Griffin to implement program to get bigger & stronger

He's going to take two weeks off & start his regimen to increase his strength & size, so he can be more effective in the low post.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1360503

Not time for inside touch

Rockets confident Griffin will become solid post player
By JEROME SOLOMON
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

DALLAS -- Eddie Griffin spends much of his time on the outside looking in.

That's life when you are a 19-year-old professional basketball player on a team whose strongest locker-room presence is a man more than twice your age.

Fittingly, 39-year-old, 18-year NBA veteran Kevin Willis refers to his youthful teammate, the youngest Houston Rocket ever, as "young fella."

The "outside looking in" aspect of Griffin is not limited to social situations in which he can't (legally) join teammates for a relaxing drink at a bar. It extends to the locker room, where if you didn't pay close attention, the young fella would barely be noticeable.

Surprisingly, the Rockets' private sanctum is upbeat and lively, especially for a team that has been through a horrendous season filled with disappointment. Most of the time, Griffin just takes it all in from afar.

In a way, that is a description of what he does on the court, particularly offensively.

Despite being 6-10, Griffin is rarely asked to make anything but a token appearance in the paint. A flash here and there, just for show.

As good as he is from the outside (second on the team in 3-pointers), Griffin knows he will not reach his full potential until he is a full participant in the X Games in the paint. That's X as in the exclamation point used to describe the types of blows delivered each night down low in the NBA.

The top players in the league at his position, guys like Kevin Garnett of Minnesota and Dirk Nowitzki -- who stars for tonight's opponent, the Dallas Mavericks -- can stick the jumper and post up with equal effectiveness.

Griffin hasn't gotten there yet. In fact, most of the season he hasn't even gotten enough opportunities inside to see what he could do down there.

So do the Rockets run everything for Griffin on the outside because of his good shooting touch or because at 220 pounds of skin and bones he can't wrestle with the big boys?

"I guess they are just trying to take advantage of my outside ability," Griffin said with as straight a face as he could muster before chuckling. "Strength ... that's probably why I'm not getting much in the post. That's what I have to work on over the summer -- getting stronger so I can go down low against these guys."

No need to panic. Griffin is only a rookie, and he played just one season at Seton Hall before turning pro. Even players who come into the league after four years in a college weight program are surprised at the physical play.

"He's gonna be OK," Rockets assistant coach Larry Smith said. "It's just a matter of getting used to back-to-the-basket type stuff. I think in years to come, as he works more and more on it, he's going to be an All-Star. Because he has the size, and he has the skills.

"He's absolutely going to get there. Hey, he's just 19, and he's gonna grow. We're just happy he's a part of our club and he'll grow with us."

Smith knows what it takes to play in the trenches. He spent 13 years in the league as a ferocious rebounder. Of course, even he must admit that part of the reason he spent all of his time on the inside looking out was he wasn't comfortable away from the basket.

"Everybody wasn't blessed with those skills," Smith said. "That's what makes players like Eddie special. What he can do outside will only make him better inside in the coming years.

"We're very happy with his progress, and he's really coming along at a pace we like. His progress in the future, I think, is going to be substantial. As he gets more confident playing down there and the more time and the more reps he gets down there, the better."

With just five games remaining, those reps won't come this season. But when the season is over -- after a week or two of rest -- Griffin plans to implement a regimen that will make him bigger and stronger.

Griffin won't give up on his face-the-basket skills, though. He also lists improving his ball-handling as a goal over the summer.

It was not an easy transition from college to the NBA for Griffin, who averaged less than four points and three rebounds per game in October and November.

"I always want to be on the floor, but I knew my time would come. I just had to keep my head up, " Griffin said. "It was tough. In the beginning, I was playing like eight minutes a game, and it was tough sitting over there watching. At first, when I came off the bench, I didn't know what to do or how to get into the flow of the game. Now, I'm getting used to it.

"I was a hesitant. You can't just come in putting it up. Every shot I took, I was thinking, `I've got to make this shot,' because I didn't know when my next one was going to come. Now I just let the shots come to me and take 'em as they come."

As the Rockets' injuries started to mount, Griffin's playing time increased. After a while, he wasn't playing just because others weren't available. He was playing because he belonged on the floor.

Griffin has started 24 games and will become the first rookie to lead the Rockets in blocked shots since Hakeem Olajuwon did so 17 seasons ago.

"I think I'm picking up everything pretty fast, and I'm playing pretty good," Griffin said. "I'm finally getting adjusted.

"The only thing I miss about college is the people screaming at you and the bands playing before the games. That was cool."

What also would be cool is being able to hang out with his teammates and enjoy a night on the town. But as with being able to dominate in the paint, Griffin expects that will happen down the road.

"In due time," he said. "I'll get there."