From my TrueHoop post on the subject:
With all the athletic superlatives being thrown Blake Griffin’s way since his explosive Summer League debut in July, it’s easy to miss what he represents most profoundly to fans of the Los Angeles Clippers. For everything they’ve heard about Griffin’s athleticism, his ability to prowl the paint, and his capacity to pick up things like NBA defenses and an outside stroke in an instant, his allure has never been about those attributes.
To the Clipper faithful, Griffin personifies the deeper idea that change can occur instantly…
… Griffin’s performance in his first Summer League game on July 13 suggested that his impact would be felt immediately. Playing the inside-out game to perfection with budding second-year star Eric Gordon, Griffin gave Clippers fans a glimpse of a brilliant future. After the front office bolstered the bench with a series of smart acquisitions and the banged-up veterans got clean bills of health, that future appeared even closer.
Meanwhile, the more Clippers fans learned about Griffin, they more they loved him. He was a workout fiend, a model son and incredibly coachable. Pure? Yeah, but not obnoxiously so — just check out his Twitter feed.
Speaking of which … want to know what Blake Griffin tweets at 7:31 a.m. the morning after a preseason game?
heading to the gym….. we played well last night but still got work to do…. time to get better.
Can you imagine what this public declaration of commitment means to a fan base that 15 months ago watched Elton Brand leave them at the altar after pledging his eternal devotion? It’s an intoxicant, and by the time Blake Griffin threw down his first alley-oop in the preseason, Clipper Nation was completely blitzed. Here was a kid wholly uninterested in the Clippers’ legacy of losing or silly superstitions. When asked by reporters if he was concerned about the franchise’s history, Griffin never took the bait. That stuff had nothing to do with basketball — and Blake Griffin was all about basketball…
… Nobody in the universe has a more inexhaustible supply of patience than Clippers fans, but the next month and a half just might run the tank dry.
Here’s something they should take solace in: The person most heartbroken by this development and most eager to see Blake Griffin on the floor winning basketball games is Blake Griffin.
When’s the last time they could say that about anyone in a Clippers uniform?
13 Responses
well said sir… his hard work and dedication will pay off.. wish amazing a speedy recovery!
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 6:40 am
Not worried about GRIFFIN. He’ll recover faster than normal. He deserves a break. Let him relax and enjoy his off-time.
Meanwhile rest of the Clippers need to establish and play their game. And make Griffin smile more with their focus and determination.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 9:01 am
This Clippers “curse” is BS. He’ll heal quickly and I’m not worried. We still have a solid team and I believe we will be over .500 when Blake gets back. Put it this way, before the NBA Draft…it was either Blake or Ricky Rubio…if we would have drafted Rubio, and he stayed in Europe…same stuff would be said about the Clippers…the “Clippers curse” or “Hey, it’s the Clippers.” It’s time to tune out the media and criticism and lets focus on supporting our team!
GO CLIPPERS!
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Excuse me, but Clipper fans don’t have the luxury of not having to worry when the future of their franchise is out 6-8 weeks with a BROKEN LEG. The season opener is not a night to “take a break.”
The scouting report on our team this year is that we’re so talented that even Dunleavy can’t mess things up during the regular season. The less talent we have, the worse off we are.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Mattafact, stop. It’s not a broken leg. It’s a fractured kneecap. That’s much WORSE. Get your dramatic postings right the first time. LOL.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Every Clipper in uniform , PLease bring your A+ game tonight !!!!
Hounding DEFENSE and ENERGY .
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Every time I read a headline that alludes to Griffin breaking his knee cap, I literally want to start crying. It feels so surreal that something like this happens to the Clippers more often than not.
Why couldn’t Ron Artest break his knee cap? It’s not like the Lakers won’t make it to the playoffs despite him not being in the line for the first six weeks. jeeeeeeez
Nonetheless, I remain optimistic that DJ and Craig Smith will fill the void of our missing number one draft. Let’s hope BG recovers quicker than expected, and that he’ll still send shock waves through the NBA when he returns.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Who’s better? Baron Davis or Telfair?
That should be the question. Baron has no choice but to work hard. But physically he is incapable. Mentally he wants to prove. This is not good enough.
Trade Baron and Kaman NOW than LATER.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Have the Clippers ever changed their trainer? With all of the injuries throughout the years… it couldn’t hurt
Clipper Derrick Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I’d love to see the Clippers pony up and get a new trainer.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Oh well,… look at it on the bright side – we still have a pretty solid team without Griffin. Maybe this will help develop and acclimate the other guys behind him, i.e. Craig Smith, and DJ. This could be a good thing in the long run. Griffin is indeed the future of our franchise, but right now he’s not as important as say, Baron, Kaman or Gordon. If we take all the hype aside, Griffin is an ultra active and athletic banger with no J and no real post moves yet. So theoretically, Craig Smith should be able to fill in just fine, sans the monster dunks.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
For the time being I think it might be interesting to start or play DeAndre Jordan at the power forward position. He might be athletic enough to guard the 4′s.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
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