Found Objects – 8.30.2011
• If you haven’t watched it yet, make sure to take a look at my interview with Clipper Darrell.
• The OC Register’s Kevin Ding ranks the top-20 players under 25 years old. To no surprise, Blake and EJ rank at the top:
7. Eric Gordon, Clippers. Methinks Gordon is about to cease being underrated. His tenacity is unique, and he took his scoring average from 16.9 to 22.3 points last season with the same efficiency and improved passing. He’s 6-foot-3, which is fundamentally a problem in defending at the shooting-guard position; Gordon still has something to prove at that end. The Clippers’ pick-and-roll with Gordon, 22, and Blake Griffin? Already proven.
3. Blake Griffin, Clippers. If the question is that always intriguing one about which player you’d choose to build your team around, Griffin is a shockingly viable choice as a spectacular big man at 22 and with just one year of NBA experience. If you think he’s just a dunker, bear in mind the 3.8 assists per game as a rookie interior player. Griffin also averaged 12 rebounds and nearly a steal a game to make up for not being a real shot blocker who can anchor the team defense. There’s so much more to come, including a dependable mid-range jumper for the coming season – but it’d be nice if a free-throw stroke (64.2 percent) came with it.
• Check this one-on-one interview Blake did with an Oklahoma news outlet at the OU Legends game. When asked about potentiall joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, Blake said:
“We’ll see what happens,” Griffin said. “Right now my commitment is to the Clippers, and we’re working on making that team better. I know the Thunder are doing a great job here and everybody’s excited about them.”
• HOOPSWORLD’s Eric Pincus examines the Clippers’ small forward problem with in-depth analysis and potential solutions.
• Some interesting rebounding tips from Blake Griffin via Dime Magazine (hat tip to Eric Pincus).
• A short compilation of a few of Blake Griffin’s funnier tweets recently.
Twitter: @JovanBuha
