i didn't get to see the game since i'm sittin way out there on the other side of the world.... actually just dig a hole and u might end up here. Anyways what position was he playing for the rockets when he came in SF PF?
I believe it was PF, but he also played some C. He really looked good out there -- aggressive, hitting shots, blocking shots, playing solid defense and getting after rebounds like Thomas Hamilton going for a Cheesecake.
Some points I noticed about Eddie Griffin in an NBA setting that I found interesting: 1. Griffin was not having any problem at all catching difficult/bullet passes. Eddie does have good hands and seems to have no problem catching crisp NBA passes unlike some others on this team. 2. Eddie has a high release point when he makes a back to the basket move or shoots in the face of a defender. When a player has the kind of wingspan that Griffin has and uses it well by releasing from a high point, it makes it basically impossible to block his shot. 3. Eddie showed great shot blocking abilities in college and it appears it is starting to translate into the NBA. The main thing that intrigues me is that Eddie has that pogo-stick like jumping ability along with quick defensive reaction and instincts which should allow him to close up the paint for many years to come. In a few yrs from now, six teams could be kicking themselves for passing on Griffin and a seventh for trading him.
Hey MManal, I missed the game; that's really good to hear. Perhaps a positive of Kenny being out is more minutes for Griffin. It would be nice to see him develop.
The seventh team looks like they are very satisfied with the trade. Would they be winning any time soon if they had drafted Griffin?
well what got me confused was that if he is playing pf or c why is he jacking up 3's. he sounds like he is doing good. He should start at Center let him build from there. We can then ship cato to valhala
He was jacking up 3s because they were leaving him open . . . and he was hitting them. I think Fast Eddie could become our C of the future -- even though he's slated as a PF, due to the lack of quality at the 5, the C position has become almost an ancillary throw-in to the PF, and Eddie could really excel at this position. Heck, from what we saw last night, he could probably play the 3, 4 and 5! I've been a bit nervous about this pick lately, wondering if Eddie will be awesome like Tim Duncan, or just a pretty good player like Joe Smith (from a few years ago). What I saw last night made me truly believe that he could become the best PF (possibly playing C though) in the league! His shotblocking and overall defensive skills are awesome, and he has a sweet turnaround jumper. Heck, he can drive pretty nicely too, and shoots the 3 better than KT. Right now, he looks like he may have more upside than any of the other rookies, including Eddie Curry, Pau Gasol and Kwame Brown.
Griffin looked a lot more comfortable when he was the man down low. When he had to share the paint with Willis or Cato, he kind of backed off and dissapeared, so that they could have their space. The Rockets played much better defense when Griffin was in the pivot, and he forced a lot of would be penetrators to change their shots, or kick it outside and reset the offense. The block on Long was incredible. Long bumped him, cleared him out, thought he had space to put up a shot, and Eddie just swatted it cleanly. This was the first game he caught any passes in motion, or was in a position to dribble at all, and made the most of those oppurtunities. He handled Booth well, as well as the Euro centers. I see him becoming a center. His frame, unlike KG's or J. O'Neal's seems more able to withstand a little more weight, and he's got the height as it is. He seems much stronger than he was in college, and even than he looked over the summer. At this progression, he could be starting at center by next year. Talk about Rudy's dream: We could seeing a long, tall, 20 year old shot blocker with a go-to low post move, be mobile, rebound, be a staple of the defense, and have the offensive range to run Rudy's Collier/Bullard P&R. neXXes- Yes, the difference has been Jason Kidd, T-Mac north, and a healthy Kittles, KVH, and K-Mart. Shandon Jefferson (1-7 3s on the season) is merely a beneficiary of Kidd. Macculloch was a huge pickup because of his great hands. Kidd will get him point blank shots, he just has to catch the pass.
I'm telling you, Griffin needs to start getting 30+ minutes and the ball. All this guy needs is some time on the court and a few post-up plays and he'll be averaging 15 per game on a regular basis. And that's just this year. In the years to come, this guy is going to be a star.. I love his rebounding. He always manages to pull the board down, even if he only gets a finger on the ball. He isn't intimidated by other rebounders, and you can see his confidence when he goes for the board. I'd like to see Eddie start in place of Thomas until he gets healthy. Then I want him to play regular backup minutes. Francis Mobley Williams Griffin Willis If only...
I'd like to make one point. if Mo taylor had grabbed "only" 5 rebounds, then this board would be all over him for being an awful rebounder. I'm starting to beleive that TheCat is right, and our system IS what's holding back our players from getting the ball. Apparently this only goes for the PF spot though. Kenny Thomas is an aggressive rebounder. i think he'd average 9 or so rebounds on the Warriors, or any OTHER team not shooting well. Eddie Griffin looks like a solid *at least* 9 rebounds per game kinda player. I don't think mo Taylor's the problem, in fact, I don't think there is a problem at all. I loved the way Eddie played though..I'm nw positive that if he was on a lottery team, he'd be ROY. I'm happy he doesn't have that kind of pressure on him though.
Sane-interesting note...my memory says Griff got 4 of the 5 in the ~8 minutes he played at center in the 2nd quarter. We were outrebounded in this game by 5 rebounds...the defensive rebounds were equal. Part of the reason we were outrebounded, and only by 5 was the fact we were missing our #2 and #3 boarders (Francis/KT) were hurt, KW was in foul trouble, and Cato got injured. KT's rebound numbers to date are only marginally better than Mo's. It seems Rudy has a "designated rebounder", usually Willis.
What position is Griffin? It doesn't matter so long as he gets significant playing time. He has the rebounding skills of a 4-5, rare, intuitive shotblocking skills of a 5, and the shooting range of a guard! He scored 16 points effortlessly last nite. I don't know why the hell they quit going to him. Would love to see him get the ball down low more often. He has a natural, soft shot and quick release. He is also an instinctive rebounder who has good hands and a knack for the ball. THIS GUY HAS GOT TO PLAY! I KNOW HE IS "ONLY" A ROOKIE, BUT HE HAS GREAT SKILLS AND NEEDS TO BE OUT THERE!
I totally agree with ZRB. I dont want to see anymore games where he doesent even play!I want him to get 25-30 minutes WHEN KT comes back. He needs to be on the court!!!
I think its best for the Rockets if they don't make the positions to clear-cut, because two years from now I would like to see a starting lineup of Griffin, Thomas, Taylor, Mobley, and Francis. We could just rotate Griffin to guard the best front court player on the opposing team, whether it be McGrady or Tim Duncan. If SF's were to get around him I think he could get back to disrupt the shot, because his recovery time looks good. If the player is extremely heavy like Shaq we should probably put Taylor on him unless Griffin puts on some pounds. If the other team's SF isn't a McGrady/Pierce type player then I think we could put Kenny at SF. So anyways, I think that we would just play matchups with those three players. For instance, if we're playing the Lakers put Taylor on Shaq, Griffin on Walker, and Thomas on Fox. If we're playing the Magic put Taylor on Ewing, Kenny on Grant, and Griffin on McGrady. And talk about opening the floor! With that starting line up we would have five guys who can hit the outside jumper. With Kenny showing some vast improvement so far, I'm just trying to figure out a way we could get those five guys on the floor at the same time. If we can't, then I think we are going to HAVE to trade either Kenny or Taylor. Neither one will be happy coming off the bench. Sorry, that was a "looking to the future" post.
