 New Jersey Nets WiretapNets LinksNews Archive
NBA News
Three weeks after signing, Griffin leaves NetsEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Forward Eddie Griffin took a leave from the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday, three weeks after signing with the team. ``Eddie has informed the team that he is not ready to resume his NBA career at this point in time,'' Nets president and general manager Rod Thorn said in a statement. Thorn said there was no timetable for Griffin to return to the Nets. Griffin told the team he will return to Houston, where he was recently convicted of marijuana possession. Griffin also faces a separate charge of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Messages left Wednesday night with the Nets and with Griffin's agent, Jeff Wernick, were not immediately returned. The Nets signed Griffin, 21, a former Seton Hall star, after he was released by the Houston Rockets. He was on the injured list and did not appear in any games for New Jersey. Griffin had troubles on and off the court in Houston. The Rockets suspended him on Oct. 16 for a series of missed practices and a skipped flight to Sacramento. Also that month, he checked into a hospital to get help for undisclosed problems. Griffin was charged in November with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a woman accused him of hitting her three times in the face and shooting at her as she drove away from his home on Oct. 25. He was convicted of marijuana possession in Houston on Jan. 20 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 13. The 6-foot-10, 232-pound forward averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.63 blocks in 150 career games over two seasons with the Rockets. The Nets selected him with the seventh pick in the 2001 draft and then traded his rights to the Rockets for three first-round draft picks _ Richard Jefferson, Brandon Armstrong and Jason Collins. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Frank, Carroll join Eastern Conference newcomersJust one of the Eastern Conference's 16 teams has the same coach as last season: Atlanta's Terry Stotts, who is the longest-tenured coach at 13 months. Lawrence Frank, who joined the conference Monday, won his debut with the New Jersey Nets, and John Carroll was added Tuesday when he succeeded Jim O'Brien, who resigned as coach of the Boston Celtics. Richard Jefferson scored 30 points and the Nets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 94-76 in Frank's first game since taking over for the fired Byron Scott. ``It's nice to get a win, but this is the furthest thing about me,'' Frank said. ``This is about the team.'' Frank, the 33-year-old former assistant, paced the sideline down to midcourt, flapped his arms and shouted directions the entire game, but he had had little to worry about. Jason Kidd, whose mid-December screaming match with Scott weakened the ex-coach's standing in the locker room, had 13 points and 10 assists. Kenyon Martin also scored 13 points. Carroll, a longtime scout and assistant gets a chance to join Frank in the win column when the Celtics take on the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Elsewhere on Tuesday, Dallas edged Seattle 118-116, San Antonio defeated New York 77-67, Phoenix beat Atlanta 89-85 and the Los Angeles Clippers topped Chicago 102-92. The Nets opened on a 26-6 run, getting easy alley-oops, reverse layups and fast-break dunks off 11 first-quarter turnovers by the Sixers. Kidd, Martin and Jefferson combined for 22 points in the quarter. While the Nets were sharing the ball, Glenn Robinson wanted more minutes. Robinson scored only seven points on 2-for-7 shooting in 18 minutes, then complained about getting pulled for good early in the fourth quarter. Robinson said the Sixers were not good enough to win without a healthy starting lineup and needed a dominant center. ``There are plenty of nights where I feel like I'm not playing the minutes that I feel I deserve. That's another story,'' Robinson said. ``I've been playing great the last 10 or 11 games. I just don't understand. ``I don't care if we're down 50, if we're down 60. At least give us a chance, give me a chance to fight back. It's like if my shot is not going, I'm finding myself out of the game and on the bench. That's just not me being selfish.'' Robinson said he's had these concerns for a while, but has not shared them with coach Randy Ayers. ``I'm trying my best to stay professional about it, but it's tough,'' Robinson said. The Sixers played without Allen Iverson, still bothered by a right index finger sprain. Mavericks 118, SuperSonics 116 At Seattle, Dirk Nowitzki made nearly everything he put up, and Antoine Walker saved the biggest shot for the end. Walker made a fadeaway 20-footer at the buzzer, lifting Dallas to its ninth straight win. ``I was just trying to slash and get a shot in that little corner area,'' Walker said. ``I got a good pass. You always have a go-to move so you can get a shot off in that situation, so I knew fading away I could get that shot off.'' Nowitzki scored a career-high 43 points, keeping the Mavericks close down the stretch after a 16-of-22 shooting performance that included a career-high 8-of-11 on 3-pointers. Steve Nash added 19 points for Dallas, Walker and Michael Finley each had 17 and Antawn Jamison 15. Rashard Lewis scored 30 points to lead Seattle. Spurs 77, Knicks 67 At New York, Charlie Ward returned to Madison Square Garden and put San Antonio ahead for good on a 3-pointer with 8{ minutes left. Ward, a member of the Knicks for 9{ seasons who was sent to Phoenix in the Stephon Marbury trade, finished with eight points. Tim Duncan had 30 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs. Marbury had 19 points and eight assists for the Knicks, who were held to a season-low point total. Suns 89, Hawks 85 At Atlanta, Shawn Marion scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half to help Phoenix snap a three-game losing streak. Joe Johnson added 20 points for the Suns, Casey Jacobsen had 13, and Howard Eisley scored all of his seven points in the final 3:15. Stephen Jackson led the Hawks with 19 points. Clippers 102, Bulls 92 At Los Angeles, Corey Maggette scored 28 points and Elton Brand had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the Clippers' second wire-to-wire victory this season. Eddie Robinson came off the bench to score 17 and Marcus Fizer scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter for the Bulls, who have dropped their last 21 road games against Western Conference teams. New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Frank still an unknown in first game as Nets coachPHILADELPHIA (AP) Lawrence Frank looks more like a fresh-faced college kid than an NBA coach. ``No one wants my autograph. They still think I'm the ballboy,'' Frank said Tuesday night before his NBA head coaching debut for the New Jersey Nets. Frank led New Jersey against the 76ers a day after he was promoted to replace the fired Byron Scott as coach of the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Nets. ``This is a new start for us,'' Frank said. ``This is the start of a new season for us and we're looking forward to making daily improvement.'' Frank, only 33 and once the team manager for Bob Knight at Indiana, said one of the first things the Nets need is better bench production. Frank hoped recently added guard Hubert Davis and forward Eddie Griffin can slowly work their way into the lineup. ``It's important that guys stay sharp and know that they can be put in the game at any time,'' he said. ``We need better production from everyone.'' Team president Rod Thorn considered other candidates from inside and outside the organization, but settled on Frank because of his familiarity with the Nets' offense and rapport with the players. Frank said he didn't expect to change. ``I'm going to be myself,'' he said. ``However I act is however I act. The key is, you have to take the emotion out of the game.'' Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Nets Jan 2004 Archive
|
