Wichita Eagle Profile of Adrian Griffin

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

             Bob Lutz
             Wichita Eagle

             Updated THURSDAY August 19, 1999 



             Griffin will stand as tall as he can in the NBA
            He conquered the Continental Basketball Association. But can Adrian 
            Griffin, who at 6-foot-5 and without great shooting skills is what 
            basketball people refer to as a "tweener,'' play with the big boys?
            He's about to find out.
            Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino thought enough of Griffin this 
            summer to sign him to a one-year contract. It is guaranteed.
            But there is no guarantee that Griffin, the former Wichita East 
            All-Stater who went on to Seton Hall, will make the Celtics out of 
            training camp next month.
            "I'm excited about this, but I know that I still have to get on the 
            court and put that uniform on before I feel it's complete,'' said 
            Griffin, who spent several weeks in Wichita this summer visiting his 
            family. "This is just another step. It's a big step, though.''
            Griffin played for Celtics entries in the Fila Summer Pro League and 
            Shawn's Pro Summer League. He was impressive with both, averaging 
            13.5 points in 13 games.
            Griffin has already put a lot of miles on his 25-year-old frame. He 
            spent three years in the CBA, a stepping-stone league to the NBA 
            that only a few players step through. He was the MVP of the league 
            in 1998-99 with the Connecticut Pride, leading that team to the CBA 
            championship.
            Griffin also has played professional ball in Italy and with the 
            Atlantic City Seagulls of the United States Basketball League. He 
            was the Player of the Year in the USBL last season, averaging 26.5 
            points.
            Griffin can run, jump, score and rebound. But he's 6-5 and in 
            basketball being 6-5 is like being a left-handed catcher.
            He has mostly been a small forward during his basketball career, 
            able to compensate for his lack of size in college and in the minor 
            leagues of professional basketball. But most small forwards in the 
            NBA range from 6-7 to 6-10 and breathe fire.
            Griffin is an OK shooter, but three-point shooting has never been 
            and probably never will be a strength.
            "I've improved a lot in many ways since college,'' Griffin said. "In 
            the CBA, I was fortunate enough to get with a team and with coaches 
            who worked with me on the aspects of playing guard, shooting and 
            dribbling. Plus, I guarded smaller guys. I've tried to change my 
            game more to a guard's style.''
            Still, Griffin is far from a prototypical shooting guard. And he's 
            not big enough to bang inside consistently, although he has always 
            had a knack for the ball, even against players with significantly 
            more size.
            Griffin faced the same dilemma of being undersized at Seton Hall, 
            and struggled there in his freshman season. But he eventually found 
            his niche and became only the sixth Pirates player to score at least 
            1,400 points and grab at least 800 rebounds during his career.
            After a year in the CBA, Griffin started to question whether he 
            wanted to continue beating around the basketball bushes or get on 
            with his life and get a real job.
            But the more he played, the more success he had. And the less those 
            thoughts of quitting filled his head.
            "You play in the CBA and you make like $1,200 or $1,300 a week, but 
            it's just for about six months,'' Griffin said. "If you have a 
            family, like half the guys do, it gets a little tough.''
            Griffin and his wife, Audrey, have a 2-year-old daughter, Vanessa.
            "I used to question whether basketball was worth it,'' Griffin said. 
            "I have my answer now.''
            He was signed to a contract by the Miami Heat last season, but the 
            Heat cut him on the final day of training camp.
            Griffin thinks his chances are better with the Celtics.
            For one, Pitino likes to play an up-tempo, pressing style that suits 
            Griffin's game.
            Also, the Celtics are in a rebuilding mode, having dealt away Ron 
            Mercer and others during the off-season.
            "When a team like Boston signs you, it seems like they're really 
            considering you as a member of the team,'' Griffin said. "They've 
            already made me feel like that.''
            Griffin is aware of Boston's rich NBA tradition, and like every 
            basketball fan he became emotionally involved during the 1980s, when 
            the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers tussled back and forth for 
            NBA supremacy.
            There's no doubt who he was for, though. And it wasn't Boston.
            "I hated the Celtics,'' he said. "I didn't like Larry Bird. I was a 
            Lakers fan during that rivalry.''
            That was then. Griffin will kiss the parquet floor at the 
            FleetCenter if he makes the Celtics roster.
            "There's nothing written in stone, but I think I would fit in 
            nice," he said.  "I just hope i get the chance."
   






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