From my piece at ESPN Los Angeles:
Blake Griffin would never admit it, because entitlement isn’t part of his mental makeup, but he deserves to be playing professional basketball right now.
When prognosticators said he’d be a lottery pick after his freshman season at Oklahoma, Griffin bucked the current one-and-done trend and stayed for his sophomore year. The millions could wait because there was work to be done on his game.
When he was chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, Griffin adamantly rebuffed any and all suggestions that he was going to be playing for a cursed franchise — not because it was the company line to debunk superstition, but because he deeply believed that whatever ailed the Clippers could be cured with commitment.
When he was told that 12-foot range wasn’t going to cut it for a big man in today’s NBA, Griffin spent his entire spring working on his stroke from long distance. By the time Summer League rolled around, Griffin was knocking down 15-footers with ease and even draining bombs from beyond the arc.
When Griffin wasn’t in the gym refining his skills, he was running up sand dunes at dawn in a workout routine teammates describe as “crazy.” He’s one of those guys who subjects himself to the rigors of exercise not because he’s obligated to, but because he actually enjoys it.
When he fractured his left kneecap in the Clippers’ final preseason game, Griffin pushed his body even harder to recover. Even though the rehabilitation process was excruciating and monotonous, Griffin never missed a session and never voiced a complaint.
When the schedule for his return got pushed back beyond the team’s initial prognosis of six to eight weeks, he kept at it.
His reward for that diligence?
Griffin will have to undergo season-ending surgery on that left kneecap. The new timetable for his return is four to six months after that surgical procedure.
For the entire read, please go to ESPN Los Angeles.
17 Responses
Still a bit numb after the news. All I can say is take your time Blake with the rehab and come back at full strength next year. No point waisting calories lamenting the “clipper curse” and all that other B.S. We have a team that is starting to put things together. I still think we can make the playoffs and hopefully the team can use this bad news to rally together (a la portland and houston). I’m not giving up on this season yet…Let’s go Clippers Let’s go!
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
We can make the playoffs. Get healthy Blake. Next year we’ll be an even better team because of your dedication and skills. Baron will lead the way and Marcus is still one of the best forwards in the league and is an awesome veteran presence. Go Clips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
hey kevin or DJ, just a thought bouncing in my head after this news…
What are your thoughts on whether a camby trade will happen, or should happen, now that blake is lost for the season? Previously (when blake was still thought to be returning soon) I felt that as valuable as camby has been to the team, going for a top 3 like caron butler was the way to go so that we don’t lose camby at season’s end for nothing. But now with blake out for the rest of the season, it seems camby is even more important to us. deandre plays well when he gets the minutes, but i don’t feel craig smith is good enough to be out first big off the bench. So is the best route to still trade camby while he’s playing so well, ensuring we get a top player in return and plugging deandre into the starting 5 at PF, or do we play out the season with the current roster and hope the off-season brings us a healthy blake AND a top SF?
D.J. Foster Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
I think the likelihood of a Camby trade decreased just a bit with this news. That being said though, if they get a great offer for a big time small forward, I believe they’ll pull the trigger.
Gunnz Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Hey DJ and KA: What do you think about going after McGrady for a run at the playoffs? Just seems the Clippers need to do something in order to legitimately make a run. This team, as currently constructed, can’t consistently win on the road against the very teams they are competing with in the West to get in the playoffs. Could McGrady help this team? IMO, absolutely. I wish the Clips had gone after Stephen Jackson. Clips need someone to take the shot at the end of the game. Butler is good, but has limitations. McGrady has ice in his veins and in my opinion will definitely return to being productive. Could fit nicely on this team. It would be tough to give up Thornton or Butler for a guy that might sign elsewhere next season. Is there any scenario that adding McGrady makes sense?
kenji Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
t-mac’s contract is too huge. like $20+ mill. And i doubt houston would want thornton after having signed ariza this past summer. I don’t see any possible way the math can add up. The only way t-mac can be in a clip uniform is if houston buys him out and he signs for the minimum the rest of the year.
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Amazing write up KA! Really well done and loved the tone. It’s unfortunate Blake has to go through this. Just hope for a quick and speedy recovery.
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Message for Blake Griffin: Thank god for going thru the surgical procedure NOW than later.
Don’t feel discouraged. Make use of your free time. Read and relax as much as you can.
Get well on time and don’t do any crazy stuff.
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Does the team have enough cap to bring someone else on board?
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Like my wife has beensying for sometime now… No disrespect, but time for a new medical staff perhaps?
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
i certainly don’t believe in curses…i’m worried the way blake is training–specifically any kind of heavy weight lifting the clippers are having him doing–is hurting him more than helping.
Chaderack Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
All summer he was killing himself in the gym and the sand dunes. You think maybe he pushed himself too hard? then a routine dunk (which he’s been doing since he was fifteen) Fucks up his knee? I think over did it, everything has it’s limits so does the body.
Chaderack Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
I did not write my point on my last reply. What I am saying is, the clips should have monitored his training and maybe should have stepped in. Someone in a previous post even mentioned his team mates where saying it’s crazy the way he pushes himself.
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Today was a said day for me and to top it off it looks like the Clippers are going for a lossing streak on the road.
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
He sounds like a great kid, and a really hard working, committed athlete. But why was this injury so terribly misdiagnosed?
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Blake is a great kid with a huge love and passion for the game. He may feel discouraged now but he’s going to come back strong. If anything, taking the surgical route now will have him taking rehab steps so that he can be ready for next season. I do beleive that he’s so passionate about the game that he pushes his body a little bit too much. He needs to take it easier on himself. Also like Mike Dunleavy said at the beginning that Blake needs to start being honest to his staff about how he feels… We can’t diagnose a problem on an individual unless they decide to speak out about it. This wasn’t a freak accident like Shaun L. Perhaps he may have never recovered from the injury he received during practice by colliding with Craig Smith and he decided to play through pain instead of advicing the team staff. We can’t be down about this, our team has made it this far without him. We can only hope that Blake doesn’t get discouraged about the situation and that he bounces back and plays like he has something to prove to all the skeptics..
Posted on January 14th, 2010 at 12:25 am
this piece got me thinking that no matter how hard you try and how good you are, sometimes there are things beyond our control that are really going to test us. Im sure the kid is crushed right now and i just hope he knows that no matter what happens with this injury he will never be considered a bust in clipper nation, he has already displayed a work ethic and maturity beyond his years and it really is something that he can be proud of
Posted on January 14th, 2010 at 6:29 am
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