Troubled forward Eddie Griffin said Sunday he has agreed to play for the New Jersey Nets. Griffin, released Friday by the Houston Rockets, quickly found a new home with the team that originally drafted him. "I've decided to go play for the Nets," Griffin said in an interview with Houston television station KRIV. "I'm excited about going to play for [Nets head coach] Byron Scott and playing with [Nets guard] Jason Kidd. It's just going to be an exciting thing for me and I can't wait." New Jersey president Rod Thorn said Saturday that the Nets were in the running to sign Griffin, who played at nearby Seton Hall. "What do we have to lose here? Nothing," Thorn told the New York Times for Monday's editions, citing Griffin's abilities as a shot-blocker, rebounder and shooter. Pending Griffin's signing with the Nets, the team would pay Griffin about $400,000. Griffin said he had already received calls from Scott, Kidd and Richard Jefferson welcoming him to the team. The Nets have not had a consistent contributor off the bench this season and Griffin, the seventh pick in the 2001 draft out of Seton Hall, could fill that role. But New Jersey is taking a chance by signing a player who brings considerable legal baggage. Griffin was charged in November with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a woman accused him of hitting her three times in the face and shooting at her as she drove away from his home before dawn on Oct. 25. He will be arraigned on the charge Jan. 14. A second misdemeanor charge of assault related to the same encounter was dismissed last week. A separate case involving a charge of marijuana possession is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 20. "He's in the best emotional condition he's been in some time," Rusty Hardin, Griffin's Houston-based lawyer, told the Times. "He knows a lot more about himself than he did before. "Anyone would be silly to guarantee he's not going to have a recurrence. I don't think anyone would say everything is O.K. and hunky-dory now. Two or three months ago, this guy was clinically depressed. But he's in a much better frame of mind now." Griffin hopes to start with a clean slate in New Jersey, although he is uncertain when he will be able to join the Nets because of his legal problems. "New Jersey was the best fit for me," Griffin said. "I can get the most opportunity there. I felt like that's the team I fit in at." Griffin said a number of teams, including Detroit, Toronto, Philadelphia and Orlando, were in the running. He said he will sign for the balance of the season and again become a free agent. "It feels good," Griffin said. "It's a relief just to know where I'm going. I just got to get everything else behind me and I am ready to get back on the court." The 6-foot-10, 232-pound forward averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.63 blocks in 150 career games with the Rockets. Drafted by New Jersey, Griffin's rights were traded to the Rockets for three first-round draft picks -- Jefferson, Brandon Armstrong and Jason Collins.
I always thought Griffin had loads of potential, yet underachieved for some reason. Hopefully he'll do better in New Jersey.
I doubt it. Not because I'm a cynic(though I am), but because New Jersey is less apt to give him playing time, for several reasons: 1. He has a bad rap, and will have to earn his playing time more than otherwise 2. he has shown that he isn't the player that many thought he'd become when the Nets originally drafted him 3. The Nets are a contender, whereas Houston was not 4. The Nets already have a 3 and 4 who merit large amounts of playing time, something the Rockets lacked at both positions
He'll do well in NJ. I always thought he was one of the better players on Houston. If given the chance, he'll shine.
