I think Griffin still has the capability to be a J Oneal type player. Griffin just needs to learn to shoot the turnaround more consistently and finish stronger. Before all of you jump me, I still think he has a ways to go but he could get there. A lot can happen in the next 2-4 years.
Sorry, but no. I think he can is capable of being someone like Robert Horry. BUT NOT JERMAINE O'NEAL. I can't imagine that. We've given him so much playing time....and he's improving....but slowly. He can't even dribble the ball down the court. Sometimes he passes and the ball gets stolen. That happens too many times...but other than that...he's been doing good. Maybe he needs to change teams...maybe that will change him or something... Like Kwame Brown.
Jermaine O'Neal 25 years old, 7th year in the league: Year 1, 2, 3 and 4 averages: 11 minutes a game, 4 ppg, 3reb, .7 blocks, 46% from the field Those are rough numbers. Year 5: 32.6 minutes, 12.9ppg, 9.8reb, 2.81 blocks, 46% from field Year 6: 37.6 minutes, 19ppg, 10.5reb, 2.31 blocks, 48% from field Year 7: 37.4 minutes, 19.9ppg, 10.4reb, 2.2 blocks, 47% from field Considering Griffin is in his second season as, essentially, the same player O'Neal was when he came in, it looks like Eddie can go 2 more years the way he has while ONLY putting on muscle, and still, he'd be on track to match O'neal. Only difference? If Griffin stays with us, he won't average big scoring numbers due to being on a superior team than O'Neal, but surely, he can be as good a defender, already has better range, is as good a per/minute shotblocker, is almost as good a per/minute rebounder, and has a body similar to O'Neal's when he came in, but with better length. It's silly to assume he will be Horry or Marshall right now. If he wasn't in the NBA, he could enter the draft just under 2 years from now. Get a grip of how youjng he is and how much time he has to develop.
One more thing to add: Jermaine O'Neal is 10lbs heavier than Eddie according to NBA.com. Menaing, he has that on Eddie, plus 5 years of experience, plus he plays in the East, plus he's number one option, plus plays more minutes. Eddie will put on another 10lbs this offseason, and he will surprise a lot of people next season. Despite all this, I don't feel Eddie's style fits this team well. I'd rather have someone in the mold of Carlos Boozer or Elton Brand.
Wow -- well, I don't know if Eddie will be as good as 'Sheed. Many scouts say if 'Sheed didn't gain a bad rep he would easily be considered one of the top five PF in the West and certainly would've already made a few All-Star teams. As for 'Toine....hmmm...well, I'm not saying I don't like Walker (he's an All-Star player), I just hope Eddie doesn't rely THAT much on the three. Walker really is criticized for wanting to live behind the arc like he does especially considering his size. Riight now, Eddie does too somewhat, but it's almost "cute" for lack of a better term or understandable for him to do it b/c of his youth/inexperience in the NBA. But after a while (two more years or so), if he increaseshis 3P attempts it'll end up being a bad thing we (the Rocket' coaching staff) can't fix....much like Walker and the Celts now.
Eddie's jumper seems to have slightly a bit more arc them then it used to from the past few games I've watched. Maybe that machine with really long arms is forcing our flat shooters like EG to shoot more with an arc then before. I remember someone posted an article about that.
Hmm......I see Eddie Griffin being more like Rasheed Wallace than Jermaine O'Neal. I guess you are right. But Eddie has been playing much more than O'Neal did in his first four years...Eddie is not our first option though. We already have too much talent. I just hope he can become a good role player. He seems to be improving. I think he could be almost as good as Rasheed Wallace.
Eddie has no handle, no footwork in the post, and no footwork on the drive. Just thought I'd point that out.
Yes. But Yao has been teaching him!!! He can improve...it takes time. Heh...I'm too loyal to our Rockets. But Elton Brand....I have to take him over Eddie.
Personally, I see Eddie as almost an identical to Jonathan Bender. I guess many teams have a "project" like Eddie.
Well, I think we have to look at 2 things: 1) Houston was looking for an athletic, shot blocking, rebounding power forward, who could also play the 3. After Griffin, who else could we have picked? At PF, there were Rodney White (9), Troy Murphy (14), Kirk Haston (16), Michael Bradley (17), or Zach Randalph (19), and only Rodney White could also play the 3. At SF, there were Joe Johnson (10), Kedrick Brown (11), Radmanovich (12), Richard Jefferson (13), Gerald Wallace (25) and Terence Morris (34). Originally Morris was even projected to go #1, and we expected him to go in the first round, and were able to obtain him with our future pick from Detroit (Mirsad Turcan pick), which was just sitting on the shelf. Morris has been a good pick, in terms of what we gave up to get him, and he seems to be coming along nicely. But, in terms of what Houston wanted, the only other guy would have been Rodney White. Has he been any better than Griffin? I don't think any of these other players have turned out better, in terms of what Houston wanted from them. 2) In retrospect, could we have used our 3 picks to obtain better players, instead of trading up for Griffin at #7? It will all depend on how well Griffin develops. He HAS the talent to become a star, he has the work ethic to become great, but does he have the passion and drive, and does he have the mind? Yao has shown us how valuable intelligence is to the mix. We COULD have picked Jefferson, Randolph, and one of Arenas, Tinsley, and Parker. At the time, I would have picked Tinsley to go with the other two, although Arenas now looks better. Would we have been better off with those 3 players added to the mix, instead of Griffin? At the time, I don't think we were looking for MORE players and depth, we were looking for a great player to build on. We took the risk that Griffin might become that, which so far hasn't happened. So far, only Pau Gasol has been consistent from that draft, and to a lesser degree Jefferson and Arenas, and Gasol was 3 years older with Euro pro experience. Now if it was betwen Gasol or Griffin, I definitely would have taken Gasol, in hindsight. We have been spoiled by how incredible a pick Yao has turned out to be. He's just a one out of every 10 year superstar player. The 2001 draft was not real deep with great players, but deep with good players, and I'm not sure any real superstar players will emerge ... maybe Curry or Chandler. I'm very glad we got the #1 pick in the 2002 draft. I would have hated to figure out who would have turned out worthy of the #1 pick in 2001 ... and 2000 would have been even worse. But, I admit, if there had been a possibility of trading Griffin and Mobely for Brand, I would have done it in a heart's beat ... even thrown in a couple future #1 picks...
Most mock drafts had Eddie Griffin going at #1 or #2. As questions were brought up about his attitude problems, his stock dropped.
Wow. I forgot about us trading 3 picks for him!!! And those 3 picks were good ones too.....Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, and Brandon Armstrong. They would have been nice with us.....but without Griffin...we would not be one of the league leaders in Shotblocking and Rebounding!!! We would not have gotten Yao Ming. We would not have gotten James Posey. Well...it's destiny I guess. I hope Eddie Griffin can develop as he gets used to his teammates and our whole team learns how to succeed together. I would love him to be someone like Horry...even though Horry doesn't look too good anymore...it would be even better if he could be like Rasheed Wallace. He played well against him. Patience...
I've said it, but I don't know how in the world anyone can see Rasheed or O'Neal and say Griffin is in that mold. Personally, his footwork isn't good enough to be like O'Neal nor is he as good of an athelete as those two players. Even when O'Neal played his limited minutes in Portland, many people could see he had good footwork and explosion but lacked stregnth. O'Neal basically was caught up in a numbers thing just like KT, except he's much better. I've said it before that Zach Randolph will make Wallace expendable. Wallace has hall of fame talent, but how come he has never avg a double double? How can a guy that long and explosive can't grab 10 rebs when a guy like Marion does? Randolph may not be the super athelete that Wallace is, but he wants to score low, bang and rebound. I thought before last yrs draft that if the Rockets kept their pick, thats who they should have drafted. Persoanlly , if Eddie can mold his game into someone like Larry Nance, I would be very ,very happy. Only time will tell.
AMEN! There have been some very average #1 picks over the years. Some guys that are decent but not huge stars. For the Rockets to get the #1 pick the year that Yao was available was huge! Agreed. I would like to give Griffin time to develop because he is still so very young but if we could get a player like Brand for Griffin then you have to pull the trigger. Brand is a KNOWN commodity. He is still young and is a 20/10 guy. We THINK/HOPE Griffin can obtain those numbers but if you can get the known player for the unkown, then you pull the trigger. Personally I think Griffin will eventually turn into a 15/10/2.5 guy. Which on this team are very respectable numbers considering he will at most be the 3rd option but more likely be the 4th option. I really think this will be a big summer for Griffin. His personal development (along with Nachbar) wil be paramount for this ballclub. That should be the #1 priority for the coaching staff this summer.
No way. Eddie and a bench player.....not Glen Rice.....for Elton Brand. Not Cuttino!!! If we had Yao Ming and Elton Brand. They could triple team them!! All we would have would be Steve Francis....who can occasionally make an open shot....Juaquin Hawkins....who is all right I guess....and James Posey...who is YOU KNOW. I would love Elton Brand.....but not for Eddie AND Cat. Two cheap players for one expensive one. I don't think the Rockets are gonna make many changes in the offseason. That's why Eddie Griffin and James Posey need to improve their shooting. I agree. Zach Randolph is better than Eddie...
If the Rockets traded Mobley and Griffin for Brand they would likely use their MCE on a shooter such as Piatkowski of the Clippers. Someone that can stretch the defense and open up the inside for our post players. If the Rockets could get Brand then they would have 3 all star level players on their team that are ALL young. There would be a bright future there. Just plug in some role players via FA and the draft and you are set.
Griffin = a young Rasheed Wallace. Has no one noticed how he's starting to play more agressive? Griffin and Ming are going to bring this team championships if the team allows them to grow together. Remember Griffin is 2 years younger than Ming.
LittleY, You must be kidding yourself if you think there won't be change this offseason. With people like Rice (Expring contract), Mobley (unhappy with role), Cato (earning minutes, but the minutes are taken), and Rudy (health + previously mentioned problems)....You have to believe there will be SOME change, if not a major overhaul. Brand for Mobley and Griffin. Then in another deal, deal Cato for Kukoc. Then in another deal, deal Glen Rice and a future pick to Portland for McInnis and Derek Anderson. Let Posey walk. Ming Brand Kukoc/T-Mo/Boki Anderson/Francis Francis/McInnis That's a rotation that will strike fear into everyone.
