Sorry Lurker. That bugs me too.
ted on Wed, Oct. 06, 2004
Wolves reach deal with Griffin
BY MIKE WELLS
Pioneer Press
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — Eddie Griffin knows he's running out of chances to make it in the NBA. That's why the forward hopes to make the most of his opportunity with the Timberwolves, who signed him to what is believed to be a one-year deal Tuesday.
"I feel like this will be my last chance," Griffin said after his first practice Tuesday night. "I don't want to mess it up."
It's not Griffin's basketball game people are worried about; it's his off-the-court problems. Despite Griffin's knack for finding the trouble, the Wolves decided to take a chance on the former first-round pick to shore up their lack of depth in the frontcourt.
"I think he really wants to try to close one chapter in his life and get on to another one, and hopefully he'll be able to do it here," Wolves vice president of operations Kevin McHale said. "He's a nice kid, and hopefully he's over all that stuff and he's ready to go."
Griffin's name has been in the news more the past couple years for his legal issues than for the numbers he's put up on the basketball court. Griffin, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2001 draft, has been convicted of marijuana possession, under indictment for felony assault, jailed for allegedly violating a curfew and entered an alcohol treatment program — all since last October.
"I've grown from the things I've been through," said Griffin, who missed all of last season. "I had a year off, and I know I can't take the game of basketball for granted anymore. I feel like that's what I was doing; now I feel like I'm ready to play and play the way I know how to play."
Griffin is coming to a team with the kind of leadership in Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Ervin Johnson that might help him turn his disappointing career around. Griffin averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.63 blocks in 150 games with the Houston Rockets.
"It always helps any young player because of (Garnett's) work ethic and his passion for the game and how he works in practice," Wolves coach Flip Saunders said. "That rubs off because you really don't have a choice. You have to match that intensity or you're not going to have much success on the floor. He's gone through a program. We're not going to treat him any differently. We're not going to protect him."
When Griffin finds his niche with the team, he'll give the Wolves another athletic player who can score inside and out, rebound and block shots.
"Eddie has been through a lot," Garnett said. "I think he went through a lot of stuff where most people would have given up on themselves. The beautiful part about us is we're a strong group of guys that understand life. We're going to be an example and help the best way we can. I'm glad he's here because he's very talented."
Briefly: Ron Harper, who won NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, is a guest assistant coach with the Wolves.
