hand, Eddie at the 5 would create SERIOUS matchup problems for other teams. Can you imagine Shaq coming out of the box to defend EG from shooting 3's?? Talk about and advantage! If this eventually happened, and we landed Lewis..... look out. PG Francis SG Mobley SF Lewis PF Taylor C Griffin That would be one helluva lineup (not to mention young). Problem would be SHARING the ball......
By whom? The PF's in this league are much better overall than the centers and most of them are bigger and stronger than EG. So, what difference would it make?
And we name Eddie Griffen as the MVP of the '03 Finals..... *sellout crowd cheering ROCKETS...ROCKETS...ROCKETS...*
I think the question is not whether Griffin is a true C, but rather whether or not our lineup is better off with him at C. This league is pathetically bereft of true centers. I'd rather have an undersized guy like Griffin playing the 5 who can shoot, block shots, rebound, and out-quick the opposition rather than some useless block of meat like Cato. The Rockets are better off starting Griffin Taylor Thomas Mobley Francis than Cato Taylor Williams Mobley Francis The latter is your "prototypical lineup." But I think that Houston would win more games with the former.
Robinson, Ostertag, divac, Jackson, Foyle, Bradley, Swift, B.C., J. Oneal, Two jakes, Camby, Mutombo,Ratliff, Mihm,Diop, Curry, Brad "punching Bag" Miller can post up Eddie all they want. These guys fall under three categories. 1) Bigger than Eddie, but have a superstar on their team. The advantage Eddie gives up would be less than the Superstar on __________(insert rocket bad defender here). 2) They have limited offensive game. 3) They're not much bigger than Eddie and Eddie's superior athletism will shut them down. And for Those special cases, Cato might start.
If a trade was to go down what do yall think about Desmond Mason in Mobley's spot. I like Mobley, but to get to the next the level the Rockets need a smarter player.
Not that I know much about Desmond but in what way is he such a smart player. Although he was smart enough to enter the weakest dunk contest of all time so he could win one (he did win last year, right).
Say what you want about Cato, but I think that when he bulked up (so he could bang with the big boys) it really hurt his overall game. I think he's lost some of the explosiveness that made him a good shot blocker. Everyone admits now that he has his heart in the game, so why doesn't he get 3, 4 or 5 blocks a game? He could certainly do it when he was traded from Portland. In 99-00, he blocked 1.92 shots in 24.3 minutes. This year, he's blocking .77 in 22.7 minutes. In my mind, it's the weight. I bring this up because I don't want to see Eddie add more weight than he needs so he can "bang" or defend Shaq and others. Let the others adjust to Eddie.
I don't think that you guys understand the concept of bulking up. Kevin Garnett came into the league as a VERY skinny guy. So did Jermaine O'Neal. Both of these guys have improved dramatically since they added muscle. We're not talking about turning Griffin into Kevin Willis. Even if he was simply going to play the 4, he is going to HAVE to put on weight and muscle to bang with the players down there. My thought was that, if he is going to put on the muscle, it could very well be enough, considering his shot blocking skills and long arms, to make him a good candidate for the 5. There are few, if any, players in the league who can remain thin and play anywhere on the floor let alone in the block.
