the trade of Griffin for Richard Jefferson(the key player of the deal).............if you think about it we have too many guys who demand the ball and want there shots....i watched a few games of this kid(Jefferson)....he plays ALL OUT and does all the dirty work...he seems to get points from plays that were not really made exclusively for him....he just works hard and gets rebounds and runs the fast break......we don't have guys that finish like this kid.(KT/MOtaylor/Morris/Rice) all guys that arn't really flexible players(they do certain things well and that's about it)....Jefferson seems to do everything well!!! I KNOW...i know.....Griffin is 20 years old.....he has the greater potential...but do we need 3 SUPERSTARS???? Yao/Steve/Griffin(hopefully).....or do we need more role players just doing the little things in the game????!
Rudy was on record as saying that none of the picks we made were for us. They were all picked for New Jersey. So there's really no telling who we would've selected with our pick had Griffin not dropped... meaning we can't really say "instead of Griffin, what if we had kept Jefferson?"
At the time, I was thrilled with getting Griffin, since many had him as possibly the #1 pick, until his attitude issues became a concern, dropping him in the draft. But, before that trade went down, the players I wanted us to draft would have been Jefferson, Randolf, and Wallace, and those would have been very nice to have on our team right now. If I had to pick now, I think I would have taken Parker or Tinsley instead of Randolf. But, I still think Griffin will turn into a star, with bigger upside than any of the other 3, and if you were Rudy, and given that option, you always go for the potential superstar player, over 3 good players. If Griffin does turn out to be a superstar, this will be a tough team for a long time.
Eddie's progress is going like Rashard's first years. Promising, but not polished enough for a winning team. I love his potential, and I'm sold on him breaking out star numbers. It's just that he might break out on a contract year than beforehand...
Eddie just needs to punch someone, then he'll start to dominate. I think he should punch Kenny Thomas after he does something stupid again like not passing at all. Actually, I like Kenny, I just think that if opponents knew that he might pass, his options would open up.
NO WAY. We don't need another athlete who can't shoot. Jefferson would be wasted with Cat and Steve. Did you see Eddie's defense on Duncan today? That's a 20 year old kid holding a top 3 NBA player better than could be expected. In two years time, he'll be dominant...AND exactly what we need to compliment what we already have. Anyone saying we'd be better off with Jefferson doesn't know much about b-ball...
