So sad ... Hard to piece together how a life full of promise and talent ends by driving into a train. i sincerely hope he is at peace now.
Dude could have been an all-time shot blocking great. He had the length and the inate sense of timing that great shot blockers have.
When we first traded three first-rouders for Eddie, I was thrilled. I felt like we were stealing a legendary talent. When Eddie didn't live up to the expectations, my feelings cooled off. When Eddie chose not to leave his ghetto-thug lifestyle behind him, even after success in the NBA, I hated him. Yeah - I hated him. But I would not have wished this upon him. Misfortune? Yes. Being burned alive? No. RIP (from a hater)
I spoke with one of my old girlfriends a while ago. She said she knew him when she dated one of his brothers when Eddie was a Rocket back in 2001. She is really shocked and in disbelief. Said that he was a real quiet, sweet and always kept to himself.
This really creeps me out. I met with my thesis adviser today (thesis proposal: officially approved) and we got on the subject of athletes who freak out or make ethical shortcuts due to the pressure of life in pro sports. We talked about Vick, Bonds. Then somehow we got onto the subject of Eddie Griffin. As soon as I left the meeting and went into the studio I checked the board, and there it was. So tragic, so young. There was a quote someone used to have as a sig from an old NBA scout talking about how the only way to mess up a young guy is with the wrong girl. Does anyone remember?
Here's a piece that J.A. Adande wrote for ESPN about Griffin. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=EddieGriffin Mostly the same stuff, some comments from Rockets trainer Keith Jones, a decent column.
Thank you Old Man Rock.....Dang I cant stand Denniscd.... yeah, u know b-ball, now let the board remember Eddie in a positive way...
Solomon had a good blog on Griffin in the Chronicle. Eddie Griffin was one of my least favorite Rockets during Yao's rookie season, the first season I followed since Stockton's shot. I remember vividly that Griffin never, ever smiled. What a life he must have lead. RIP http://blogs.chron.com/jeromesolomon/2007/08/eddie_griffin_sad.html Eddie Griffin ... sad The tragic death of Eddie Griffin last weekend in an SUV-train crash, was a sad end to a troubled life. He was always supposed to be a star, but in the end - four days after his final breath - he was just an African-American male, very muscular physique and very tall, with Sean John jeans and size 13 Timberland boots ... no shirt. That's how Harris County Chief Medical Examiner Luis A. Sanchez described Griffin in the office's "unidentified decedent notice." Six years ago, the headlines were so hopeful in tone. "Young Rockets make future look bright" the Chronicle said of the introductory news conference with Griffin and Terence Morris, who like Griffin was acquired in a draft-day trade. Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich said that year's draft was as "as big as any we've had in the history of the franchise." Tomjanovich was somewhat right, it was as big a mistake as the team has ever made. The Rockets moved four first-round draft picks that day to get Griffin, a 19-year-old who in five NBA seasons (two with the Rockets) never averaged 9 points a game, and Morris, who never averaged 4 points a game in three NBA seasons. I'll always remember Griffin, who the Rockets traded three first-round picks for, as a lonely child. I talked to him several times and he had very little to say. Near the end of his rookie year, I went on a road trip with the Rockets and I remember running into several players at a swank downtown Orlando hotel that was the second stop on a four-game, weeklong trip. The other players were grown men. Griffin was a kid. A tall kid, but just a kid. I can still see Cuttino Mobley, who was all smiles when he stopped to chat in the hotel lobby. Cat had just added gear on a shopping trip that he planned to sport at dinner and a night on the town that evening. Several other players were coming and going as well. They all seemed to have things to do, places to go, people to see, on this day off. When I saw Griffin, he said he had nothing to do. I offered to take him to dinner. He declined. Late that night, I was walking through downtown with an NBA scout looking for a blues club per the recommendation of hotel staff. We saw Griffin standing on the street outside a couple of clubs/bars where a huge crowd of 20-somethings were waiting to get into some happening spot. Griffin was just standing there. I asked him what was up. He said he was just chilling. He had already tried to go in, but was denied. He wasn't old enough. I think I said something that was supposed to be clever like, "One day you'll be old like us or Kevin Willis and you'll be out here trying to find a quiet club instead of the one that's jumping." I told him that I was certain I could talk to the guys at the door and get him in if he really wanted to go. He declined, saying he was just going to walk around. I don't know how long he walked around that night, but I remember thinking that it was kind of sad to be so young with so much promise and so much money, and not have anything better to do than walk around. Eddie Griffin, who struggled with alcoholism, was 25 when he died. "Eddie is free now," former Rockets guard and NBA coach John Lucas told Jonathan Feigen last night. Sad.
Man I log into the BBS today & I see this... Sad ending to a troubled life. I wish he could have turned it around some how...
Wow, I always thought he had enough time to turn it around and make something out of his career, and to a greater extent, his life. Just goes to show that maybe you don't have as much time as you think, that some of us don't get a second or third chance. My thought and prayer are with his family and friends, it was absolutely shocking to hear this last night.
This is really just a tragic ending to a life that had so much promise. I double-take every time I hear "Eddie Griffin, dead at age 25." Then, I see 1982-2007. It's hard to believe that so much went wrong so quickly for what was supposed to be a future star in our city. There are very few people who can honestly say they were not excited when the draft-day trade went down to get him. The flashes he showed in high school and at Seton Hall were tantalizing, and he seemed to only be scratching the surface. I guess, he was tormented underneath that surface, and it's sad that no one could get through to him, including John Lucas. Hopefully, he has found peace at last.
sad but he didn't to himself......I wonder if it was suicide..have they ruled it an accident or suicide?
I was thinking the same thing. If you looked at his block totals for every full-season he was in the league, he looked like he'd have finished within the 2000-3000 total career blocks range had he played 15-20 seasons. He would've been right up there with Hakeem and Deke.
