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Looking back: Eddie Griffin, biggest bust in Rockets history?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by dharocks, Aug 17, 2004.

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  1. dharocks

    dharocks Member

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    I was talking to a friend of mine about some of the bigger busts in recent NBA memory, and afterwards I couldn't help but think back about some of the Rockets high draft picks. Doing some research, I dug up the top 10 picks in Rockets history, and here's what it basically comes out to:

    Riles (7)
    Elvin Hayes (1)
    Rudy (2)
    Ed Ratleff (6)
    John Lucas (1)
    Sampson (1)
    Dream (1)
    Francis (2) (NOTE: since we didn't actually draft Eddie, but rather traded for him, I included Stevie)
    Griffin (7)
    Yao (1)

    (Horry was picked at 11, and, though it may be an unpopular opinion, I consider him to be somewhat of a bust)

    Most of those guys turned out to be pretty good players. Lucas would've been great if it wasn't for the drugs. Sampson if it weren't for the injuries.

    Three names do pop out; Ratleff, Riley, and Eddie. Riles had a great college career, was obviously a great coach, but didn't really amount to anything in the NBA. Don't know much about Ratleff, other than he was basically a career 2-3ppg scorer. Then there's Eddie. Enormous, obvious potential, and if not a star he should have at least been a pretty decent NBA Forward. Who knows what he would have been like if his head was on right? And, I guess for that matter, who knows what Eddie's future has in store for him? Whatever it is, it probably ain't gonna be with the Rockets.

    Taking all that into consideration, should Eddie be considered the biggest bust in franchise history?
     
    #1 dharocks, Aug 17, 2004
  2. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Yes,

    EG is the biggest bust in Rockets history, or D. Cheivous, or Steve Harris, or.....

    DD
     
    #2 DaDakota, Aug 17, 2004
  3. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

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    Seems to me that Eddie falls in the same category as these two. Lucas' value was destroyed by drugs, Sampson's by injury, and Griffin's by depression. I guess you can argue that we managed to get a little more production out of the first two before they went in the toilet.

    I still consider Scottie Pippen the biggest bust in Rockets history, but I suppose the circumstance is somewhat different.
     
    #3 JuanValdez, Aug 17, 2004
  4. JoeBarelyCares

    JoeBarelyCares Member

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    Jack Marin was the biggest bust in Rockets' history. We didn't really give up anything for Pippen, other than some cap space, and got out of the deal the next year. We gave up Elvin Hayes to get Jack Marin.
     
    #4 JoeBarelyCares, Aug 17, 2004
  5. caphorns

    caphorns Member

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    Biggest draft day bust by far. Many of the other guys (Pippen) were not drafts. Pippen wasn't event the worst of the FA busts. JBC was certainly up there for FA busts. Other mentions are lower draft picks. Look at the Griffin record, he gave us two subpar years and then found his way out of the sport. And we gave up a future AllStar in Jefferson to get him. That should be in the definition of draft day busts somewhere.
     
    #5 caphorns, Aug 17, 2004
  6. tim562

    tim562 Member

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    Eddie Griffin - No doubt, biggest bust
     
    #6 tim562, Aug 17, 2004
  7. Yao Wink

    Yao Wink Member

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    Please explain. I do not see Horry's career as a Rocket as a bust. One might consider that he did not live up to his potential, but does that mean that he is a bust?
     
    #7 Yao Wink, Aug 17, 2004
  8. mateo

    mateo Member

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    Considering how well Horry played in the 95 playoffs, I think calling him a bust is ridiculous.
     
    #8 mateo, Aug 17, 2004
  9. fromobile

    fromobile Member

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    ya...I think perhaps you've hit a glitch in your "bust" criteria. The dude had big balls, man.
     
    #9 fromobile, Aug 17, 2004
  10. steddinotayto

    steddinotayto Member

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    1992 NBA Player Draft


    Round 1
    # Team Name College/HS/Country
    1 ORL Shaquille ONeal Louisiana State
    2 CHA Alonzo Mourning Georgetown
    3 MIN Christian Laettner Duke
    4 DAL Jimmy Jackson Ohio State
    5 DEN LaPhonso Ellis Notre Dame
    6 WA1 Tom Gugliotta North Carolina State
    7 SAC Walt Williams Maryland
    8 MIL Todd Day Arkansas
    9 PHI Clarence Weatherspoon Southern Mississippi
    10 ATL Adam Keefe Stanford
    11 HOU Robert Horry Alabama
    12 MIA Harold Miner USC
    13 DEN Bryant Stith Virginia
    14 IND Malik Sealy St. John's
    15 LAL Anthony Peeler Missouri
    16 LAC Randy Woods La Salle
    17 SEA Doug Christie Pepperdine
    18 SAS Tracy Murray UCLA
    19 DET Don MacLean UCLA
    20 NYK Hubert Davis North Carolina
    21 BOS Jon Barry Georgia Tech
    22 PHO Oliver Miller Arkansas
    23 MIL Lee Mayberry Arkansas
    24 GSW Latrell Sprewell Alabama
    25 LAC Elmore Spencer Nevada-Las Vegas
    26 POR David Johnson Syracuse
    27 CHI Byron Houston Oklahoma State


    yea i wouldn't call Horry a bust when he was the 4th best player (eventually) in this draft.
     
    #10 steddinotayto, Aug 17, 2004
  11. studogg

    studogg Member

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    I'm not sure Griffin would be the "Definition of draft day busts" - maybe for the Rockets, but certainly not for the entire league. His demise did not set the franchise back several years like others have - ie: Big Country Reeves.
     
    #11 studogg, Aug 17, 2004
  12. rhester

    rhester Member

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    what about the 3 #1 picks we used on

    brice drew, mike dickerson, turckan in 1998 while passing on Rashard Lewis, Nesterovic, Al Harrington, Tyrone Lue, Brian Skinner, Ricky Davis, Pat Garrity - just to name a few.


    Whatever we were thinking this draft when it was obvious that
    Rashard Lewis was THE PICK!

    if this was the biggest draft bust, it was the biggest draft blunder.
     
    #12 rhester, Aug 17, 2004
  13. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    It wasn't Marin's fault the Rockets made a bad trade. In his one full season with Houston he averaged over 18 PPG.
     
    #13 bobrek, Aug 17, 2004
  14. steddinotayto

    steddinotayto Member

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    oh my god...do we REALLY have to get into this AGAIN?
     
    #14 steddinotayto, Aug 17, 2004
  15. giddyup

    giddyup Member

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    I saw Ed Ratleff play as a Rocket. In fact, I think I saw him play for Long Beach State against the Coogs way back then. He was a decent player who had knee problems.

    Another guy like that was Gus Bailey (?) whom I believe the Rockets drafted in the second round out of UTEP. He had horrible knee problems too.

    This was before arthroscopics, of course.

    I'd have to go with EG as the Biggest Bust especially when you look at the cost to acquire him. Hope he can turn it around...
     
    #15 giddyup, Aug 17, 2004
  16. caphorns

    caphorns Member

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    I agree that BCR was a horrible bust. But I do believe that the Rockets EG deal would be in the top 5 to 10 busts of the modern era. RJ is an AllStar now. Not only did we do a bad job to take on a guy like EG (who ends up out of basketball) we traded AllStar talent to get him. Hindsight is 20/20, but this deal ranks up there based on results to date.
     
    #16 caphorns, Aug 17, 2004
  17. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
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    No kidding. No bust there... for from it.
     
    #17 Deckard, Aug 17, 2004
  18. steddinotayto

    steddinotayto Member

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    RJ + Kidd = All Star

    RJ - Kidd = Harold Miner

    And YES i did watch the games when it was him by himself when Kidd went out with an injury. But if these Olympics are any indication, just forcing him and taunting him to make jumpers will keep him at bay.

    What i could be mad about is just trading 3 picks for him...not necessarily trading away an All Star talent
     
    #18 steddinotayto, Aug 17, 2004
  19. DaneB

    DaneB Member

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    I really don't see how Horry was such a bust. He was a great role player for the Rockets and the Lakers.

    I know that this thread hasn't really turned towards blasting management yet, but I'm just saying let's try not to sway it that way. Every team makes mistakes, nobody is perfect.
     
    #19 DaneB, Aug 17, 2004
  20. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    Why would one awful game in the Olympics w/o Kidd be a better indicator of how he will perform in the NBA w/o Kidd rather than his performance in the NBA w/o Kidd?

    Does Sunday's game prove that Iverson can't play without Eric Snow?
     
    #20 SamFisher, Aug 17, 2004
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