Danielk, since you are a newbie, take some advice. Don't shout (all caps); improve your spelling; and try not to go off on rants without the use of rational, logical, well-reasoned points. No, I'm not razzing you. I'm trying to help you become a board member people respect.
HP, I am excitable but not on potential. It take me less time to see the obvious than some of us. I had the rockets being top 4 last year and they did not make it and Rudy T got fired. That suggests to me that someone else felt we should have done much better to actually fire an icon. I brought up Cato because you brought it up. Yes if they send him to Europe I will be pissed like what they did with Tmo. I cannot see how Ba will benefit more from Europe than he would be with Ewing, Cato, EG, MoT and Ming being his buddies. If I was Ba, as the summer league ends I would track down the Dream. If he is in Houston, I would ask him to work with me and get myself in the NBA this year. Of all the players on the team, he is likely to make the most progress between July and October. What would he have to go to Europe for? Not for FT's, he is good at that already. Not for rebounding or shot blocking, as any needed improvement could be gotten right here. Offensively, I feel what JVG and Co. are teaching/coaching will fuel the needed improvement.
It all comes down to one word.......DESIRE. Badiane seems to want it more than Eddie at this point. Only time will tell which will achieve greater success.
This is understood, but do we remember how timid and afraid he played his 1st season in the summer league?
Griffin did not "dominate" anything at any time... he did ok and in his first Summer league he didn't do any better than Malik is doing right now. Griffin is a slacker. Look at the comparisons being made in this thread, Griffin to Coleman... Malik to Ben Wallace. These are not tallent comparisons they are personallity comparisons and Griffin gets loser comparisons because he has a loser personality. I will take a hard worker over a guy who coasts on tallent any day. My prediction... Badiane will be twice the player Griffin will ever be. If I'm wrong I don't really care because unless Griffin changes his attitude he will never be great and all this talk will have been about two nobodies.
Griffin has a lot more upside and natural ability, but so far Badiane shows a lot more hustle and determination.
Just for the record Ba's first game was better than that of the two 2nd rounders the Knicks picked ahead of Ba. The played their first game today and Lampe was 1-7, 3 reb and 5 fouls in 28 mins and Vranes was 0-2, 0 rebs and 4 fouls in 8 minutes.
Just for the record Badiane's first SPL game was better than Eddie Griffins first SPL game as well so with that information I have decided that Malik "Bad Man" Badiane will be the second comming of Bill Russel.
I actually think it depends on the player. Griffin has not shown the work ethic to be a good player, and thus may fail. Badiane, however, is hustling and looks like he is a hard worker. He will probably get closer to his ceiling than EG. DD
I'm getting pretty tired of people trashing Eddie Griffin just because it's summer and he can't defend himself. Do you know what he is doing right now? Eddie could be in the gym gaining strength and weight, working on his shots and moves. He could be kicking back in the pool playing with his doobie. The question is: Do you KNOW? Are you with him? I doubt whether you have even seen Eddie this summer so how can you say he is a slacker? Last camp he showed up with 15 pounds of added muscle. No one called him a slacker for that! People, quit making assumptions. Unless you know the facts, lay off the barely 21-year-old kid until he is back in view doing something or not doing something. Then comments are fair!
Until I see him bust is A$$ in a game and show some fire... you know desire to win, hustle, toughness the kind of attitude that he has never had. Eddie Griffin is a slacker. I will root for any guy with half his talent to knock him off our roster before we over pay for a pot smoking, 6'11", no dribbling, couldn't post up Steve Kerr, line drive 3 point shooting, loser. And I will also root for Eddie as long as he is a Rocket and hope like hell he makes me look like an idiot for ever doubting him.
One of the things I really like about Eddie is his quiet, unassuming demeanor. He doesn't beat his chest and roar after a play, imitating some mountain gorilla like many of the players (often laughably). He doesn't hop and prance when he dribbles (maybe that's why no one notices when he does dribble). He doesn't call attention to himself in any way. Tim Duncan doesn't do these things and he's not regarded as a slacker. Neither did the Dream. That does NOT mean they -- or Eddie -- play with any less fire. Griffin so far has played within the context of what he has been instructed to do. So, until he shows that he marches to his own drummer rather than the JVG marching band, I withhold judgment -- especially such negative judgment.
I'm not saying he has to point to his heart when he makes a play like Martin, but it seems like he coast alot like Chris Webber. The problem is, Webber produces and he doesn't. When getting Griffin, I thought we were at least getting a player as good as SAR, but he isn't even close to what SAR has been. Both only played 1 season of college, but it seems like he hasn't to this point .
Players develop at different speeds. You played. You know that. Precious few barely out of high schoolers make the leap like Amare Stoudemire. I want to wait until the end of this season before I pass judgment on E.G. As much as I love Rudy, his coaching style probably was not the best suited for Eddie. JVG may be what the doctor ordered as far as Griffin is concerned because Van Gundy and his staff will show Eddie exactly where they want him and exactly what he should do given the variations of each play, both offensively and defensively. If he fails his coaches and his fans, then I will say he was a bust. Until then, I say with all my heart that I believe in Eddie Griffin.
That is true and I do think Rudy kinda of corrupted Eddie developement by constantly staying outside. The only way to learn to play inside is to play inside, not run 24ft away and launch jumpers. The only way to finish around the bucket is to start off finishing around the bucket. Maybe he will turn it on and become effecient on this team. Some may think 20-10, but I'm thinking more Marshall like 14p-9rebs-2blks type of a 4. Maybe if we lower our expectations, then he won't disappoint us.
Lee(are you from New Orleans)bigez, I refuse to lower my expections because that is a defacto admission of "bustdom." No, I expect Griffin to be an All-Star with stats to match.
Badiane is a type of player that will get 10 points - 10 rebounds per game after 2 years. Eddie, I don't know. He has potential, but his game is not stable. I just do not know what he WANTS.
