Maybe so, but for all we know, Eddie could have easily developed the problem his first 2 years in the league. After all, he showed absolutely no improvement in his second year.
To sign someone, they have to want to sign with you as well. I never heard anything about Eddie wanting to play for the Rockets, did you?
Eddie's twat. The prick publicly denounced Rockets despite everything Houston accomadated. I wish him the worst & fizzle out.
To all those saying the Rockets dumped him instead of helping him, Can ya'll confirm that they did nothing to help him or a poor job of helping him, or are yall just assuming? Just because it wasn't in the newspaper, doesn't mean it never happened. I have a hard time believing that the Rockets didn't do everyting they could do get EG to fly straight, especially given their heavy investment in him. Didn't Doc Rocket say last year that the Rockets tried to get EG some help, but he refused? They can't make him get help if he doesn't want it. They can only suspend him, which they did, and EG just kept screwing up. Some of said it best: The only way Eddie was going to overcome his problems was to get the hell away from Houston, where all his problems obviously resided.
I played against that toothpick in high school. He's probably one of the cockiest, most overrated pricks you'll ever come across.
Really? Thadeus seems like such a nice guy! As for Eddie, I'm laughing my ass off nowadays. I told everyone we shouldn't have cut him; I said he would come back to the NBA and be a player; I said the next team to pick him up would get a steal. I can see that he's a long way toward proving me right. I'm happy for Griffin; it's too bad he couldn't redeem himself with the Rockets, but I'm still happy for him. (Btw, I'm also predicting he isn't out of the woods and expect him to have his moments of infamy, like Ron Artest. Hopefully, he doesn't do something as stupid as Artest just did.)
it sucks we lost him... but im happy he's playing. hope he keeps his head on his shoulders. hope he gets better and practices that shot....eer.
This guy screwed the rockets out of millions and now he is ready to play. I'm not looking for him to blow out his knee or tear an ACL. I just want him to disappear from the court. Maybe he'll retire from the league out of guilt.
Fair points - Someone else signed and cut him before the TWolves got him (I forget who) - but surely that shows he wasn't an "easy fix"! Houston is the city where things went wrong for Eddie, and it may well have been impossible for him to get over things while remaining here! I take back what I said about wishing he had got help here - seems he couldn't! Glad to see that he is back in the league - best of luck to him with Minny
First off, he was not an alcoholic! I'm tired of people labeling this then 19 year old kid as a damn alcoholic! Are all the 19 year old freshmen at colleges/universities alcoholics? That's what I thought. And unstable? What validates this? The kid was one year removed from high school! I'm sure you've heard of hormones, right? How many 19 year old kids have "properly" handle being a superstar basketball player with a multi-dollar contract and living alone? The bottom line: he was JUST A KID! And no, I’m not blaming one person in particular for his actions. I am, however, disappointed in the way in which the Rocket’s organization--a premier organization in the world of sports--handled the situation. The contract, the 3 picks for one--that's all secondary. Let's show our sportsmanship, shall we?
Rubbish. How soon we forget that Eddie Griffin was hoping that Rudy T in LA would give him another chance. Eddie even said that to a fellow BBSer. What did RudyT do? Turn his back on him. RudyT had every opportunity to sign Eddie Griffin last month - HE DID NOT. So you think LA Lakers cannot use him now? You think RudyT would not want to sign him now if he could? So please lets end this Eddie-RudyT myth. NJ released EG as well. Had it been we kept him and he attacked another player or fan like he did at Seton Hall, people like you will be attacking the Rox organization now. We cannot have it both ways. I am more inclined now to think that Rudy's approach was the biggest problem with Eddie - had it been that JVG was the coach of Rox from the day Eddie set his foot here, he would become a solid 13-10-2 guy for us now.
Well, Eddie went to rehab for something, and it was either alcohol or drugs. I read a very disturbing article about him in a new jersey paper in which he tried to join some random guy's "party". He basically kept harassing the guy, and eventually went nuts and started attacking people. So either he was an alcoholic or on some other much worse drug. Don't get high and mighty on me here. He has documented substance abuse problems.
QUOTE]In what why did they handle it that disappointed you?[/QUOTE] codell, they are a multi-million dollar business. if eddie griffin was worth 3 picks, do you not agree that he was a substantial economical investment for the rockets organization? the rockets undoubtedly conducted a thorough investigation of his background prior to drafting (trading) him. i believe he was involved in a few fights here and there in both high school and college. taking into consideration his young age and marked background, red flags must have come up, don’t you think? i'm curious to know what network supports or programs were available for eddie? since most players tend to be older and thereby more mature (actually, the events in Detroit are making rethink my position), I’m assuming that none—at least formal ones—were available. i wonder what the rockets could have done differently to address the problem. i wish I had the answer, and I wish that the NBA, not just the Rockets, could conjure programs that could faciliate the transition to the big stage for "at-risk" players. all I know is that NBA players are getting younger and that new programs must be developed to address their needs and concerns. it would ultimately benefits players, the organizations and of course, their overdemanding fans.
