Eddie Griffin Signs with Minnesota...

[SLAB]

Eddie Griffin: Signs with Minnesota
Sunday, July 24, 2005



Update: Griffin has agreed to a two-year deal worth $3.7 million with Minnesota that includes a team option for a third year for $2 million, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. He was recently released after serving 15 days in the Harris County (Texas) Jail for violation of his probation.

Recommendation: Other NBA teams reportedly didn't make much of an effort to sign Griffin despite his strong comeback last season due to his legal problems and the fact most teams thought Minnesota had a strong lead. He could get more playing time this season with the departure of Latrell Sprewell and is a nice sleeper.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=rotowire-ddieriffinignswithin&prov=rotowire&type=lgns

 

[AriesMar27]

oh well..... it would have been nice to have two sociopaths on our team for once.... well we did have jimmy j and keon....

 

[Bricklayer]

Thereg oes another one.

Like I said before, I am keeping amental tally here of all the young bigs around the league that we missed, and may not even have made a play for. Nene, Kwame, Darko, Griffin etc. etc. be very itneresting to see how they develop. Because here's the thing -- Geoff does NOT like to take chances on young guys with talent. Part of his "genius" label, and part of the reason he never gets burned, is because he deals almost exclusively in established vets. Good for avoiding mistakes. Bad for ever landing a special talent cheaply -- catching them while they are young. And again it kind of reminds me of that very conservative poker player who never bets big, never bluffs up a weak hand. He'll finish 2nd or 3rd at the table every time. NEVER lose all his money, never finish last. But he also never wins. He's not trying to win, he's trying not to lose.

Be interesting to see what the tally is in a few years. if they all bottom out, we are going to be praising Geoff's restraint. If one or more blow up, we are going to be cursing Geoff's conservatism.

P.S. One note: are we SURE this is a different report from the one this morning? Unless the St.Paul paper has an afternoon edition, this morning all they said was that the Wolves had OFFERED Griffin a 2yr $3.7mil deal. Now this site is claiming that he signed it (or at least agreed to it) citing the same paper? Are we sure that this isn't just one of those mistakes where somebody misreads the local paper, picks it up, and it starts hitting the major sites?

P.P.S. Any chance we can swap Geoff for McHale if this is true? All of a sudden the end of their frontcourt looks young and loaded with potential with two guys I wouldn't hand minded seeing come off the bench for the Kings (Griffin and Skita).

 

[VF21]

There's nothing on the Twin Cities Pioneer Press (not St. Paul Pioneer Press) website about Eddie Griffin unless I'm totally missing something...

www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/

 

[G_M]

Be interesting to see what the tally is in a few years. if they all bottom out, we are going to be praising Geoff's restraint. If one or more blow up, we are going to be cursing Geoff's conservatism.

I think trying to land a long, athletic, shotblocking, rebounding PF/C based on our roster is a bit unrealistic. It's not like trying to add a SG. These players are a commodity and with the CBA structured the way it is there is very little incentive to leave your current team. It's rare too see a QUALITY BIG leave. Denver for example hanging on to Nene is a perfect example of hoping a player can develop and worrying about the finances down the road. I think Geoff has been hamstrung to a certain extent by our poor draft position. Although, picking Wallace over Dalembert doesn't look too good right now!

 

[Bricklayer]

I think trying to land a long, athletic, shotblocking, rebounding PF/C based on our roster is a bit unrealistic. It's not like trying to add a SG. These players are a commodity and with the CBA structured the way it is there is very little incentive to leave your current team. It's rare too see a QUALITY BIG leave. Denver for example hanging on to Nene is a perfect example of hoping a player can develop and worrying about the finances down the road. I think Geoff has been hamstrung to a certain extent by our poor draft position. Although, picking Wallace over Dalembert doesn't look too good right now!

I think at least Brown, and it sounds like Griffin as well, were IMMINENTLY available if we had really wanted them.

But jsut nto the way Geoff plays the game. When you think about it, when has Geoff EVER traded for a guy who wasn't a firmly established double figure type scorer/starter? The only time I can thnk of was the glorified salry dump that was the Jon Barry move (and even there Mateen had been starting in Detroit). That's really it.

 

[Alacron]

Update: Griffin has agreed to a two-year deal worth $3.7 million with Minnesota that includes a team option for a third year for $2 million, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

I find it hard tp believe that Petrie would not want to take a chance on Griffin for that price, given our current lack of a frontcourt. If this is true I have to assume Geoff has something big planned to fill the void.
~~

 

[G_M]

I find it hard tp believe that Petrie would not want to take a chance on Griffin for that price, given our current lack of a frontcourt. If this is true I have to assume Geoff has something big planned to fill the void.
~~

Maybe that price says more about Griffin! It doesn't appear that teams were lining up for his services. Everyone has access to the same games tapes and it must have been undewhelming.

 

[Jerryaki]

He'll finish 2nd or 3rd at the table every time. NEVER lose all his money, never finish last. But he also never wins. He's not trying to win, he's trying not to lose.

that has always been on the tip of my tongue but i could never verbalize. spot on.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

i'm suprised geoff w/ all these low draft picks isn't doing what san antonio is doing w/ their picks when we were making a run for the championship. draft foreign players and stash them away in europe for a few years and if they pan out bring em over. if not trade their draft rights to some team that has a idiot gm.