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Re: Profile Of New Celtic Adrian Griffin
Sounds like another mediocre player. No one wants him but us. Celtic
management is high on him, that makes me leery. His work ethic and stats
look good for the CBA, but the pros are a higher leap. I guess we have to
take what we get and hope the "might be's, can be the "will be's" Here's
hoping he's part of the large scrambled Celtic puzzle.
At 06:10 AM 7/28/99 -0400, you wrote:
>He's made the club.....
>
> Boston Herald
>
> Celts savor play of CBA refugee
> by Mark COfman
> Wednesday, July 28, 1999
> Fans attending Shaw's Pro Summer League games at UMass-Boston this
week
> will see their share of creative dunks, fancy crossover dribbles and
> sky-walking blocked shots. That's fine for entertainment value.
> Likely to be lost in the shuffle of the show-stopping stuff,
however, is a
> steady but unspectacular floor game, a game predicated on quiet
> efficiency, a game with a blue-collar edge.
> A game similar to that of Adrian Griffin, who hopes to earn a roster
spot
> with the Celtics when training camp begins in October.
> ``If I had to describe my game, I think the word I would use is
> balanced,'' Griffin said before last night's game against the German
> Select Team. ``What I've always tried to do as a player is maintain a
> strong balance of skills and continue to work hard on my entire game
- not
> just the stuff that might look good on a stat sheet.
> ``I think one of the most important things for a player is to know his
> strengths and limitations, then play to his strengths as much as
possible.
> For me that means taking advantage of my size, strength and my
all-around
> game.''
> His formula for success appears to be working. Among the non-roster
> invitees playing for the Celtics this week, Griffin has emerged as the
> favorite to stick around when the games count for real. The 6-foot-5
> swingman has impressed Celtics management with his versatility, court
> sense and a refreshing command of the fundamentals. Not exactly the
stuff
> of highlight reels, but effective nonetheless.
> ``He had been the MVP in the CBA (last season) and I had two people
come
> up to me to tell me about him,'' Celtics coach Rick Pitino said
yesterday.
> ``I asked them, `What exactly made him the MVP?'
> ``They told me to simply watch him for a week. They said if you
watch him
> for a week, you'll fall in love with him. That's exactly what
happened.''
> Handing over the bench-coaching duties to assistant Jim O'Brien,
Pitino
> watched Griffin perform for the Celtics earlier this month at the
Fila Pro
> Summer League in Long Beach, Calif. O'Brien is coaching the team again
> this week, leaving Pitino with the primary task of scouting his
prospects.
> ``Adrian was with us for 11 days (in Long Beach) and made one
mistake in
> that time. I've never seen that,'' said Pitino. ``I really like him
a lot.
> He's a wonderful person with wonderful work habits, and he makes the
team
> better with his presence on the floor.''
> The Celtics could certainly use more of those types of players. They
are
> hoping to turn the tables on a disappointing 19-31 lockout-shortened
> season by crashing the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Roster
> openings do exist. And Griffin is doing all he can to nail one down
before
> the weather turns cold.
> ``I feel good about my chances of sticking here, but in my situation
you
> definitely take it one day at a time,'' he said. ``We won all eight
games
> out in Long Beach and the first game here, so a lot of guys who have
> played for the Celtics this summer have done something positive to
improve
> their chances.
> ``So I won't get ahead of myself. I'm just going to go out there and
do
> the same things I've always done as a player and hope that's enough to
> impress this organization. Obviously, I'd love to stay. It'd be a
dream
> come true.''
>
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