SI: Houston Headache Yet another EG article from SI.... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=houstonheadache&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns Houston headache Marty Burns, SI.com Left off the roster for the Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend two years ago, Rockets forward Eddie Griffin cried foul. The game was to be played in his hometown of Philadelphia, and Griffin, then 19, thought he deserved an invitation. "I'll use it as motivation," he said. "In the future there will be other things I'll be selected for." Like, say, the All-Headache team? That's the only place the former Seton Hall star seems headed these days. Last week the Rockets suspended the 6-foot-10 reserve indefinitely for "conduct detrimental to the team" after he skipped practice just days after missing a team flight to Sacramento. ADVERTISEMENT Citing personal reasons, Griffin explained his Sacramento no-show to new coach Jeff Van Gundy and GM Carroll Dawson in a clear-the-air meeting on Wednesday. But on Thursday, when the Rockets showed up for practice, Griffin again was nowhere to be found. Houston had no choice but to suspend him. Griffin remains in limbo, according to a team official, until he gets his act together. "I care very deeply about Eddie," Van Gundy told the Houston Chronicle. "I like him. We would like to count on him." It's the latest in a string of incidents for Griffin, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2001 draft. At Seton Hall, which he left after his freshman season, he was suspended for a fight with a teammate. Last year he missed a game because he said his dog got out of his home and bit a neighbor. In the spring he was busted for pot possession. In the summer he blew off workouts, angering Van Gundy. All this from a kid who has averaged a whopping 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over his first two seasons. And to think he only cost the Rockets three first-round draft picks (one turned out to be Richard Jefferson). Nets GM Rod Thorn, who engineered that draft night trade, should be feeling pretty guilty right now. The Griffin saga not only comes at a bad time for the Rockets, who are trying to learn Van Gundy's system, but also at a bad time for Griffin himself. Houston has until the end of October to extend his contract for a fourth season (at $3.9 million). Now they have to be wondering if it's wise to invest that kind of money in a player who doesn't seem to want to be around. On the court, Griffin hasn't exactly set the world on fire, either. At 220 pounds, he's too weak to defend the post. His jump shot is a wreck (he's a career 38 percent shooter). He spends most of his time on offense parked beyond the 3-point line. Still, Griffin has shown tantalizing glimpses of potential, especially as a shot-blocker. The Rockets were hopeful that with a little work he could blossom this season into an athletic complement to Maurice Taylor at the power forward spot. Van Gundy talked about wanting to see Griffin's head under the basket more. Griffin grumbled that he was more comfortable on the perimeter, but said he'd go along with it. Two summers ago, an NBA GM called the Rockets to inquire about Griffin's availability in a trade. "They wouldn't even listen to us," a source with knowledge of the call said. "That's how much they loved the kid." The Rockets can only hope Griffin regains his own love of the game soon. For their sake. And his own. Updated on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003 6:06 pm EDT
If I remember, the real reason was because they wanted Cat along with Griffin. I think they were more afraid of losing Cat than Griffin.
Eddie is a spoiled brat who needs to grow up or move on..... I think this is the first time in his basketball career he has been treated like the rest of the team..... He needs a good kick in the A$$..... DD
it's a terrible situation. Eddie is so young he could still grow up and become something. Look at Cato. It seems he didn't get his head into the game until last season when he was 28 years old. The question is, does anybody have that kind of patience with Eddie? I really hate the position he's put the Rockets in. If we don't re-sign him we may very well lose him for nothing. He has obviously made his trade value nearly worthless. All and all it's just a bad deal. Thanks Eddie.
Maybe this could be a swing of momentum. Maybe this is what he needed to get his head in the game instead everybody pampering him before he did something. I always thought that all the praises he was getting was gonna slow his devolpment because he had already got "it." Sometimes people need a situation like this to "set them straight." We might see a different Eddie when he comes back. He might change his life now and leave those thugs behind and turn into the player we all saw at Seton Hall.
I don't believe in shrinks. Unless he has curly hairs, is half-bold in the forehead, has personal experience with nuts being squeezed, and features in the Oscars once in a while. On second thought, the MIT Mathematics professor's ex-roommate is also pretty good.
