Can some one tell me what Eddie Griffen is good for?

Good post!!

If we have learned anything over the last 2 weeks, it is the Rox dire need of a enforcer type player @ PF. We need a player that plays with a chip on their shoulder and loves contact.

Those that are waiting for Yao to become that person will be waiting for a long time. That is not his style nor do we want him to become a bruiser type player at this juncture.

With that said, we have about the most extreme conflict at PF versus what we need. Eddie offensive repoitoire resembles more of a shooting guard than a PF.

As for the other posters logic justifying Eddie's 3 point shooting, he/she clearly does not understand basketball. We already have Cat, Steve, Posey shooting from long range (albeit, inconsistantly) so we do not need another guy out there who is actually the worst shooter out of the 4 of them. If thats the case, why not have Yao shoot some 3s too and we can lead the league in 3 pt attempts?

Sorry for posing a question that I have an answer to. The ANSWER IS: because Positional Players have ROLES! Tall guys are suppose to stay closer to the basket etc. (And dont throw in the KG argument because he is one in a million).

 

Sorry to but in. But the argument I have does not revolve around Eddie's 3pt shooting %. I agree, 33% isnt that bad. But I question if it is in the teams best interest to have him continue to shoot those. Just because you are capable of making a 3 does not necessarily mean you have to shoot them. Lets have Yao shoot 3 a game. He can make them too! And Yes, this may or not be completely Eddies fault and the coaching staff may be responsible as well.

But the point is, the ROCKETS do not need a PF who is AVERAGE at outside shooting for shooting 3s. Keep in mind, I am not trashing Eddie's game. He may develop but I just think that his talents are better suited for another team. His strengths (3 pts shooting) do not help us whereas his weaknesses (bball iq, defense against PFs) drastically hurt us.

Think about it in the long run. Yao in the post. Steve passes to Yao. Yao is double teamed by Eddies man. Do you want Eddie chucking up the 3 to keep the defense honest??? He may make them once in awhile but I much rather have a guy that will cut to the basket for a layup or make a simple 10 footer.

As for the defensive standpoint, the Western Conference PFs are not going anywhere. For us to compete, we will need a PF that can contain them. Eddie has shown NO signs of becoming this individual.

 

Perhaps you are right and Rudy does want Eddie to shoot 3s. But can it be because Eddie can not do anything else???

 

My gosh, you need help. Every other sentence in there is flawed!

1. "Eddie can make defenses pay from the outside????"

Are you kidding me? Do you think opposing coaches actually worry about Eddie's 3 pt shooting? They will let Eddie shoot all day long because that means Steve and Yao won't

2. Spacing

I agree with you on the importance of having good outside shooters for spacing reasons. But this is what SGs, SFs, and PGs are for. Not for a PF to be camping out. Especially, when he is considered by all to be an AVERAGE outside shooter at BEST!

3. Horry/Shaq vs. Eddie/Yao

This is a poor comparison because as we have seen over the last 2 weeks, Yao is no where near Shaq from a dominance level. Shaq can single handedly man the paint both from an offensive and defensive end. Yao at this time can not (nothing against Yao, he is young and this is reality). Thus, Yao needs a physical PF to help him. Cato may do, but our coaching staff does not like playing Yao and Cato at the same time.

4. Karl Malone

Very poor comparison. Malone is possibly the BEST mid range PF of all time!!!! Eddie is NO WHERE near this level (to be fair, Malone sucked at shooting outside when he was young and developed this skill later). Perhaps Eddie may develop this as well in due time, but for right now, he is not capable of hitting outside shots like Malone.


Otherwise than that, great post!!!

 

You just altered your position. You are currently stating "in coming years" as in FUTURE whereas we were initially debating about NOW/Present. I agree that he should increase strength etc.

Back to my thread title, if you read my initial post, my question was in the present tense as to "what is Eddie good for now". I understand he is young and can develop.

My gripe is that I feel we already have WAY TOO many young projects (Yao, Boki, TMO etc.) and we will need to get rid of a few to compete. Yao ain't going anywhere and Eddie is the only other one that has some trade value.

 

Kudos to Eddies rebounding tonight. But before you roll your eyes, lets see what happens in the next 8 games. I based my opnion on the past 70 games, lets not let one game change our minds.

If he can average 8 boards in the last 8 games, then I will happily eat my words. But it frustrates me when people try to use 1 game as a deciding factor. Clearly, Eddie's history illustrates my point.

 

My opinion was of the latter. There is no doubt in my mind that Yao will be a great player in this league but he will never be the brusing type (ala Shaq). But I do see him more like a Walton, Jabbar, Mchale etc. Nothing wrong with it, it is just his style of play. I think its much more difficult finding a "highly skilled" big man like the Waltons than the pure bruisers. Mark West back in the day was a great bruiser.

You bring up a very interesting question. But I think there are too many "if's" with Eddie for me to provide you with an clear answer.

I will say this however. If I had to bet money on it, I will say that even in 3 years, Brand will be a better fit. Obviously, this is not completely fair to say since Eddie is young but as of now, Eddie has not shown me much to prove otherwise.

Personally, I think the BEST fit for us would be a Brian Grant type (unfortunatley his contract is too large though). Fact is, it is nearly impossible in this day and age to KEEP 3 top tier players. Plus, the bruiser type PF position often has a high burn out rate. Meaning, guys can not continue to play at that physical level for very long. Generally, after a few years of bruising, guys begin to become jump shooters etc. instead of power players.

With that said, it may make more sense to find guys a bit past their prime (ala Grant) and get them for 2 years and continuously recycle. Kinda like Chicago when they transitioned from Ho Grant to Rodman. They did not lose a beat in that whole process and didnt have to worry about inexpereinced players etc. I would love to see the Rox use that strategy especially considering that we already have the most difficult to fill (Center, PG) positions occupied.

 

I agree that it takes time to become a great team and it will take some time. I do not mind losing for the long term good. But I am curious to here as to what you actually think will happen in 2 years. I posed this question before but I am intrigued to hear your response. As I see it, there are essentially only 4 possible developements with Eddie as to what he will progress to in 2 years.

1. Eddie remains the same- Rox got screwed because we could have traded him earlier and won more games.

2. Eddie develops into a 13/8/2 block kind of guy (between Tim Thomas and Rashard Lewis)- Decent stats. Can't imagine him becoming an amazing passer. Some may be pleased with his development but we would have waited a few years for this where we could have picked up a free agent (Tyrone Hill type) and won more games.

3. Eddie develops into Jermaine Oneal- Not likely but I guess it can happen. BUT do you think we can sign him??? Yao and Steve will most likely have the MAX contract and there is NO WAY we can pay 3 players the MAX. Chances are, Eddie leaves to another team.

4. Eddie develops into a SMART 11/9/2 blk guy WITH high bb IQ- His stats will not be alarming but he will play smart, high basketball IQ, amazing passer and complement Yao and Steve real well. He will develop into a premier SUPPORTING PLAYER with average stats. Thus, the Rox will be able to afford to sign him and he will help us win rings (better Robert Horry). But on the other hand, even if he does, these kind of guys are highly available and I am still not sure if it was worth waiting 4 years on a youngster to develop into this when we could have easily found a free agent to fill this role immediately.

So again, I ask you why take the risk on this kid when we have NOTHING to gain in the short term and very little to gain in the long term. Most importantly in option 2, Eddies style doesnt complement Yao's. It only highlights Yao's weaknesses.

So when many of you continue to chant on waiting for him to develop, I am curious as to what option (listed above) you think he will develop into? Personally, I think the ONLY scenario we gain is OPTION 4, and the likeliness of him developing into a HIGH BB IQ player is pretty much impossible in my opinion.



What are your thoughts Kenny?????