Don't you also think the rockets didn't want anymore distractions when and if his cases come to trial. You got to think that there is alot of stuff the public just doesn't know about. With the millions of dollars the rockets had on the line with this kid, you got think the rockets hired their own private investigators to look at these incidents. I know I would.
If he stays out of the slam he'll get picked up again and will probably contribute to a team- though the organization that does should be quite explicit in its 'moral turpitude' contract provisions. You haven't seen the last of him. Live and learn, Rocks...
You people who feel sorry for Eddie really anger me: Who chose to abuse drugs? Eddie Who chose to beat up his girlfriend? Eddie [size=-3](almost definitely)[/size] Who fired a gun at her? Eddie [size=-3](almost definitely)[/size] Who chose to skip team flights, practices, and games? Eddie Who chose to ignore opportunities to get help and return to the team? Eddie Who never lived up to his potential even when he played? Eddie Here's what Eddie DID do: He signed a contract with the Rockets stating that he would deliver X basketball effort and performance in exchange for several millions of dollars, and promply after signing that contract, he delivered a below-expectations performance for a while, and eventually blew us off altogether. Eddie has successfully ripped off the Rockets for millions, betrayed all his fans here, and nurtured his childish, immature vices. Eddie will probably play for another team in the future. I surely hope that those of you that have big hearts and tiny brains, feeling sorry for this rich punk/thug.. I hope you don't feel this sympathy when the time comes that Eddie steps on the court to play against the Rockets. I hope you channel that energy towards screaming BOOO at him throughtout the game. I know I will. -- droxford
You know what? Droxfords got a good point. I had been trying to understand Eddies circumstances and say hey the guys got some mental and chemical abuse problems lets give him a break. But damn this dude has really pissed off some already pissed off rockets fans...I just happen to be one of em. If he beats this case about whoopin his chic then I might not flip him off and curse at him when he comes to play against the Rockets for another team. I mean if he did infact hit her and shoot at her or in the air that is just a poor exscuse of a man. "yeah I'm big bad Eddie. you better get out of my house ho or i'm goanna shoot you!" He probably held the gun sideways like all the movie/wannabee gangsters out there. Thats why he missed. Thanks for nothing.
Biggest freakin' waste of 3 1st Round draft picks...I feel for the guy, but look at where we're at...Maybe he'll get his act together and be alright...He'll probably regroup and become an all-star...Just our luck...
The charge against him is no joke. Whether it was a ho or not, he's charged with agravated assault with a deadly weapon. Pretty close to murder without the murder. If he shoot at Saddam it would be the same charge. Not being employed, he immediately loses a celebrity status with any type of sympathetic jury. Like they would be anyhow. I don't care how you paint that woman, a jury isn't going to be impressed with a fired 20 year old cocky baller millionaire that is hanging out with low lifes and screwing up himself, an NBA team, all the people around him etc.. Last thing this guy wants is a trial. I don't see the a big plea bargain for him now. What charadter witnesses does he have. Spent shell casings, his gun, identifiable blood on his sidewalk, admitted affairs, mental problems, drug problems, employment problems..... Time to move on.
He will go down in history as one of the biggest draft busts ever. It's just unfortunate that we ended up with the short end of the stick. rockets2k What more can you say? I just hope the decision to release him works out better than the decision to trade for him.
Something no one seems to have considered - with the woes of this team, currently, I think Les and CD could see the writing on the wall as per ticket sales and butts in seats. The hard-core fan - ie the type of fan who regularly posts on this BBS, for example - is basically immune to the issues which would affect the more 'casual' fan out there. We tend to look deeper, more in-depth into the nuts and bolts of the team.. in other words, we are far less likely to 'judge the book by its cover', so to speak. And we tend to address and discuss issues involving the team from within that 'hard- core fan' mindset. Nothing wrong with that. But.. We make up only a tiny minority of the potential ticket-buying population. But try to think about how something like this might affect that casual citizen.. that conservative, white, discretionary-income-wielding husband and father of 2.5 kids, about whom he worries all the time, over things like drugs and violence. Don't mistake me though - I don think there is any chance that the Rockets' poor ticket sales (in spite of a spiffy new arena, new uniforms, very tall Chinese dude, etc etc) are caused in any way a direct result of EG's alleged malfeasance. But I *DO* think that IF the Rockets team were to be mentioned constantly on the nightly local news, and to a lesser extent even the national news, always in connection with Eddie Griffin's name, and always carrying a negative connotation, then I believe that there is no doubt that ticket sales would have been even more negatively impacted than they are now just by the poor play. I think that, at least in part, this roster move is a defensive one, meant to pre-empt public perception, by being seen as aligning the team, the owner, and the players with the very public majority with whom they wish to forge a more meaningful relationship. In other words, I think this move was meant to make the Rockets seem more 'family-friendly' to that level of fan who is at least paying marginal attention, and to prevent a negative impact later among that level of fan who, while on the one hand would not know Eddie Griffin from a hole in the floor NOW, but would know all about him once the 'trial' became the latest public display of celebrity-athlete hooliganism, thus besmirching the entire organization - guilty by association after all - for that entire class of non-hard-core-but- nevertheless-potential-ticket-buyers. Now, especially if he gets picked up by another team, when the trial starts making headlines, the Rockets name will not be dragged along through the mud with him, at least not nearly as badly. If your decision-making has to take into account fan perception at least as heavily as wins and losses, then I think this move makes sense.
RR, The curfew was imposed on the 10th, just 9 days ago. I dont think its a matter of Eddie saying "im ready to come back" and the Rockets being forced to take him off the suspended list. If the curfew is a factor, as Feigen stated, then they could certainly leave him on there. A player not being able to attend games or practices due to personal reasons is grounds for leaving him on there.
Don't forget the other stipulation by the court requiring random drug testing in addition to the curfew. I'd be curious to see Eddie's drug toxicology results when he checked himself into the clinic.
The practices he would need to get ready are in the curfew time period. Thus before the 10th, they would have to pay him. And after, they are stuck. Timing was based on your pointing out the 10th I bet and.... Nero, I agree 99%. Except that the Rox real problem is tainting their huge golden boy image that Yao and to a lesser but still ivery important extent SF brings. No need to tarnish this huge publicity machine with a 8pt / 5 rbd 20 year old thug. I differ that I think it is the corporate types and corps that they are afraid of alienating. And of course, 1 billion Chinese who probably (like most of us) not understand why we were behind EG. They also probably had a PI as suggested, and knew how ugly it was really gonna get....
Agreed for biggest draft busts for the Rockets...but I still think Ed O Bannon was a pretty big draft bust too. What happened to him?
I hate all the self righteous assholes that live boring uninteresting law abiding lifes. I am very sad that Eddie will not be apart of the Rockets organization, I think a bigger character move would be to see him through this, and I got even more depressed when the article said "the 6-10, silky smooth forward" Have a good life Eddie, I'm just pissed no one let you get old enough to MAKE mature decisions, I mean for christs sake, the guy just couldn't take the pressure of all of it this early in life, that steamed out goodbye beautiful boy I'll always love ya -damn, the release MAKES this a waste
Today is a bitter sweet day for the Rockets and us... the die-hard fans. I thought that Eggie was going to be something solid in this league for many years to come. Now, he doesn't even know if he's going to jail or not. It was his fault, his decisions that led him to this. Thanks Eggie for wasting our time with your bs.
I feel sorry for Eddie but he did this to himself. He needs to pay the consequences for his actions. Hope he at least gets his life together.
