Taylor Griffin sighting....
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BigTime
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Nice! Thanks for sharing.
Nice, it sounds like Thunder Dan has really taken Taylor under his wing. David Aldridge interviewed Taylor for nba.com this week in his Mr Fifteen minutes of fame section.
Mr. Fifteen
This week's Mr. Fifteen is Suns rookie forward Taylor Griffin. The 23-year-old is making the transition from college power forward at Oklahoma to small forward in the NBA. But Taylor Griffin is used to making adjustments; he was the star player in the family for a few years, but then had to move over when Blake's game blew up. Taylor was the first Griffin at Oklahoma, but convinced Blake to come to Norman and play with him for the Sooners, just as they did in high school. And Taylor talked Blake into staying one more season, which Blake did, leading the Sooners to the NCAA South Regional final. Now, they've gone their separate ways. Blake Griffin was the first pick in the NBA draft; Taylor lasted until deep in the second round, when the Suns took him with the 48th pick overall.
Griffin
Me: How's it been so far?
Taylor Griffin: Great. I mean, it's the best job in the world. I'm just learning, soaking up everything I can right now, just learning, observing, listening.
Me: When you go from a starter on a national championship contender to not playing, how do you mentally adjust to that?
TG: I was actually just talking to coach Ego about that. You've got to be mentally strong. I think, during that transition, and you've got to keep in mind that I'm working right now for my career, not just to get in the next game. If that doesn't happen, you can't just have a breakdown 'cause that doesn't happen. For me right now, I'm working toward longevity in my career. And everything I do, every extra workout I do right now, is going to help with that.
Me: So what are you doing after practice?
TG: In terms of shooting, that's the main thing. But I work with [assistant coaches] Dan Majerle and Igor [Kokoskov] a lot after practice. And with this team, the way we play, you've got to stay in shape. I'm doing a lot of cardio, mixing cardio with my workouts, and then, of course, weightlifting and all that stuff.
Me: What are you getting from Dan?
TG: One thing I didn't know coming in was that his situation coming into the league was a lot like mine. He wasn't a shooter, at all. I didn't know that. I think he said the first four years he was just a defensive, energy, rebounding guy. And he's kind of helped me kind of find, that's what's going to get me on the court right now. So that's what I'm concentrating on. In the meantime, I'm getting lots of shots up and letting my offense kind of evolve. I'm going to try to hang my hat on defense, rebounding, just being a tough, physical player.
Me: You looking at anybody on tape?
TG: Obviously, having a guy like Grant Hill on the team is huge. He plays my position. I see him every day. Just observing him has helped a whole lot. I'm trying to take full advantage of that.
Me: Anything about the pros surprised you so far?
TG: Just the timing of everything, it takes a while to get used to. Everybody says how much faster the game is, but really, it's slower. But it's different. It's differently paced. There's moments, most of the time it's pretty slow, but there's bursts of it. That's when you've got to be ready. So it kind of lulls you to sleep, for a guy that's used to playing at that high pace. It's kind of lulls you to sleep, and bam, you're not ready.
Me: What do you think, ultimately, your career arc can look like?
TG: It's hard to say. But I'm hoping for 10-plus years, and I think my work ethic is going to help me more than anything. I feel like I take pretty good care of my body. You can't really do anything against injuries; you don't know about that. But just taking care of my body and learning and being willing to learn as much as I am, and working my butt off, I think I'm going to have a chance to play for a long time.
Me: What has Blake told you about this period of your career?
TG: He's kind of going through a rough patch right now (after suffering a broken kneecap during preseason that will keep him out of action for another month). It's been kind of a little stressful mentally for him. But he's learning. He's going through a lot right now. It's kind of different. Earlier on, when he was still playing, we'd talk, and we'd compare about the differences in the Clippers practices and Suns practices, our training camps and everything. It's kind of a different thing for him. He's more the face of that organization, and trying to be a guy that's going to help bring that team around, and I'm just trying to get minutes. So it's a little bit different, but there's a lot of similarities, and both of us being rookies, we're just trying to do the right thing and work our butts off.
Me: Rookie duties?
TG: I've got to get the donuts every day. I had to wear like a hamburger suit one day--
Me: I'm sorry; a hamburger suit?
TG: A hamburger suit. Earl Clark had to wear like a banana costume. I had to wear a hamburger suit. We had to go out to dinner, go out to like a club. It could be worse.
Mr. Fifteen
This week's Mr. Fifteen is Suns rookie forward Taylor Griffin. The 23-year-old is making the transition from college power forward at Oklahoma to small forward in the NBA. But Taylor Griffin is used to making adjustments; he was the star player in the family for a few years, but then had to move over when Blake's game blew up. Taylor was the first Griffin at Oklahoma, but convinced Blake to come to Norman and play with him for the Sooners, just as they did in high school. And Taylor talked Blake into staying one more season, which Blake did, leading the Sooners to the NCAA South Regional final. Now, they've gone their separate ways. Blake Griffin was the first pick in the NBA draft; Taylor lasted until deep in the second round, when the Suns took him with the 48th pick overall.
Griffin
Me: How's it been so far?
Taylor Griffin: Great. I mean, it's the best job in the world. I'm just learning, soaking up everything I can right now, just learning, observing, listening.
Me: When you go from a starter on a national championship contender to not playing, how do you mentally adjust to that?
TG: I was actually just talking to coach Ego about that. You've got to be mentally strong. I think, during that transition, and you've got to keep in mind that I'm working right now for my career, not just to get in the next game. If that doesn't happen, you can't just have a breakdown 'cause that doesn't happen. For me right now, I'm working toward longevity in my career. And everything I do, every extra workout I do right now, is going to help with that.
Me: So what are you doing after practice?
TG: In terms of shooting, that's the main thing. But I work with [assistant coaches] Dan Majerle and Igor [Kokoskov] a lot after practice. And with this team, the way we play, you've got to stay in shape. I'm doing a lot of cardio, mixing cardio with my workouts, and then, of course, weightlifting and all that stuff.
Me: What are you getting from Dan?
TG: One thing I didn't know coming in was that his situation coming into the league was a lot like mine. He wasn't a shooter, at all. I didn't know that. I think he said the first four years he was just a defensive, energy, rebounding guy. And he's kind of helped me kind of find, that's what's going to get me on the court right now. So that's what I'm concentrating on. In the meantime, I'm getting lots of shots up and letting my offense kind of evolve. I'm going to try to hang my hat on defense, rebounding, just being a tough, physical player.
Me: You looking at anybody on tape?
TG: Obviously, having a guy like Grant Hill on the team is huge. He plays my position. I see him every day. Just observing him has helped a whole lot. I'm trying to take full advantage of that.
Me: Anything about the pros surprised you so far?
TG: Just the timing of everything, it takes a while to get used to. Everybody says how much faster the game is, but really, it's slower. But it's different. It's differently paced. There's moments, most of the time it's pretty slow, but there's bursts of it. That's when you've got to be ready. So it kind of lulls you to sleep, for a guy that's used to playing at that high pace. It's kind of lulls you to sleep, and bam, you're not ready.
Me: What do you think, ultimately, your career arc can look like?
TG: It's hard to say. But I'm hoping for 10-plus years, and I think my work ethic is going to help me more than anything. I feel like I take pretty good care of my body. You can't really do anything against injuries; you don't know about that. But just taking care of my body and learning and being willing to learn as much as I am, and working my butt off, I think I'm going to have a chance to play for a long time.
Me: What has Blake told you about this period of your career?
TG: He's kind of going through a rough patch right now (after suffering a broken kneecap during preseason that will keep him out of action for another month). It's been kind of a little stressful mentally for him. But he's learning. He's going through a lot right now. It's kind of different. Earlier on, when he was still playing, we'd talk, and we'd compare about the differences in the Clippers practices and Suns practices, our training camps and everything. It's kind of a different thing for him. He's more the face of that organization, and trying to be a guy that's going to help bring that team around, and I'm just trying to get minutes. So it's a little bit different, but there's a lot of similarities, and both of us being rookies, we're just trying to do the right thing and work our butts off.
Me: Rookie duties?
TG: I've got to get the donuts every day. I had to wear like a hamburger suit one day--
Me: I'm sorry; a hamburger suit?
TG: A hamburger suit. Earl Clark had to wear like a banana costume. I had to wear a hamburger suit. We had to go out to dinner, go out to like a club. It could be worse.
