Well, this was the year we all thought he would emerge. We even got rid of KT to put him in for more playing time. He hasn't proven anything to the Rockets but shown us that he is a liability. KT is emerging as a role player for the Sixers. I wish EG would follow KT shoes and do the same for us.
This is what I read from a Nets fan on another forum about Jefferson: Well he traded Kenny Thomas to clear room for Griffin too but he didn't step up.
We give Griffin the chance to show off his talent as a true NBA player, but instead he hasn't stepped up. Jefferson has and he is respected by other players as a guy who can step up when the game is on the line.
Ask yourself one very very simple question. Is EG worth 3 1st round picks even in a weak draft year? Right now at least stats wise he's not showing anything that you can't get with a late 1st round surprise. You can argue all about how RJ plays on a much better team but right now EG is not even showing any improvements. And btw, for some people the he's still young argument will ALWAYS be there. Hell people are still arguing that Cat and SF are young. How long do we have to wait? When does it end? If let's say Yao (who improves the most btw) progresses the same speed as our other players all those haters (oops, "TRUE ROCKETS FANS") would be screaming trade him. I know we didn't have the roster space for 3 picks that year but I think we should definitely be able to get more than Eddie Griffin, especially considering how RJ turned out.
The Sporting News' Sean Deveney had this is his Mailbag Column today: It has been two years since the Rockets traded Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong for Eddie Griffin. I would like to know your long-term thoughts on this trade. Marcus Wong Toronto *** Marcus: Great question, because the failure of Griffin to improve this season has been one of the things that is keeping the Rockets out of the playoffs. His shooting still is awful, he turns the ball over too much and he has made little attempt to improve his back-to-the-basket post game. He is becoming a poor man's Antoine Walker (but he can't pass like Walker), which is a very, very bad thing to be. I'm not sure he will be able to turn that around. Jefferson, on the other hand, has developed nicely, and he combines athleticism, defense and finishing ability. He needs to work on his jumper, but so do most second-year players. The only thing he lacks is aggressiveness, which comes and goes. It is understandable, given his lack of experience, that Jefferson cedes to Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin (and even Kerry Kittles), but as he matures, he will be more sure of his niche. He would be an interesting fit in Houston, and the Rockets must kick themselves for pulling that trade.
I would bet my left ventricle that the Rockets would have taken Bradley and not Jefferson if it was to be done again. Don't kill yourselves, the Kenny Lofton trade was bad for the Astros, Jefferson may not have ever been a Rocket if they don't make the deal for EG before the Rox selection.
I actually think Eddie is more along the lines of a poor mans Tim Thomas..... Or a Jonathan Bender clone...
All I hear all the time from Rockets03 and others is how Eddie is going to be great one day..... For all those Eddie Lovers out there here's a question: What's the basis for that prediction? Is it because the Rockets have good history drafting? As a person who has followed the Rockets since 86 I can tell you that for every Robert Horry, Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley there are about 8 Alec Kessler's, Mirsad Turcksan's, Dave Jamerson's, Buck Johnson's, Steve Harris's, Eric Riley's and Bryce Drew's! You may be saying who are these scrubs (except for Drew and Turcksan)? That's right they are draft picks made by the rockets (I think all 1st rounders) who turned out to be absolute busts! I'm not talking just with the Rockets but they never did anything in the league after leaving the Rockets yet there were drafted high in the draft by Houston. Is it because Eddie is "not old enough to buy a beer" like Rockets03 says? Well potential and age are all excuses that people use to hide the fact that a player sucks now and there is a chance that the player may be good later. Kelvin Cato and his potential ring a bell? How bout how people were saying Darius Miles has potential? Anyone heard from him on a sorry team like the Cavs lately? How bout how Harold Miner was "Baby Jordan"! Anyone heard from him lately? This is Eddie's 2nd year in the league and he hasn't showed one bit of improvement vs. year 1. Not one. He still shoots too many 3's and is not good enough for that to be his 1 dimension. Don't get me wrong I'm a huge Rockets fan and would love it if Eddie becomes a great or even good player but I'm not holding my breath and no one else should either.
I think it's a fairly accurate assessment, at least for now. Both don't have a true PF's low post game. Both like to shoot 3s and have very bad shot selection (both shot about 39% for the season). Both are not strong rebounders and defenders by a PF's standard. But AW has better handle and passing skills right now.
Living in Philly, I saw a lot of Roman Catholic ball. Eddie Griffin was simply amazing. Don't worry Rockets fans, he's gonna be a really good player for you guys. Give him time.
There were just so many amazing highschool/college players who didn't improve their game since making it to the pros.
Same competition Kobe went up against in hs. Both were men among boys. A lot of debate whether or not EG was better than Kobe in HS, both dominated. EG went up against Dajuan Wagner and he torched his team, Wagner didnt do so well because of an injury.
The thing that amazes me is that almost everyone who responded on this thread is down on Eddie Griffin. Before I go on, my opinion is that Eddie is a potential difference-maker waiting to happen. However, there are factors holding him back: - When he is the fourth and even sometimes the fifth option, how can he be that effective. - Before people go on and say well he can do it at hte defensive end, you need a little confidence, and when your shot is not falling and your teammates fail to involve you, you're not going to have much confidence. - The emergence of Yao Ming. Before a lot of you Yao-first fans arrived, Eddie was considered a franchise cornerstone along with Steve Francis. Many people on this board considered Eddie on the cusp of realizing his potential (all he needed was a post-up game and a little muscle). - Robert-Horry syndrome. Eddie hangs out at the three-point line way too much. The reason why is because of the way the offense is drawn up. Eddie Griffin was worth the three first-round picks, because the Rockets were looking for quality not quantity during that draft. As for Richard Jefferson being better, well of course he is; he plays along the top point guard in the league. He plays in an offense that is suited for his game. Jefferson played four seasons of college ball at Arizona. At this point I agree I'd like to see more out of Eddie, but his game is not shooting three-pointers. If the Rockets ran a double-post, or maybe set Eddie up in the paint five to ten times a game, maybe he'd do a little better. Some of you also have to remember that the Sonics, and Hawks were willing to give up established players who usually score 17+PPG for a guy many of you consider a bust. And those are just the teams thatwe publicly know about. CD is on record as saying that he usually receives calls asking about the young guys on the team (Eddie is 21 = young guy on the team). Cut the guy some slack, he had one year of college, is on a team that still is trying to find its identity. If next year at this point the Rockets still haven't gotten their **** together and Eddie still looks lost, then maybe its time to think about trading him to a team who will use his skills the way they were meant to be used, and the Rockets can get something of value.
With Rudy's depth chart, only one of those guys would have seen playing time, don't have room on the roster for 3. Cat and SF get 40+ a night, and Moochie the remainder at 1/2, and Cat sometimes plays 3.
To say that the ONLY reason Jefferson is doing well is because of JK is ridiculous. If you watch him at all..(next year, trying getting DirecTV's Season Pass) you'd realize that boy got a HELLUVA lot more hustle in him than EG. Anybody who is over 6"9 who systematically drifts to the three point line instead of going to the basket to at least get rebounds..IS NOT BEING COACHED! Having that problem along with playing with the 2 SHOOTING GUARDS who are the biggest ballhogs on the planet, who happen to think they need to carry the Rockets on their shoulders (yeah, all the way BACK to the lottery)..would make anyone look INEPT. You have to feed the big men and Mobley and Francis are the WORST possible. If they don't break up this nightmare..I will NOT RETURN AS A FAN!!
