Billy King, the team's president and general manager, said that the Sixers would check out forward Eddie Griffin, the native of Philadelphia who was waived Friday by the Houston Rockets, but that it would be only as a matter of routine. "We do that with everybody, whenever anybody gets waived," King said without indicating whether the Sixers had any interest. Griffin had been undergoing treatment for emotional problems at an undisclosed facility from which he was released earlier this month. He faces charges in connection with an alleged assault on a female acquaintance. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- During this whole mess, I kept mentioning how we should've traded him to Philly for Eric Snow. Now they can get him for free. Is it better if he goes back home or stays away from home?
Why would any in team in the league have traded for him... they all knew what would happen.... he had NO trade value
The Rockets attempted to move Eddie to every team and no one would give up ANYTHING for him. If any team gets him for "free," best of luck. The kid has serious emotional problems and a 6pm curfew set by the judge in his case until his trial in April.
I'm guessing they can appeal this curfew or something, otherwise why would Billy King even mention it? I meant move him before he allegedly shot at his GF, the day after he skipped a game or a practice or whatever. After that, we shouldn't have even bothered moving him.
I'm starting to think of some real funny verbal exchanges between Griffin and Kenny Thomas. KT: Hey, now you're backin' me up, chump. Small world. And no, this time I ain't movin' to Small Forward. EG: Aw man, **** Houston.
KT and EG on the Sixers. That could be a nice combo for the Sixers front line. That is if EG brings his game to the court.
Isn't that what we used to say for the Rockets too? lol Yeah, I think Kenny would be really really pissed if they signed Eddie and he suddenly played well. He's a Philly product, so if he shines, you better believe they'd deal Kenny first.
ROFLMAO not sure why Kenny would be pissed or worried, Eggie has shown nothing to suggest he would beat out Kenny for a spot/playing time, unlike here Philly would play and keep the better player.
LOL it would be amazingly ironic and an appropriate if he ends up backing up Kenny in Philly something that should have happened in Houston if it wasn't for Mo's contract and Eggie supposed potential back when.......
On the whole curfew thing you basically have a kid who is still innocent being forced to give up his right to pursue a life. If the guy can't work seems like an infringement on his rights to me. But I'm no lawyer.
Jeff (or any other insiders), out of curiosity, have any of the rumors before ever been confirmed - like that Rashard Lewis or Abdur-Rahim were offered in some kinds of trade proposals before the whole mess became public? I read an article in the Seattle Times a few days ago where one GM was quoted as saying that at some point, he was ready to trade practically every person on his roster for Griffin. If that is true - and if Carroll Dawson is now saying that the problem has been in existence for one and a half years already - would one not have to say that CD committed a serious mistake by not acting after the problems had become evident? I'd be curious to hear what offers were actually really out there and which ones were just rumors - it won't change anything now, but it would be interesting to see "what could have been" and also, it would be relevant to understanding CD's performance and decisionmaking in this whole affair.
This was the article, by the way. Problems vs. potential: The tale of forward Eddie Griffin Days before Houston finally cut ties with the problematic Eddie Griffin, a general manager in the NBA talked glowingly about the Rockets' power forward. "Now that's a guy you gamble on," he said. "The right age. The right position, which is inside, where most teams need help. There was a time when I would have considered trading almost everyone on my team for him." Only once during a lengthy discussion did we mention Griffin's legal problems. Far too easily we glossed over the felony assault and misdemeanor drug possession charges that Griffin faces. The NBA is like this. I'm guilty of looking the other way when it's convenient, as are most GMs. A year ago, when contract talks stalled with Rashard Lewis, I wondered, like many in this town, why the Sonics weren't exploring trade options with Houston that would swap the forwards. I see Griffin's basketball potential. I remember talking to him a year ago and thinking that because he gave an unknown, out-of-town reporter 10 good minutes, then he must be a decent guy. Even when Houston police pulled over Griffin's Cadillac Escalade in Houston on April 6 and found a bag of mar1juana in the center console, the words "Rasheed Wallace" never came to mind. Only after the Rockets indefinitely suspended Griffin in mid-October, after he missed a preseason road trip and practices, did the warning bells in my mind begin to ring. But when the details were revealed about that fateful Oct. 25 morning, in which Griffin's fall seemed complete, I began to doubt if he was one of the good guys. Perhaps we were all too focused on the proceedings in Eagle, Colo., to notice what was going on in Houston. Griffin's case never made it to Court TV or CNN, but it is just as seedy as the drama surrounding Kobe Bryant. A woman, professing to be Griffin's girlfriend, claimed she walked into his home in a southwest Houston gated community and found him in bed with another woman. According to prosecutors, Griffin punched his accuser in the face three times and shot at her as she left his home. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail. Griffin and his attorneys tell a different story. Already, a second misdemeanor charge in the case has been dropped. Somebody will give Griffin a second chance. If not the Sonics, then Philadelphia, where he grew up, Chicago or any team in need of a 6-foot-10, 235-pound defensive gem. The NBA is all about second, third and even fourth chances. Griffin is 21. His age alone makes the gamble almost seem worthwhile. GMs will believe they can change him, just as Jerry West must have been thinking when he pursued and traded for Bonzi Wells. And Danny Ainge apparently believes the same of notable bad boy Ricky Davis. Griffin will play basketball in the NBA once again if he can untangle himself from the legal web that binds him. He has too much talent. Anyone who plays defense with the type of passion he exudes will cause NBA coaches to salivate. They can't help themselves. In two seasons with Houston, Griffin blocked 245 shots. Statistically, he almost equaled his rookie performance and averaged 8.6 points and six rebounds last season, but those who saw him nightly predicted he'd be a star. Should anyone give him a second chance? That question seems silly. Of course someone will. That's the NBA. The more interesting question is when will a GM make the move, before or after his Jan. 14 arraignment. Like Bryant, will Griffin play basketball while his freedom is being decided? That too, seems like an inevitably in this league. Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2001820664_soni22.html
At first it seems obvious that Eddie can't be a player on anyone's roster since getting out there on the basketball court on TV (sometimes national) past 6:00pm would be a clear violation of his curfew, but then I realized that if Eddie and his lawyers show the judge his box score, the prosecution really has no case for saying he was present.
ROFLMAO perhaps his defense team and the prosecution could make a compromise, Eggie can head out after 6 and play, but can't go in the paint or make physical contact with opposing players....... sounds perfect!!
QUESTION" Since, he has a 6 pm Curfew . . . . doesn't it follow that he should not be able to LEAVE THE STATE??? Rocket River
Sane, Why on earth makes you think that Sixers would have ever listened to a EG for Snow offer while EG was on suspension??
codell, He was talking about way before all this suspension. I remember someone posting an article saying that a snow for griffin trade was being discussed. Probably during last season some time.
