Rockets trade top picks to Nets for Eddie Griffin

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/955320

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle

Killing time between the endless strategy sessions and tape examinations, Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich put his coaches and scouts through a draft exercise.

Who, Tomjanovich asked, would you choose if -- instead of picking 13th in Wednesday's NBA draft -- you could pick first?

One name Tomjanovich said was the overwhelming choice:

Eddie Griffin.

ROCKETS
· Blinebury: Daring move comes with lots of upside

The Rockets never did get the No. 1 pick, but they got their No. 1 choice, sending the rights to their three first-round selections -- the 13th, 18th and 23rd picks of the draft -- to New Jersey to pick up Griffin, a 6-9 freshman forward from Seton Hall who until recent days had been projected as the No. 1 pick of the draft.

"No way in the world did we think we would have the opportunity to get this guy," Tomjanovich said. "Three picks help you fill some big holes. (But) we think we got someone special. How many times do you get a chance to get a special player? Now we got this guy."

Griffin was at least as surprised as the Rockets to find himself unclaimed through six picks. Then he went from staying in New Jersey and playing in the same arena in which he played college ball to a team that had not even worked him out.

"I was shocked about it," Griffin said. "People were saying I was going No. 1. I find I went No. 7. I'm happy to be drafted in the NBA.

"I'm real excited about it. I was excited going to New Jersey. I'm excited I'm going to Houston and playing with Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis. They're a team on the rise. They have good, talented, young players. I'm going to try to fit in."

The Rockets considered Griffin's availability so stunning -- and Griffin so rare a talent -- Tomjanovich compared acquiring him to the trade that brought Francis, the second player taken in the 1999 draft, to Houston.

He was not alone.

"We feel unbelievably fortunate to get a player who could have been the No. 1 pick," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement.


AP
Seton Hall star Eddie Griffin did not even work out for the Rockets, but the team has had its eyes on him from the start.
The Francis trade actually helped the Rockets net Griffin because the No. 18 pick the Rockets swapped Wednesday came from Orlando to help complete the three-team deal that landed Francis.

And the No. 23 pick Wednesday came from Orlando in exchange for the extra draft selection the Rockets picked up from last year's draft-day trade with the Bucks for center Jason Collier.

Later Wednesday, the Rockets cashed another first-round pick acquired for another player who played for them, Mirsad Turkcan, to pick up Maryland forward Terence Morris in the second round.

The Rockets sent the future pick the Pistons owed them -- any pick the Pistons should acquire by 2004 -- to Atlanta for the fifth pick of the second round, using it to acquire Morris, Francis' former Maryland teammate.

Tomjanovich said he had considered Morris a high first-round prospect two years ago when Morris, then a sophomore, considered entering the draft.

"Terence is a guy I watched for several years," Tomjanovich said. "He's a guy a couple of years ago we thought was going to come out and I thought would fit the way I wanted to play.

"I was disappointed when he went back in. That kid just fits us."

Griffin offers a different sort of fit, bringing a physical style with a taste for battling on the boards and defending inside. Tomjanovich said Griffin can defend small forwards or power forwards and, in some cases, centers.

"I think I can help them out with rebounding and shot-blocking and help out scoring," Griffin said.

That much was clear. The tricky part was getting a way to move into a position to select one of the draft's most coveted talents.

Though the Rockets have been working to move up in the draft for weeks, and especially since acquiring the 18th pick June 2, the deal Wednesday did not come down until after the Grizzlies had selected Shane Battier at No. 6, putting the Nets on the board.

The Rockets and several teams had often discussed making deals to move up, giving the Nets a pretty good idea the Rockets would jump at the deal Wednesday.

Again Wednesday, the Rockets had been working to acquire Griffin, talking to teams drafting ahead of the Nets. By the time the Nets called, it was quickly clear they were willing to pick Griffin and send him to Houston.

But Tomjanovich said he made his staff stop and think before the Rockets accepted the trade that landed Griffin.

Griffin might have slipped because of several fighting incidents in high school and at Seton Hall. But Tomjanovich said the Rockets' research failed to raise any concerns.

"We heard he's a quiet kid, loves basketball and keeps to himself," Tomjanovich said.

Griffin was second in the nation in blocked shots, averaging 4.43 per game while scoring 17.8 points on 43 percent shooting.

"It was really an amazing situation," Tomjanovich said. "We thought Eddie Griffin would be picked very high. We did some ratings of this draft and he was right there on top.

"Versatility. Size. We think he's an all-around guy. He can block shots. He can rebound, shoot outside, finish inside and he's 19 years old.

"When you're talking about three picks for one, he would have to be someone special. It reminds me of the Steve Francis situation. It's amazing how things can happen. I couldn't be happier."




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newest Rockets
EDDIE GRIFFIN

·Position: Power forward.

·College: Seton Hall.

·Height: 6-9. Weight: 222

·Qualifications: Freshman of the Year and honorable mention All-American in his one college season. ... Second in the nation in blocked shots (4.43), and averaged 17.8 points on 43 percent shooting.

·The fit: Griffin would give the Rockets a physical, dirty-work forward who could be ideal next to Maurice Taylor. Griffin has the Rockets' requisite shooting touch, but should bring shot-blocking at forward the Rockets have not had in years. Griffin, 19, could bring versatility for years.

·What they say: Rockets director of player personnel Dennis Lindsey: "Outstanding shooter. He brings some other things, too; shot-blocking, rebounding and he can score on the block. Of all the young guys, he's the most ready to contribute because the known qualities that are there. He can get an NBA rebound, he can block an NBA shot and he can score in our game."

TERENCE MORRIS

·Position: Small forward.

·College: Maryland.

·Height: 6-9. Weight: 221

·Qualifications: Honorable mention All-American each of the past three seasons. He was All-ACC first team as a sophomore, second team as a junior and third team as a senior. ... Made 49.5 percent of his shots, averaging 12.7 points in four seasons at Maryland.

·The fit: Morris brings a shooting touch with range and the size to play either forward spot. He had his best season when playing with Rockets guard Steve Francis, averaging 15.3 points on 55 percent shooting as a sophomore.

·What they say: Rockets director of player personnel Dennis Lindsey: "Terence ... fits our system. He can play the three and four position. The last two years, we had him as a potential lottery candidate. He slid in other scouts' minds. If we kept all three (first-round) picks, we were prepared to take him with one of those picks. He's 6-9, blocks shots, rebounds steps out on the floor. I would say he would be a Clifford Robinson-type player in our system."

"Sounded so nice"