Clearly, he likes the three-point shot -- 4 of 6 so far on the season. However, I don't think his ability should be limited to perimeter jump shots. In college, he shot a lot of jumpers, but he also showed that he could slash to the hoop. How are the Rockets going to utilize his height and athelticism on offense? Because the team doesn't need two Glen Rices.
I have doubts as to whether or not Griffin can create any offense for himself. I don't think he has the handles necessary to slash to the hoop, and I don't think he has the strength, not to mention court awareness to post up that effectively. He could do all of these things in college, but like I said, I don't think he's ready to do it on the NBA leve. I believe that he WILL be utilized primarily as a spot up shooter, and not too much else, unless he just has some tricks that I haven't seen yet.
It's funny how EG isn't afraid to jack up 3 pointers all day, but I haven't seen him once try to dribble to the basket. Rudy or someone should tell him to atleast try, cuz he aint never gonna learn if he doesn't try.
Griffin has a postup game, we're not looking for it yet. I'm not saying postup Garnett or a superstar but tonight during his minutes he was guarded by a smaller opponent (don't remember who, but he was smaller! ). To be honest I could care less if he was showcased on offense or not this early in his "career". I wish we could let him play a smaller role on offense when he's in the game. Allow him to play minutes for his defense. 78 to go....who knows?
He's jacking those 3's up cause we're using him on that pick and roll designed for a freakin 3 pointer. Yes he shoots a lot, only because he's confused and new to the NBA game. I'd rather his play than the play of other young rookies. lol how bout Swift's 1st season, jesus, that kid looked like a deer staring at headlights. Let him roam some, let the game come to him, not force it on him. That high pick is designed for either a drive by Franchise or for a 3 pointer. Using Eddie on that pick is just asking him to shoot. Otherwise, you waste 7 seconds, end up passing to KT, and end up starting all over. IMHHHHHHO there needs to be some movement (i.e. picks) off the ball while that pick and roll is happening, to open up an assist.
Yeah Eddie at this present time doesn't dribble. If you guys notice that even when he get's the ball in the backcourt he looks to pass it even if no ones around him then bring it up. He just will not put that ball down and dribble. He's comfortable taking outside shots but trust me he's got a pretty good post moves that he's great at. I don't know why he hasn't attemped posting up much. Though he's got a great outside shot, it's not really consistent. It like sounds like he's playing just as he did in the summer games, getting hot and making 3-4 shots in a row from beyond 20ft then going cold and missing 3-4 shots in an row. Like I said EG is explosive, he can score a bunch of points in a few mins when you least expect it but also he can miss a bunch of shots and continue to put them up, IMO he's got that mentality where he's not afraid to shot it even it he missed 10 in a row and with the game on the line. I guess that's why some of us including myself think that EG and MT are good for each other because you can argue that MT is a slasher type that can create and while EG likes to spot up. I know this is meaningless right now but I can't wait to see MT back, we need a guy that can create off the dribble, I think the rockets are trying to utilize KT similar to MT last year, notice that KT is averaging 6 boards while playing more mins than MT.
It would be nice to see a post up aginst anyone. The pick and roll from about 17ft would be nice also. I just hope we don't turn him into bob horry jr.
Hey now, Horry isn't that bad. He's clutch in the playoffs. You see how many 3s he hit last year..not to mention when he played for the Rockets in the postseason?
I really don't understand why people are complaining about Eddie attempting 3 pointers. IT'S NOT LIKE HE SUCKS AT HITTING THEM OR ANYTHING! JESUS, MOBLEY'S THE ONLY ONE THAT'S ACTUALLY HITTING THAT SHOT BETTER THAN EDDIE! You guys know what other PF attempts 3 pointers on a regular basis and hits them at a lower clip than Eddie? Rasheed Wallace, do you guys think Rasheed's growth has been stunted from those 3 point attempts? Is Rasheed Wallace Robert Horry? Damn, it's Eddie's fourth game in the NBA, it's pretty obvious that Rudy's going to work him in very slowly and carefully. Eddie's been consistent with that shot off the pick so I say let him do it. I'd much rather see him succeed at something then just try to turn him into Tim Duncan after his 4th game in the league. A month from now, I'm sure Eddie might even be starting, and then he can have a play or two that he is comfortable with and can be effective with. This isn't really directed at anyone that's posted in this thread, just a general message for everyone that's complaining about Eddie's involvement in the offense. Rudy's going to set Eddie up to succeed early so he can build confidence. That means they'll run little basic plays for EG to set picks and drain 3's since that's what he can do pretty regularly now...
I'm really proud of Eddie Griffin- he will become a great player for us. I can't wait until Maurice is back. We will have an elite offensive front court to go with our league leading back court...
BGM, chill ..... man, rockets are doing so great. i'm so envious of those who get to watch em live or on tv. i'm lucky if i get to catch 3 games on my tv channel. first one is this thursday against philadelphia. they've only showed 4 games so far and 2 of em are the wizards. eugh . the other 2 are the lakers. go rockets.
BGM, I hope you do not think that EG is going to start over KT. It will not happen unless KT is injured. EG needs to set up on the block like the Dream and make his baseline move unstoppable and perfect his hook in the middle and then get ready to pass out of double teams. That would add another dimension to the rocks which is missing with Dream gone and it would justify 24 mins of playing time, not the five mins of last night.
I agree with DearRock that we are unlikely to see Eddie starting or even playing major minutes consistantly, until he develops more. This is a playoff contending team, and we simply can't afford to start somebody that isn't ready yet. Plus, Rudy has a history of not playing rookies extensively unless there is an injury or ineffectiveness by a current starter. I think we'll see more of Eddie later this season, and against certain matchups where his height is a big asset, but for now KT looks like he will get the lion's share of minutes at the 4. As long as he can play like he played last night, Kenny's earned it.
Watching Shareef tear it up with an array of post-up moves, hooks and turnarounds in the first half of the Hawks-Rox game, I'm wondering if Griff could ever develop that type of offensive game. They're roughly the same size, though SAR is a bit heavier and EG a hair taller. In terms of sheer athleticism though, I would say they are equals. I would favorably compare EG's hops and stroke to SAR ... maybe SAR's handles are better. The main difference is that SAR is light years ahead of EG in intuitiveness and confidence. Veteran vs. rookie. But will Griff ever develop into an SAR type scorer though? I was reading the Atlanta newsgroup, and after the Rockets game, some of their posters were writing things like "Imagine if we had Francis or Mobley." Now imagine if the Rockets had SAR ... I know you have before. Maybe Griff can become that.
