[Philly.com] The Comeback of Eddie Griffin

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The Comeback of Eddie Griffin
By Marc Narducci
Philly.com
Inquirer Staff Writer

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Minnesota Timberwolves were leaving their cramped locker room last month after an eight-point loss to the Detroit Pistons, and Eddie Griffin was carrying three plastic containers of pasta to the team bus: one for himself, one for point guard Sam Cassell, and one for superstar forward Kevin Garnett.

It was a symbolic gesture. Although he was widely considered the best high school player in the country in 1999-2000, his senior year at Roman Catholic High School, Griffin has seen his career interrupted, and imperiled, by a series of incidents involving drugs, alcohol, guns and violence.

Yet on this night, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward carried not only nourishment but also hope for a brighter future.

"K.G., do you want white sauce on your meal?" Griffin asked quietly. Garnett nodded, and Griffin was off to the bus, ready for the next leg on a journey that had mostly included unending despair.

"I couldn't get any lower than I was," Griffin said.

Griffin, 22, returns to Philadelphia, his hometown, Wednesday when the Timberwolves visit the 76ers. Much has changed for him since his high school career ended abruptly with an expulsion from Roman after an off-the-court fight with a teammate, who also was expelled.

But this much has not changed: Griffin, The Inquirer's city player of the year in his senior season at Roman, is a young, talented athlete who can make a significant impact in the NBA.

If he chooses to.

"I definitely have to take each day as it comes," said Griffin, who expects to see friends and family he hasn't seen when he returns to Philadelphia. "I'm just working hard every day on the court and life in general."



Troubled past

Since he left Roman, where he was a McDonald's all-American performer, Griffin has gained more attention for his troubles away from the court than his play on it.

Consider:

During his only season of college basketball, at Seton Hall in 2000-01, Griffin was suspended for one game after punching teammate Ty Shine.

After missing practices and a team flight in December 2003, Griffin was released by the Houston Rockets, for whom he averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 150 games.

Less than a month after signing with the New Jersey Nets, for whom he never played a game despite being paid $125,000, Griffin entered an alcohol rehabilitation center.

In January, he was convicted of mar1juana possession, a misdemeanor.

In February, Griffin spent 11 days in jail after violating a court-ordered curfew imposed as a result of an aggravated-assault charge. He had been accused of hitting his former girlfriend and shooting at her in his house.

In March, Griffin was sentenced to 18 months' probation, fined $2,000, and ordered to take anger-management classes after pleading guilty to deadly conduct, a misdemeanor, in the incident involving his former girlfriend. Upon joining the Timberwolves, Griffin also served a three-game suspension imposed by the NBA as a result of the incident.



Positive steps

Today, Griffin follows an aftercare program administered by former 76ers coach John Lucas, whose NBA career also included a battle to overcome substance abuse. Garnett, the NBA's most valuable player last season, also has taken a pivotal role in helping Griffin turn things around.

"I know he got into trouble, but nobody is perfect in this world," Garnett said. "I told him not to put so much pressure on himself, to relax and play his game. I told him I will make a lot of things easy for him. I am super happy he is with us."

Griffin, who admits that he is still working to scrape the rust off his game, has helped the Timberwolves while coming off the bench.

After a 107-100 victory over the host Los Angeles Clippers in overtime on Saturday night, Griffin was averaging 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.31 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game. The Timberwolves are 11-5 and second in the Northwest Division, behind Seattle, which is 15-3.

Griffin has had big games this season.

On Nov. 28, he had 20 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes in a 121-110 win over the Kings in Sacramento. Television cameras captured Garnett throwing a big arm around Griffin after Griffin drilled a three-point basket that helped put the game away.

In Minnesota's previous game, a 115-90 win over visiting Memphis on Nov. 26, Griffin had 15 points and five rebounds.

In a 99-94 triumph over the host New Orleans Hornets on Nov. 20, Griffin had 23 points, shooting 10 for 14 from the field overall while hitting three of four shots from three-point range. He also had seven rebounds in his 30 minutes.



Fresh start

Reed-thin during his playing days at Roman, Griffin added considerable bulk during the off-season, when Cuttino Mobley, a graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High School and a former teammate with the Rockets, was a frequent workout partner.

Mobley, now with Orlando, said Griffin worked out "sometimes two, three times a day."

The result is a player who can not only play physically down low but also step out to the three-point line.

"He can do unbelievable things for us," Garnett said. "Eddie gives us an uncanny ability to have a mismatch every night, because he's not just a 4 [power forward], he's a 3 [small forward] and he can move. He is very agile."

New Jersey made Griffin the seventh pick in the 2001 draft, then traded his rights to Houston. Griffin entered the league as a wide-eyed 19-year-old not ready to deal with sudden wealth and celebrity. But he stands by his decision to leave Seton Hall after just one year.

"It's a different world, and a lot of responsibility," he said. "I learned a lot from all that I've been through... . I thought I was ready [for the NBA], which is why I left."

The transition was not smooth.

But, Mobley said, "everybody deserves a second chance. He got it and is doing well with it."

"A lot of things happened personally that he didn't do himself and not a lot of people know," Mobley said.

Griffin said that he returned too soon while attempting his comeback with New Jersey last season, and that he knew he needed to get his life in order.



Support system

Griffin has a lot of people pulling for him.

"I think the world of Eddie and wish him well," said University of Michigan coach Tommy Amaker, Griffin's coach at Seton Hall. "He was just a terrific guy when I was with him. It's been a tough stretch. But it looks like things are looking up for him. I couldn't be happier."

General manager Jim Stack said the Timberwolves signed Griffin to a one-year contract for $720,046.

Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said Griffin appeared to be enjoying basketball - and life - once more.

"The biggest thing with Eddie is that you see more smiles on his face," Saunders said.

Griffin realizes that every day will continue to be a challenge but is grateful to have a second chance, knowing full well that there likely won't be a third.

"I definitely appreciate the game of basketball a lot more, being out last year and just watching it," he said. "I feel fortunate to be in the league and I know I can't take it for granted."