Kind Words For Former Minnesota Timberwolves Forward Eddie Griffin

August 22 07

The Associated Press reports on Eddie Griffin passing away in a car accident:

The former Minnesota Timberwolves forward died last week when his sport utility vehicle collided with a freight train in a fiery crash, the Harris County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday.

Investigators used dental records to identify Griffin, 25, who began his pro career with the Houston Rockets in 2001. He was waived by the Timberwolves in March.

The 6-foot-10 Griffin averaged 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.71 blocks in five NBA seasons. Born in Philadelphia, Griffin was one of the nation’s top freshmen at Seton Hall in 2000-2001 and was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team in 2002

My Quick Take: Many journalists have re-hashed Griffin’s off-court troubles when reporting on this story. That’s tough, but fair. Griffin had some past issues with drunk driving. He also got caught in several off-court incidents. At the time of his death, Griffin was out of the NBA, working to get another shot with a professional team.

But many people had kind words for Griffin.

Former teammate Mark Madsen:

"Eddie Griffin is someone who was never a super loud or boisterous guy in the locker room, but he was someone who everyone loved in the locker room," Madsen said. "When he was doing well on the court we were all so happy for him. And when he was struggling, we were all struggling right there with him."

Wolves’ GM Kevin McHale:

"The entire Minnesota Timberwolves organization is deeply saddened by this tragic news," the statement said. "Eddie will be missed by everyone who knew him."

Former Sixers’ coach and substance abuse counselor John Lucas:

It’s very unfortunate what happened to him. There but for the grace of God go I," said Lucas, who overcame substance-abuse problems as a young man. "He had a lot of things going on. He had talked about going overseas to play, but that was a long way from happening. I tried to get him to do other things, but he needed his freedom. He’s free now."

My thoughts go out to his friends, family, and former teammates.

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5 Comments: Kind Words For Former Minnesota Timberwolves Forward Eddie (...)

Posted by
rakhi
on 07.17.2008

It is really sad to know that Eddie Griffin was no more among us. He was really a talented kid with sufficient potential. It is really shocking news for his fans. May his soul remain rest in peace. I was one of Eddie’s supporters. =================================Rakhi[url]="http://innesota"] Addiction Recovery Minnesota [/url] .

Posted by

on 08.23.2007

rest in peace eddie .

Posted by

on 08.22.2007

Quite sad indeed. .

Posted by
GM for hire
on 08.22.2007

God bless his family! I was hoping the rockets would pick him back up this year. Ive been a fan since Seton Hall. This is where the veteran players should step in and say something to these younger players. Quit letting the money destroy the future. I wasn’t a Reggie miller fan but he seemed to always try at least to guide his young players. NBA needs to get a grip on things they need to assign mentors to these players!! Gone @ 25 wow! .

Posted by
The TRUE wal
on 08.22.2007

I prayed for Eddie to get turned around, he was such a talented kid, but was very troubled and it hindered his potential. The piece J.A. wrote for ESPN.com hit the nail right on the head, in explaining what went wrong with EG. R.I.P, Eddie I was one of your biggest supporters! .

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	About Oly Sandor
Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More

Kind Words For Former Minnesota Timberwolves Forward Eddie Griffin

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