I don't know if I would trade for a defecive SF...is that supposed to be defective? All in all, though Eddie still has the potential to be a good player, he has been given plenty of playing time to see that he may not be the stud we're looking for. Jermaine O'Neal wasn't given the PT that EG is receiving; if he had, it probably wouldn't have taken him however long to blossom. Once he got to Indy, he was almost instantly a great player. As for who got the better end of the deal, I think more than talent you have to look at how it filled the needs of the team. I agree with Jack Hammer; at the time, our roster was full so we could afford to take on a "project" like EG. It would have been pointless to sign 3 first-round draft picks and sit them all. With EG we got great potential. The Nets had, what, Starbury, Kittles and Jayson Williams? They needed to fill the C, backup PG, and SF to complement Kittles's shooting, which is basically what they got. I still think NJ prospers more in the trade because that, along with the obvious Kidd acquisition and the K-Mart pick in a weak draft, was a step to put them in position to be playoff contenders quicker than the Rox.
I voted NJ just because Jefferson blossomed quickly and is more of an 'all around' player but ... I still think EG will be very very good, and he did in fact improve all his stats last season. He just didn't 'explode'. We have to keep in mind he was a 'development' player and expected to take some time at his age.
yes because he's player with a man named, JASON KIDD.. what will Jefferson be if he's playin with cat and steve?? god, will everyone just move on and not live with the past...
The Rockets would have been raped much worse had New Jersey picked Zach Randolph and Tony Parker with the later picks. This was a horrible move by the Rockets.
What if...? Its easy to be a Monday morning QB. Most of us were very excited about the trade and felt EG's POTENTIAL far out weighed the other three player's abilities. As EG enters his third season, he'll have a new coaching staff and system to learn. Hopefully he's worked hard on his game and body this off-season and can focus on the mental part of his game and learning the new system. Is he our PF of the future? By the end of this season we should know. He'll have to reinvent his game to fit JVG's PF role...not launch 3-ptrs at will! As fans our patience level is nil, but I think we need to give EG 1-2 full season w/JVG and company before we write off our trade.
I could be wrong (it's likely), but wasn't the fact that first-rounders get guaranteed contracts part of the deal for us? i.e. We didn't want to pay 3 guaranteed contracts, so we consolidated them into one, and moved up in the process. (And, in doing so, acquired the player we supposedly had rated the highest anyway) Or am I high?
I can see JVG working his tail off to fit EG in so he is comfortable. Everytime EG was on the floor last season he looked lost, no rythme. The guy was THE MAN in college and was the offense. Then he had to adjust to only taking outside j's when Steve Cuttino or Yao had no other option. More confidence, more involvement, organised offense will do wonders for Griff! I still believe in you EG!
New Jersey has gotten the better of the deal so far.I think we should have picked Zach Randolph who is a very fine PF. RJ could have been a good replacement for S.Anderson but he does look better than he is because of Kidd. I still have hope for EG but he needs to work very hard to fulfill his potential.
