Does anyone on this board believe in forgiveness? This board has some of the most judgemental people I've ever run across in my life. He made a stupid mistake 2 years ago. It was a youthful, immature mistake. Have any of you ever gotten into some kind of trouble in your past & gone on to become productive citizens as you matured? My sister got in with the wrong crowd & some serious trouble when she was a kid, but today, she's a responsible mother of 3 & commands serious industry wide respect as a manager in her chosen occupation. People change & they grow up. It happens all the time. Griffin is still young enough to become everything that we envisioned on that day when the Rockets made the bold move of trading for him. He's still got the talent & did quite nicely in Minnesota last year, & they want him back.
'toddie, it's not so much an issue of assault as much as I have to be convinced that he HAS grown up. Eddie was in a bad place while he was with the Rockets and had a history of getting into trouble before then. If I could be convinced that he has turned a new leaf, then great, come on board. But I haven't heard much one way or another (actually, available information is negative - he may have broken his parole) As you probably know, problems are difficult to get through and take time. I don't blame Eddie for having problems, but it's foolish to think he's through them without strong evidence otherwise.
And you are drawing a conclusion based on a newspaper article that plainly states a lack of knowledge as to whether he had been in the club or not. Your preconceived opinion leaves no room for the possibility that he might truely have been in the neighborhood at the time & not in the club. Unless you were there, how can you, or anyone, know otherwise? Human nature does not follow a cookie cutter pattern.
We still need a backup power forward, assuming Howard is done, after we sign our new starter. I'd take EG at the vet min. If Minnesota wants to pay more, they can. I'd give him backup money - he can earn it - as a backup. If you want to say - no way - he's a bad guy for that important backup power forward role - just fill in the blank with another one. Chris Anderson, whatever. We need someone - it's not Spoon or Padge or Bowen. Lucas would probably make a good assistant coach to JVG - he's got some different skills - motivator, positive story and attitude, energy, and a skills development and talent network.
Okay, I can accept your position on the issue, but I question the "had a history of getting into trouble before then" comment. Unless I'm forgetting something, the only other incident (at that time), that I'm aware of, was when he punched out a teammate. Does that truely constitute a history at that point, or just a heat of the moment reaction? Coming back to Houston might not be the right thing for him, but he has kept his nose clean for 2 years now & has one fairly successful season under his belt. My personal greed wants him back, but that might not be the right move for him, or the team. One thing though, there's no question that the kid has talent to spare.
toddie, Im deferring judgement until more is known, but even I think that your scenario is unlikely. I do think it possible that he might have been meeting someone there and goign elsewhere...but it is just as likely that he had been inside and was leaving at the time of the witnessing of the crime. club that is a known hangout for high-profile types + EG being in the parking lot + EG being a semi-high-profile type(NBA player) + being young and of the type that would go clubbing = high likelyhood that he was at the club and considering that not being anywhere near one was a condition of his probation...he should not have been there and as such needs to pay the price...if it was in any way defensible...surely he would have chosen to defend himself when offered by the court since it would adversely effect his status/standing with the league. it just doesnt add up ina positive way...adn that is comeing from someone that was w huge fan of his..and still to this day wishes him the best in turning his life around.
You may be right for calling me out on the "history" bit. Technically, there were two incidents: one at St. Joe's in high school, and the one at Seton Hall where he fought with his teammate. I concede that two incidents may not a history make. At the same time, just because there were only two recorded incidents doesn't mean there weren't more. I don't think of him and am not trying to portray him as some bad kid. But I am leary of his stability. Reports were that he was struggling with alcohol abuse and depression. Maybe drugs too, although I don't recall. Combine that with the fact that the NBA social scene encourages a lot of this. I think I'm giving him credit when I say that these are difficult things to deal with, and I would expect it would take time and perseverance to overcome them. I'm with you in that an ideal world, I would like Eddie back (or not to have left). We also agree that Houston's probably not the best place for him given the above.
Eddie Griffin ..... punched a H.S. teammate was suspended from his High School punched out a college teammate was criticized for giving up on his Seton Hall team halfway through the 2000-2001 season showed no improvement while Rudy T was coach complained that JVG was trying to make him a paint player when he wanted to stay out at the 3PT line jacking shots fired a gun at his girlfriend stood up JVG and Carrol Dawson twice when they attempted to schedule practices/meetings with him was signed and immediately dropped by the Nets was arrested yesterday for violating the terms of his probation appears to suffer from some sort of mental illness (probably depression), which he may or may not be treating and MOST IMPORTANTLY, has shown no improvement in his strength, skills, smarts, effort or overall game play since he entered the NBA What exactly do we hope to get out of this guy?
We spent two years completely dismantling the dead-end Rockets team of the previous six years and now that our franchise actually has hope, people want to start bringing the bozos back. I could care less if Griffin is in jail or what. I don't want him back because he's a mediocre headcase.
Clearly his problems tremendously affected his play. Don't kid yourself about that. For some reason his is just not strong enough of an individual to stay out of trouble. Definately a foolish risk. Is it impossible for EG to turn himself around - no, just unlikely.
I agree if he was High at work or on the job, the Rockets did the right thing by putting him on the sidelines, but if he has straightened out, he might be worth a look. Chris Carter was a druggie at one point, as was Chris Webber, and Rasheed Wallace, and Damon Stoudamire, and well you get my point, sometimes players can overcome a problem to be productive, and I hope EG is one of them. He may not be, he may be a Leon Wood....but I would take the chance. I believe in low risk high return scenarios....EG, Jay Williams etc..etc..etc... Roll the dice baby !! DD
Robert Horry threw a towel into his coaches face, never improved his skills or his strength, knocked up Calvin Murphy's daughter, had a bad attitude many places he played. People gave him a chance to mature.... DD
I don't remember this complaint? Did he say it when he signed with Minny or .. ? A stupid mistake is forgetting to set your alarm. Shooting at your ex-girlfriend? I'd classify that as a little more than a "stupid mistake". Add that to the fact that he stood up CD/JVG's attempts to get him back with the organization -- No thanks.
and he is still the laziest player in the nba. Only shows up a couple of minutes in a game if he wants to be there. Could quite possibly be one of the bigger wastes of talent in the history of the nba. But because he hits a clutch shot at the end of a game, people glaze over the fact that he goes invisible for quarters at a time. Also, don't overlook the fact that he always puts himself on a team that is fully loaded where he has a very small roll player position so that he won't work too hard. Plus, he threw a towel in Danny Ainge's face. Danny Frickin Ainge! Who wouldn't do that?
Horry threw a towel in Danny Ainge's face. That doesn't count and should be applauded. Horry was no EG. Not even close.
