Last year, as Eddie Griffin sat in solitude at the end of the bench while Mark Blount rebounded and patrolled the paint like a third grade girl, I found myself to be one of the only people clamoring for more Griffin time. Whether it was the numerous off-court incidents, or Eddie's instinct to chuck threes, most Wolves fans were happy to see Eddie finally taken off the roster following his violation of the NBA's drug policy. I for one, as the self-proclaimed world's biggest Eddie Griffin fan, was profoundly sad.

I can't place my finger on exactly why I liked Eddie so much, but he was really my favorite Wolves player. After the first game he started two years ago, when he went for 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 blocks, he was interviewed after the game and I was amazed at how genuinely humble the kid appeared to be. There is no lack of braggadocio in the NBA and I found Eddie Griffin's humble, and almost embarrassed demeanor to be quite endearing.

While I cringed along with everyone else every time a three-pointer left Eddie's hands, his shot blocking was a thing of beauty. The kid had a gift, and I always believed eventually that gift would lead to great success in the league for the young man.

Following his SUV masterbation incident, Eddie came into camp a man possessed. He lost a good deal of weight, and claimed his drinking problems were behind him. In the preseason, he was pulling down rebounds and blocking shots at an incredible rate, and I believed last year was to be his year. I ended up drafting him to rooms full of laughter in both my fantasy leagues, I thought he was going to break out.

Unfortunately, that breakout never happened. For unknown reasons, Eddie's fitness and fire in the preseason were not awarded with regular season minutes. As his minutes declined, you could tell his attitude was declining as well. When he did get to play, he certainly gave no indication that he wanted to be on the court, and usually just wandered around listlessly.

As sad as it was, I had the feeling that Eddie's days in a Wolves uniform were numbered, and that turned out to be the case. I think if Eddie would have been given a longer leash with his minutes early in the year, he could have focused on something other than drinking, and it would have given him hope in his life, but instead you could see he clearly had lost his desire, and just looking in his eyes you could tell he wasn't alright.

When I heard the news of Eddie's death yesterday, it came as no surprise. Some people are born with brain chemistry that makes them terribly self-destructive, and Eddie was clearly one of those people. I wish there was something someone could have done to help the young man, but he appeared to be on a path to this end for quite some time. It's just sad to think that such a well-liked, humble guy couldn't overcome such serious mental issues, but such is life.

RIP-Eddie Griffin