Adrian Griffin Impressions

I am also an out-of-towner and did not see the game. However I found it quite curious that the day Griffin was activated he saw significant minutes in the game. This wasn't the case with Pike, and Spoon and MJ had to sit for a while when they got acquired.

To me this says a lot about Nachbar and Pike. JVG has said many times that this is a "6 person team". He is desperately looking for #7 and #8 in the rotation. (Which I think have to be addressed in the off season). Right now #7,8 is Griffin and MJ.

I think you can pretty much bank on the fact that Griffin will take Nachbar's and Pike's minutes. I think we can count on Griffin to play decent defense at the 3 and the 2 just about every night as long as his knee holds up.

Nachbar and Pike, to be effective, HAVE to hit the 3pt shot. PERIOD. That is why they are here. That is their specialty. Their defense is average to below average. If they aren't making a contribution on the offensive end they are a liability.

I think when push comes to shove, JVG would rather have a defensive player with limited offensive abilities than an offensive player with limited defensive abilities.

 

Reminds me of Juaquin Hawkins more than anyone.

 

The guy really hustles. The Bucks had a pretty easy fast break, but he was streaking down the court like a wild man just in case they slowed down or screwed it up. Looks like he knows what he's doing offensively too, as far as passing to the post and moving the ball.

 

my impression of adrian griffin would be:
AG "Hey, glad to be on the team!"
.
.
.
.
6 months later
AG "Hey, glad to be on the team!"
Cuttino-"who the hell is this guy? are we signing more old people?"

 

I thought he looked good out there! Really hustles in transition defense as someone pointed out earlier. I really like the lineup when they had AG and CW out there together, they were cleaning up the boards.

Another thing I saw, Weatherspoon does a heck of a job of getting the board and throwing GREAT outlet passes to start the break. Something that Yao and company need to get better at.

 

He looked good. Solid player, smart player, took good shots. But th bigger question is, what does this do to Piat, Nachbar? I am hoping Piat can ge off his slump, that way JJ and Cat can get some rest while AG and Piat play.

 

Pike was hurt early on himself. Spoon and MJ sat out while they caught on to the system. AG has been with the team for sometimes. He knows the system. He just didn't clear medical.

You r right, Pike and Boki have not performed as expected on the court. They have go to the end of the rotation, it is just the way it is.

 

i remember seeing him shoot 2 3pointers.

does this mean this guy actually has a 3pt shot?
thats awesome. i was very impressed with his quickness, hustle and physical condition.

 

well now that i have a reason to look at his career stats , theyre kinda not so great.

 

I noticed that too watching the game and was wondering if anyone would mention it. Weatherspoon was great about getting the fast break going and we were doing a better job of it last night than I've seen this year. I don't know if it was the Bucks' weak defense or if maybe Van Gundy has the team thinking to run more.

 

I know it's just one game, but AG deserves some love. He just came back from injury but played his ass off. Looked in shape too. We're not expecting him to put offensive numbers, but still, if he can keep this up, great pickup.

 

Having lived in Dallas the past 3 years until last May, I had grown quite familiar with AG, and was incredibly excited about the Rockets acquiring him. This is exactly the type of guy you want on your team: Hustles non-stop, rebounds, records more steals than turnovers, and is a competent offensive player who takes high percentage shots within his capabilities.

There was a game between the Mavs and Wizards on national TV 2 seasons ago where Griffin COMPLETELY shut down Michael Jordan offensively. MJ couldn't even bring the ball up court at times. It was amazing to watch.

 

Right on!

Watched him here with the Mavs for several years. He's hard-nosed, intelligent, plays in-your-face D, and is a pretty good midrange scorer. He's the anti-Francis/Mobley - good role player who doesn't need the ball to contribute on the court. He was a "pest" on defense - the kind of guy you hated to play against but wished was on your team!

If his knee is OK he should help down the stretch.

D R

 

HillBoy here from Dallas. It's not his knee but his back that's the limiting factor here. He's injury-prone. It's not a question of IF he'll get hurt but WHEN he'll get hurt again. From watching him with the Mavs, he's OK on the court. In Houston, he'll look better than he really is because the Rockets bench is pretty bad.

 

That's encouraging, he sounds like another J.Jackson. I am convinced that JVG knows how to build this team. The Rocket's are collecting some good role players, they just need to decide who their stars are going to be. In public and on paper that is already done, but "in reality" it is still in process.

I will be shocked if Francis is still here next year and even more shocked if Ming isn't. This team needs a traditional pass-first point, a young M.Jackson, for Ming to be fully developed and utilized. Francis' numbers were great last night, but I still don't think he is a "fit" for the kind of team JVG is building. Francis needs a team built around him and so does Ming.

 

HillBoy,

Usually they don't arthroscope the right knee to repair a back problem AG may have had back problems in the past, but slow rehab on his knee after surgery is what's held him back this year.

I disagree with you in that I think he will add elements sorely lacking with this high glitz, low substance group.

D R

 

I was at the game last night and I thought Griffin played well. It was funny to hear the people behind me asking who the hell he was though. They seemed somewhat informed fans up until that point.

 

I was struck by how tall he looked.