What do you think about Eddie's character? I remember the story about him punching his teamate earlier this year and busting him open in the locker room. Has there been anything else that is shady? I really don't think that behavior will carry over to the NBA, hopefully he will do some maturing and will be a star for us, both on and off the court. ------------------ It's Clutch's City and we're all just living in it...
Maybe he'll punch Cato in his lazy ass if he does not put some real effort into this season! ------------------
He got into a fight with a teammate in high school. He's young and I think/hope he'll mature as he gets older. He's a great talent so I hope Rude and Co. will keep him in line so he can explore his full potential.
As talented as this guy is, he has a huge downside as well. Could he be like a young Dream? Friday, June 22 Updated: June 25, 11:43 AM ET Griffin's No. 1 problem ... his past By Adrian Wojnarowski Special to ESPN.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As NBA drafts go, there have been few serious No. 1 overall candidates with the unimpressive, unproven history of Eddie Griffin. He had a year of college, presumably a year of growing up, constructing his character and molding his immense talents into a pretty package for the pros. The irony, of course, is his season with Seton Hall turned out to be a lesson in permissiveness, reinforcing a sense of entitlement and creating more questions than answers about Griffin. Want to take him No. 1, Michael Jordan, well take your chances. If this kid has a love for the game, it's hard to see. If this kid has a desire to win, it's impossible to prove. All we know for sure, is this: He has immense talent, and a belief that basketball owes him. Welcome to 2001. Welcome to basketball's troubling future. Eddie Griffin's talents are unquestioned, but his questionable attitude overshadows his talent. One year as a college freshmen taught Griffin there was nothing he couldn't do and still be forgiven because of a 6-foot-9 frame just oozing with talent. He discovered he could threaten a teammate, Ty Shine, in a January huddle, sucker punch him in the locker room and absolutely walk on it. Tommy Amaker, fearful of frightening off future blue-chip recruits, gave Griffin just a one-game suspension for a premeditated punch --- the kind of punishment that usually goes with missing a class, or showing up late for a practice. This wasn't exactly the mentoring Amaker promised Griffin's late brother, Marvin Powell, when he recruited Griffin out of Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia as the nation's top prospect. Let's see, what else? Well, Griffin turned terribly selfish for the Pirates, discovering he could freelance within the offense without consequence. He could take wild shots, play defense by just swinging his long arms to block shots and never, ever hear a disparaging word out of his coach's mouth. His team could lose, but the best player was forever protected as Amaker privately stacked the blame on the upperclassmen. "When we started losing, a lot of people just said, 'Forget it, I'm going to get mine,'" Griffin said during the season, failing to mention he was typically the first one in line to get his. Rev. Paul Brant, principal of Roman Catholic, did his best to curtail Griffin, fearing the young man's future if he didn't. They were losing a grip on him at the high school, and the good father made one final lunge to save him on his way to college. What Amaker refused to do with Griffin at Seton Hall -- show him that he wasn't above punishment, immune of consequences -- Rev. Brandt had done. Near the end of his senior year of high school, Griffin and a 6-10 classmate, Marcus Gantt, ended up in a classroom fight, these two enormous bodies flailing on the floor. There was a zero tolerance policy for violence at Roman Catholic, and this was the end for what could turn out to be the famous alumnus in the school's history. They let Griffin get his diploma, but he had to finish his academic year at home. Father Brant tossed the most famous high school basketball player in the country out of school, believing it could end up saving this kid down the line. "What if we hadn't done it?" Rev. Brant wondered several months ago. "That was my biggest concern. If we hadn't let him know he had to take responsibility for his actions, later in life when he became a pro athlete what would happen when he was faced with circumstances where he had to be accountable?" To get his diploma, Griffin had to undergo anger management counseling. Months before flipping out on Shine, Griffin said, "The anger management classes helped me on the court," Griffin said. "I've grown from it. Now, I've got (my temper) under control." As it turned out, this just wasn't the case. Father Brant did his part, but it wasn't in the NBA that Griffin had to be made accountable, it was in college. Griffin failed the test. Griffin has a disturbing history of reacting to conflict with violence, of pouting and feeling sorry for himself when things don't go his way. After everything a year ago, he couldn't believe the Seton Hall fans booed him. It was downright scary that he couldn't begin to understand it. "Emotionally, you're talking about a kid who was a young high school senior, who was 17 for most of the year," Rev. Brant said. "To be in the pros, and miss that development in college, would've been so difficult for him." This is the most disturbing part of the Eddie Griffin saga. He had his year in college, but what was it worth? After creating more questions than answers about himself, he has a chance to the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Welcome to 2001. Welcome to basketball's troubling future. ------------------ "For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet
Boy, that's not encouraging. He sounds lazy like Cato and hard to get along with. Good thing these are just words of the past and that he has a chance to turn things around here in Houston. I sure hope that the guys on the team are aware that Eddie needs someone to mentor him along and be a good role model. Who would be a good fit to do that? Well,... besides Bullard... ------------------ It's Clutch's City and we're all just living in it... [This message has been edited by today (edited June 27, 2001).]
Boohoo Finn Quit your whinin cause they didnt pick Murphy ------------------ The Smurfs were Communists
Hakeem was a punk in college as well as his first few years in the NBA. He grew up and matured quite nicely. ------------------
Ok, I'll agree the character is a question, but it's the ONLY question, and without it he goes 1-2, so we never get a sniff...Gotta gamble if you want to win big without losing 50 games a year first... ------------------
EG is still a teenager. He has time to calm down and develop some maturity. If he's an whiny hothead by the age of 26 (like Rasheed Wallace) then there might be a problem. ------------------ I'm so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip that I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.
