I know this might have been posted before, but I figured since we are into the season and seen the way they play, I thought I might post it: Richard Jefferson's play with the Nets has made him a larger role on their team. Eddie has stepped up on our team, but isn't producing the same results as Jefferson. Do you think we made the right decision in getting Griffin?
I'll probably get slammed for saying this, but I don't think Jefferson would bring much more than Terence Morris is going to bring us. Griffin is a full-sized, shot-blocking power forward, with genuine range out to 3-point land. He's also a ferocious rebounder (give him time), and as he bulks up a little, and adds strength with age, he'll be a very good player! I'd rather have Griffin, simply because we're set at SF with tenacious defenders (Morris/Hawkins) and a pure shooter (Nachbar) to play with them.
yep. If Griffin was in an offense like the Nets, Griffin would be doing just as well if not better than Jefferson. I think that most people would agree that Jason Kidd makes all his teamates look and play better. When you get easy wide open shots from the best passer in the NBA, it can make even the Shawn Bradley's of the NBA look like All Stars. Anyways, if the Rocket's offense does change like it's trying to right now, I don't see any reason why Griffin won't be able to step up like Jefferson has. And of course there's the whole fact that Griffin is barely 20 YEARS OLD!
Yes. It was definitely the right decision to make. If Jefferson is better in the end, then so be it. But I'm sure a lot of the people who are now saying we should have kept Jefferson were just thrilled when we made the trade, so they don't really have anything to complain about. Show me a Rockets fan who wasn't happy when we made the trade, and I'll show you a liar. There's just no way to predict how good players will turn out to be. Coming out of college, Griffin was obviously a much better prospect - even predicted to go number one in many mock drafts. Any GM in the entire league would have have traded Jefferson for Griffin straight up. I didn't really care about the other two picks, so I never questioned the trade. We have Griffin now and he isn't go anywhere, so why dwell on it? Let's just hope he keeps improving and becomes the player we want him to be. Best of luck to Richard Jefferson, but I don't really care how good he becomes. I'm never going to question the trade.
Right now Jefferson is playing well in a good system. He's a keeper. That being said, IMHO, in the long run he is not going to be the IMPACT player that EG looks to be. I like the trade. Championships are won with defense, rebounding and shotblocking. There are plenty of Jeffersons to be had, but not many 6' 10" 20 year olds with the skills and potential of Eddie. Dallas Rocket
The lesson here is not that it's better to have Jefferson than Griffin, but that it's better to have Kidd than Francis.
I was contemplating the same thing after seeing all of jefferson's nasty dunks last night....i think jefferson game greatly benefits with having kidd on the court...as does the nets running philosophy.. despite not having crazy hops..i feel giff is more talented..its just a matter of his desire to fulfill his potential.. the last two drafts should reveal allot about the rockets(cd/rudy)ability for evaluating talent...both giff and ming were rated #1 on their draft boards..so they are essentially saying..they believe both were the best players in either draft...we will see...
Maybe a little more, but not a lot. What Jefferson has in athletecism Morris makes up in size. The knock on Jefferson has always been that he does not have a shot. He is thriving bc he has THE BEST PG in the league. If you put him on a team that has no PG or a PG alnog the lines of a Francis, then he would be lost or just standing around (kind of like every SF that has played for the Rockets in the last 4 years). ABSOLUTELY THE BOTTOM LINE TRUTH!
You have to realize that the Nets have made Jefferson a HUGE part of their offense this year...he is frequently the first option when they have the ball. Also, like Will said, Kidd's presence has made his transition to the NBA much smoother than if he was playing along side of Steve and Cat. The other issue is that I think its easier for a rookie's role to increase when he comes into the NBA then it is to decrease. Griffin was practically the entire team (offense, defense intangibles) when he was at Seton Hall. Now he is placed on a team where he has to first fight for playing time, only to find out that he is basically a non entity on offense. For a guy who recorded a triple double almost every time he hit the floor in college to take a "decoy" role is a tough and disheartening adjustment. Meanwhile, Jefferson was a role player/defensive specialist for the most part at Arizona and he went to a team where, last year he was a role player. He has slowly become more invloved in the offense all while doing the same things he was called on to do in college. I think that has made it a smoother road for RJ.
In addition to the fact that he is playing with Kidd, the fact that Jefferson played more college ball and is older help with his transition. However, folks should be fair and say that Jefferson is much better than many people thought including CD. The thing that makes the deal one-sided is that 2 additional first round picks were included in the deal and there is no telling what we could have gotten if we had held back one pick. On the hand, the deal would probably not have been done and that would have been fine for me. We are stuck with the deal and it is safe to say that EG is some experience and a low post game away from being truly special. By the time he get there, though, Jefferson could be on the all-star team, already.
Jeff looks like The Jefe, a real deal. Eddie, too. But, would the other two draft choices have offered more for the Rox? Salary cap problems, for sure, but players? I'm happy with Eddie, happy for Jefferson. Eddie, stay right here -- you are a future beast!!!
Liek everyone else said, Griffin would be much better on the Nets than Jefferson. Believe me, if they had kept Griffin, then they wouldn't give up his rebounding/shotblocking for the world. It will take him time to develop. Right now, Jefferson is a starter on many many teams in the league, and Griffin is not a starter on most teams. But that will change within one year, and Griffin will be the better player once it's all over. You guys think it's hurting Griff's confidence that Jefferson is doing so well and people are calling the trade a steal?
Yup. Put Jefferson in our lineup, and what do you have? You have a(nother?) talented, frustrated small forward in an offense that doesn't care about small forwards. Rudy just doesn't give a squat about the SF position scoring. What we need at the SF we have in Hawkins, a hard nosed defender that's willing to pass and rebound and hit the occasional shot. KT could also fit that bill, if he wasn't so concerned about gettin paid (and I don't blame him for that). We don't need Jefferson for the same reason that we don't need Rashard Lewis.
It's good that people here like EG and his potential. He's a Rocket and that's the way it should be. But to try and downplay Jefferson as a player just isn't right. The dude definately has game. He is extremely athletic, an excellent one on one defender, finishes with flair, and brings a lot energy and emotion to the game. As far as I can tell(highlights), his only deficiency is outside shooting. I do agree that he probably wouldn't be doing as well for us. I think he's best suited for a pressing/running type game. What I'm not so sure of though, is that Eddie would be lighting it up for them. EG has not shown(so far) much lateral quickness or a desire to go to the hole. Even on fast breaks he will pull up and shoot a little 5-7 ft.er unless he's alone at the rim. He seems more suited to a half court game. Really though, none of this means squat. The reason for that is WE DID NOT SELECT RICHARD JEFFERSON!!! The trade with NJ was consumated before we made the 13th selection in last years draft. That was NJs' pick all the way. We wouldn't have selected him for ourselves. He wasn't even NJs' first choice. Right after the draft, one of our insiders here posted some info about who wanted what. Both the Rockets and Nets were wanting Vladimir Radmanovic at 13. He went to Seattle at 12. So Jefferson was the Nets' second choice. Whats really interesting(and scary) is that our second choice(according to insider info) was Troy Murphy. He has not shown a great deal yet for the Warriors(14th pick). He may end up being a career backup. I think Jefferson will be a damn good player in the L. Griff has a chance at much more. But remember, it wasn't between Eddie Griffin and Richard Jefferson for us, it was between EG and Troy Murphy. I'll take that deal any day!
This team needed help in the paint, Griffin when he's at his best is a dominant defender, rebounder, and a good scorer who needs to improve his shot a bit. Griffin is the perfect fit for this team, a double-digit rebounder, and a threat to win a shot-blocking title, and can score in bunches. In other words Griffin is the perfect fit for this team that needs talented big men, and Jefferson is the perfect fit for New Jersey who needed a SF and already had a stud big man up front (Kenyon Martin).
...or get the ball in 'good position'. Oh, yeah, and clean up the mess under the 'O' board. Dang EG is good. So, too, is RJ...but shorter.
Would all the posters in this thread agree that Francis type of Point Guarding is slowing Griffins development?
In fact both SF & CAT will slow Eddie's offensive game, but defensively Eddie has plenty opportunities to grow.
Yes. But that can not be EG's crutch. He has the ability to overcome this and be a great player, and I think he will. A different PG would certainly speed up the process.
