I see where you are coming from on the O'Neal comparison, but those are 2 completely different situations. Eddie is getting an opportunity to play whereas O'Neal was on the bench getting 11.5 min/gm behind Grant & Wallace. Once he went to Indy his minutes nearly tripled, he got 32+ min/gm in his first season and his production went up accordingly, to slightly better. Eddie is getting 25 min and that is a little lower than your average starter thus he is going to have to do more with the minutes he gets, that is where a new coach can & will help, provided its the right one.
I'm not sure where the comparisons to Jermaine O'Neal come from. O'Neal put up good numbers per minute - he just didn't get a lot of minutes in Portland. Eddie's numbers per minute range from unimpressive to embarrassing - and unfortunately he's getting O'Neal type minutes. Trade him while you can.
How are these stats embarrassing? (look @ the adjusted for 48 min per game line) sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=997&avg=48 I know that few players of Griffin's experience level play anywhere close to 48 minutes a game, but it gives a better idea of where he stands at this stage in his career.
True - but that is something Eddie can improve on with a few adjustments to his game. Check out Iversons stats for 48 min. sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3094 . He is a guard yes--- but alot of his offense comes off of layups and drives to the basket. He shoots for 41% field goal. That ain't great either.
Your game improves in the offseason, which means you have worked on some facet of your game. Karl Malone doesn't have crossover and neither does Eddie. However, KM's work ethic overshadows everyone in the league, except for maybe Mourning who's chisel. However, Eddie cannot shoot off the dribble, which is horrible at his level. Some simple ball handling skills will get Eddie the 15pts 9 reobounds, and 2 blocks a game we are looking for. Also, developing a jump hook will improve his scoring. It appears that we worked with Larry Smith on his low post game, which means no points at all.
TheHorns--I wish you'd post more. Those were all good points. When Eddie was first drafted we thought he might be a superstar, now I think most would agree that even though it's only been 2 years it's still very unlikely. Work ethic, lack of skills, attitude, explosive ability and quickness, etc. We have hardly even seen signs of brilliance other than a few clutch threes and blocks. He has a long way to go and you never know if he just might turn it around but he looks to be on the path to mediocrity. At the very least he needs to develop ONE reliable post move, not that crappy turnaround. He has so much to work on...
Everyone was excited about Griffin in the offseason, and everyone is disappointed with his performance this year. I get that. What makes no sense to me is to dump a just turned 21 year old kid now when his value is at his lowest. On this forum almost everyone gets totally trashed except Yao, but we really need some hope - as in genuine hope - that evryone on the team can improve. Look at what Cato's done the last season and a half. The old adage is that for anyone who has real talent, their third year is critical. Admittedly, that also used to mean the player was 25 or so. His rookie contract is about to be up, and he just might have a coach soon that's only going to grant P.T. based on performance in camp and in practice. The stakes for him are as huge as for the Rockets. Maybe we would have made the playoffs this year with Jefferson, and who cares? The Rockets aren't going to win the championship next year - so this is about the next 2004 and beyond. If Griffin's a bust, we have to be sure, and CD is not. Neither am I.
The only thing rising from Eddie Griffin is weed smoke. EG sucks, plain and simple. He was the worst starting PF in the entire NBA. No PF got worked on both ends of the court as routinely as EG did. Offensively, opposing PFs didn't have to worry about him scoring, as he would just stand at the 3 pt line, and firing up bricks. Defensively, opposing PFs could push him around in the paint as if he weighed less than a sack of weed. Buck Johnson looks like HOF material compared to EG.
It could happen, it might not. But if it does E.G. gets a crap 1 year deal offer from us or someone else and we decide to match it or not, and CD will be in a much better position to judge this "mistake". I see it as the safest option. Too many players emerge in their 3rd season, and yeah I'm a CD fan. I didn't like the Mo Taylor acquisition, Cato got too big a contract, but his season last year if he'd started and was in the East would have been a story. Mooch, was a stretch, and last year it was hard to believe he could be as bad as he was - so big mistake. So I see why CD's taking some heat, and why Rudy's out. I watched Eddie last year and agree with all the criticisms of his game ever mentioned here. But I think there's a chance CD and Rudy may have been right about Eddie. And the Rockets looked so screwed up last year that I can see a 20 year old being as lost as he was. If Yao hadn't been initiated in the NBA it would have been a totally lost season. Tons of blame to go around, and Yao's talent magnified it. I really think right now we have to roll the dice with Griffin, kick his *ss and see what happens. As we all know, the love-fest is over.
