I have to catch up on my rest tonight, so this is going to be a short one. Think of it as a reward for getting through yesterday's post.
I was extremely saddened when I heard the news that former NBA player Eddie Griffin died in a car collision with a train last week. He last played with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Apparently his body was so badly burned (and he was driving without a license) that it took the coroner until today to identify him through his dental records. He was only 25.
For those of you who have never heard of Eddie Griffin, check out his Wikipedia page which gives all of the sordid details of his life and basketball career. Despite getting kicked out of high school and later kicked off the Seton Hall basketball team, he went 7th in the 2001 NBA draft to the New Jersey Nets, who immediately traded their draft rights to him to the Houston Rockets. He played a few solid seasons at Houston, but after some problems, they released him. He was then picked up by the Nets, but sat out the following season while he was in alcohol rehab. He then spent several seasons with the Timberwolves until he was released earlier this year.
Unfortunately, he received more attention for his off-court issues than he ever did for his basketball game. He had potential, and probably would have gone higher in the draft had his off-court life not interfered. It seems that he never really found his way in this world despite his apparent "success." If you read my post below, then you can probably guess how I feel about this situation. However, it appears that people really did try to help him, but in the end, it was not enough. It's just a tragedy that it had to end so soon and so suddenly.
I just hope that you are finally resting in peace, Eddie.
