Karl Malone was a 55% free throw shooter when he came into the league. However, with PRACTICE and coaching he improved to the 85% range. Give the kid a break -- he won't be 21 until NEXT APRIL so he still has a ways to go. We all knew he was a project -- now let him develop for Pete's sake!
No doubt Camby is talented, he went #2 overall iirc. I think Griffin is certainly in the same ballpark of talent, except he hasn't ben as fragile as china like Camby. Griffin was a hoss in college as well. Problem is, he was only there for a year, which was enough for him to put up 18-11 with 4 blocks a game. Camby got a lot more minutes early on than Griffin did, because the Toronto team had guys like Sharone Wright as their other big men. Compare Camby's 2nd Toronto season with his 3rd NY season (5h overall). He went from 7.4 boards and 3.65 blocks to 11.5 boards and 2.16 blocks, in a 2 minute per game increase (31.8-33.8). Rebounds were up 4 (his defensive rebounds DOUBLED), and blocks down 1.5. I would sacrifice some of Griffin's shotblocking for the same type of leap in rebounds. Since we're talking about Griffin, another noticeable stat- in Toronto, he shot 41.2%, in New York, he shot 52.4%. To his credit, he did shoot 48% his rookie year, but he may be the ideal model for Griffin, before and after. mingonly- What does Steve being a natural scorer have to do with him cutting down turnovers and/or raising assists magically through the Feigen's "maturation"? Not really anything. I recognize Francis is a superb talent, and he's done and will continue to do a lot with that talent. To me, I think Griffin has enough skills there, dribbling included, but he's shaky mentally...think Tim Redding on the Astros. Dribbling certainly isn't his strong point, but you don't get to the NBA without being able to dribble the ball- he just has zero confidence in his ability to put the ball on the floor. Same with his turnaround, to an extent. Again, he averaged nearly 11 rebounds a game in Division I NCAA...with a fellow NBA prospect next to him at center no less (Samuel Dalembert). The rebounding talent is there, but he doesn't think he can handle the contact yet, perhaps with good reason. (PS- I'd love to get Odom for the rebounding reasons if not to move Francis off the ball more. I'm assuming that's who you're talking about).
an easy basket or a blocked shot, how about some straight up defense, not sure anyone who's ONLY defensive skills is attempting blocks is special, play some defense that doesn't involve shotblocking
Sorry, I'm not putting much stock in a 4 rebound per game increase over 3 seasons. Especially since JVG was already the coach for 2 of those 3. What, did it take 2 years for JVG's miraculous teaching to sink in? I don't buy it. And I sure don't like the 40 percent decrease in blocks.
Has Eddie Griffin ever received any real coaching? He has no fundamental skills. He can't dribble. He can't shoot - his line drive shot has 0 arc. He has no post up game. He has no mid-range game. His passing is mediocre. He doesn't play any defense. He uses his long arms to block shots and............. How does a 20 year old not improve?
If Eddie Griffin can't do ALL the things you guys say, then why in the hell did the Rockets give up 3 first round draft picks to get this monumental underachiever a couple of years ago?????
The summer should be as simple as apple pie for Griffin. Shoot 300 elbow jumper daily, shoot 300 jump hooks daily, shoot 300 ft's daily and lift weights,thats it! In JVG offense, Eddie will be diving to the basket and when the double teams come off a pick and roll, he will be open at the ft line. If he can consistently hit those shots, he will be a double double player and keep Taylor on the bench longer than in the past. He doesn't need to ba able to break anyone down off the dribble or anything like that, just do the things that will come open to him. The ft line jumpers ,foul shots, and jump hooks in the lane will be his calling card under jvg.
This is what I disagree with. Defenders can back off of EG and shade over to double Yao and not worry about EG driving the lane or dribbling more than 1 time to get a closer shot. His lack of being able to dribble and lack of a jumpshot when being guarded is 50% of the defense when it comes to defending him. If you can't dribble, you may as well be parked outside waiting for an open jumpshot... oh wait, that's what he was doing. Guess he better learn how to shoot a jumper. It's not a question of being able to break anyone off the dribble, it's being able to take at least 3 dribbles in an shoot a higher percentage shot when it's available. It takes that 23 foot 3 pointer and turns it into a higher-percentage 17-18 foot shot. More often than not, he seemed scared to death to even attempt a dribble. He's the anti-Mooch.
What DoD said... EG must learn to cut to the basket without the ball. If he is a statue at the 3 pt line, teams will WANT him to shoot, and will have no qualms about leaving him open to trap Yao, Francis, whoever. Basically, EG needs to find something that he is actually good at offensively. 3 pt shooting is not one of them. He's a decent 3 pt shooter for a PF, but all in all, is a below avg one. He should be shooting 40% from downtown considering how many WIDE OPEN 3s the defense allows him.
We should just have Moochie and Eddie room together during camp. Maybe they will rub off on each other, or Griffin will punch him in the face. It's a win-win.
This is the problem with young kids with one year of college that have good athletic ability to "make it" but have so many holes in their game that they use the NBA as a training ground. Eddie would have ONE more year in college as it stands. He has major flaws in his shot, and weak up top, true. But, I like to use Jermain O'Neil as a measuring stick. He was the same. Out of his league. But after 6 years, JO became awesome. Same with McGrady. Amare, on the other hand, is just so strong that he's able to overcome his bad shooting. Griff's problem is his strength. Because he can't rely on his strength, his shooting flaws show up. He needs strength to play post. I don't want him to become a finesses player. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3120/career Jermaine O'Neal http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3179/career Tracy McGrady http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3511/career Kwame Brown http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3517/career Eddie Griffin P.S. Mingonly, if EG's problem is his work ethic. Then you will be right. If EG doesn't put in the work to improve, he WILL be a bust. If the fans or coaching staff have to motivate EG, then we're in trouble. Those are thing out of our control. EG just has to do the work (off-season training). It's up to him. He has the tools, not sure if he has the heart.
By the way, Horry is a terrible dribbler. I still get chills up my spine when "Bob" puts the ball on the floor. EG is better dribble at 21 than Horry is at 33. So, I have hope that EG can improve. I know that "better dribble" isn't saying much. But still. Plus, "Bob" never had anything closely resembling a "post game."
So what your saying is that he should have cut to the basket even if Rudy wants him outside? Of course coaches can change a player, and it is possible for JVG to help do so for EG. But he must go through the necessary steps to help Eddie to find his range and fit in, otherwise I would agree with you. Rudy loved the outside shooters and valued long shooting in big men, too much. This is why we see Mo Taylor, Eddie, Kenny Thomas was a good example and even Yao at times shooting those 20 footers instead of in the post. From what I've heard, JVG is not that type of guy and I sure hope he will stress to our big men about exploiting the post because we do have some talent there to be used.
This is just too funny. You think you understand basketball better than Rudy. LOL Forget about that Rudy said it, trapping in the backcourt is almost always a waste of time... and the only thing it really does serve is to put you out of position on the defensive end if your opponent beats it too easily. Trapping in the frontcourt does have some merit but I would say only in spurts and more for trying to play catch up when time is running out and you need to make up some points. Anyway you look at it trapping is a gamble that most often doesn't pay off and leaves you vulnerable when it doesn't. In spite of what people think. Defense wasn't our problem last year. It was the poor shooting on open looks and the repeated stupid mistakes by Francis, Moochie and Cat. If you cut down on the turnovers by a quarter and increase th shooting percentage on wide open shots the Rockets could have easily won 10 more games last year. Trapping is not the answer.
Raven Lunatic: "Part of the problem with this is that Griffin can't dribble to save his life. On fast breaks the odds are he would have to put the ball on the floor at some point...." True, and he does need to improve his ball handling. But I must point out that dribbling is not essential to fast breaks. Watch a really good fast breaking team and you'll see they rarely dribble at all! Celtic fast breaks, back in the old days when they existed, were a thing of beauty. McHale-Johnson-Bird-Johnson-layup, and not a single dribble.... mingonly: "Griffin is also 21. He dribbles worse than some 10 yearolds at the YMCA.Dribbling is almost a gift you either have or you dont. Its eye-hand coordination." Pure mythology. That's like saying good shooters simply have the knack and it's pointless practicing. Ask Larry Bird how many hours a day he practiced to become a great shooter. Ask Magic how much practice went into becoming a great passer. Dribbling is no different: a few simple drills and a lot of practice will turn most players into good dribblers. And it is most certainly not hand-eye coordination! Quite the opposite: if you're looking at the ball when you dribble, you're begging for trouble! kidrock8: "I am a DUMBASS . PLEASE ask me why." No need.
