A Quick Observation Following the Blake Griffin Media Availability - Jan. 14
by Steve Perrin on Jan 14, 2010 12:01 PM PST
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PrintThe Clippers made Blake Griffin available to the media today, the morning after it was revealed that he would have surgery and consequently miss the entirety of his rookie season. I'm not going to transcribe everything he said. Dena was there with her video recorder, so I'm sure it will be available on the Clippers web site soon enough.
For now, I'll just repeat what we've said before - this is one together kid. Still two months shy of his 21st birthday, he's dealing with the reality that his rookie season in the NBA is over before it began, and his demeanor is just as calm and frankly positive as ever. He's certainly saying all the right things. "It's better to take care of it now.... Injuries happen.... Hopefully I can speed up the recovery process as much as possible."
He's said over and over again during the last few months, and several more times today, that this experience is teaching him patience. Well, here's hoping that he's impatient to tear the league up when he returns next season.
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What a champ
Whether he becomes a superstar or not, he’s got a franchise-changing attitude, and that’s a rare thing. Tim Duncan brought it to San Antonio, Dwight Howard brought it to Orlando, and Steve Nash brought it to Phoenix. The 2010-2011 season feels a little bit closer…
I thought I read "chump"
and was about to go primal
by Newton Pham on Jan 14, 2010 12:23 PM PST up reply actions
Here's to hope that 20 years from now
When some rookie has a season ending injury and they pull up the list of past rookies to have the same thing happened…Blake Griffin will be the bright spot.
“oh yeah…that’s not a very good history…but look remember Blake Griffin had to sit out his first year, but ended up having a fine career and is definitely a hall of fame candidate with 10 all star game appearances. This is the guy that turned the franchise around and helped them win their first championship…and the next….and the next.”
It happens...
I can’t think of a hall of fame player who missed his first season off the top of my head, but how about Michael Jordan? People forget that he missed 64 games in his second season with a broken foot. Didn’t seem to have a lasting impact on his game.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by Steve Perrin on Jan 14, 2010 1:21 PM PST up reply actions
Always bad news when the guy you need to compare him to is Jordan
The one dude who’s pretty much incomparable.
haha
Just Think
how good he might have been if he hadn’t been hobbled by the nagging foot injury?!
Hard to improve upon perfection
really aside from the fact he played SG there were no flaws to his Airness game. Controlled the tempo, clutch, lock down defender, team leader, miracle shot maker, creative, exciting and marketable. Aside from a even bigger version of Lebron coming up you can’t really improve upon MJ can you?
FA in 2010.
by ClipperChuck on Jan 14, 2010 6:02 PM PST up reply actions
It's just so unfair
I feel terrible for the kid. Like KA’s article talked about, it’s just not right that a kid who works so hard and is so dedicated and does everything right has to go through this. I felt bad for Oden too when he suffered each of those injuries.
Well, true character is shown through adversity so hopefully Blake can come back from this.
Knee injuries are a scary thing. It would be such a shame if his body betrayed him just as he was taking that step to the pinnacle of his career as a basketball player.
Those sentiments remind me of what happened to Danny Manning
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
what's different about blake from most guys though
is that this is going to make him work even harder and be even more dedicated. (at least that’s what i figure from the way he talks about it and carries himself)
by baron davis' beard on Jan 14, 2010 2:03 PM PST up reply actions
What if this is just like the SLivi injury and he is never the same again.
Sure it did not look as Bad but that is what is so scary, it did not look Bad but now it is.
Everything starts out New, Gets Old and Dies or is Destroyed.
I've said it before
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. We won the lottery’s lottery with this guy. He’s going to be fine. Poised, dedicated, athletic monster. The stars really aligned with this guy. Even with all the talent surrounding this past draft, there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll go down as one of the best of his generation.
Welp let's move on...there's no point in wondering now...
we just have to wait until next season and see…
Clipper Nation, where wondering about “next season” is more fun than following “this season.”
Except for this season, where it has been pretty fun.
Can't wait till this blows over
I don’t want to see, read, or hear about this anymore haha. Just too damn depressing.
Just want to move on and watch this team keep up the level of play we saw last week.
by dulciusEXasperis on Jan 14, 2010 12:38 PM PST reply actions
It will be interesting this offseason with the hope Blake can be surrounded by more rookies to help him get in the game
Right now we are at a cross roads whether to give it all up or take the season back this team is pressed right now this team can’t afford to not use their expiring for young talent and potential yet if we want to compete. Right now 40 wins would be very respectable I’d accept it right now and would show some pride
people easily forget
we were a 19 win team last year. With 20 losses by 20+ points. 30 wins to me would be a very marked improvement by essentially the same team we had last year.
People are also forgetting to mention that we're going to have a lot of cap space in 2010
Next year, it’s like we can get TWO big-name players over the summer. Blake comes back, and then there’s the 2010 free agency grab.
Most of the teams with cap space next summer have pretty lame rosters. The front-runner Knicks have lots of space, but they have almost no foundation to build their hypothetical dynasty on, other than their big market. We’ve already got all of the pieces in place for a championship team (AND a big market), if you just add one more legitimate star to the mix. That has to at least net us a decent talent next summer, hopefully at the SF position.
reloaded team
Reloaded: Butler, Telfair, Smith, Rush, DJ (second string),
post Z-Bo trade: Z-Bo, Fred Jones, Chiek Samb, DJ(third string), Mardy Collins, Alex Acker
pre Z-Bo: Cat Mobley, Jason Hart, Tim Thomas, Paul Davis, Brian Skinner, Mike Taylor, Steve Novak, Ricky Davis
The team we have now is an upgraded squad with eveyone form the pre Z-Bo trade being 3rd stringer except Ricky. Expectations can be raised some.
I was more so responding to the person who put 30 wins as the goal
I believe this team can finish with 40 wins one game under .500 :). This team is talented enough to at least get to 40 with the new pieces only big picture problem with 40 wins is in the West that gets you a 10th or 11th seed.
What do you say we just tank it this season
so we can get another high pick in the draft.
he's obviously a good kid and solid guy
No doubt about that, so he’s an asset to the team already. That said, I really hope he keeps his explosiveness and hasn’t been robbed of what made everyone drool over the guy during the preseason. Would hate to see him go from being a potential all-star/stud to just a “nice” or “solid” player.
by Joe Wolf's Mullet on Jan 14, 2010 3:18 PM PST via mobile reply actions
you know its just funny to me now lol
in any case, we are far improved from last season. With chemestry they’ve developed they will be even better next year with Griffin basically replacing the expiring Craig Smith. Not to mention a free agent signing this off season. As long as this team continues to improve I can’t really complain. Do you think they will re-sign Camby?
It sounds like teams are trying to trade for Camby
but i’m not sure how willing they are to make that trade. I’m also not sure if that would be necessarily bad. I wouldn’t mind though because trades always make things more interesting and you know we would have to get a great player for and expiring contract like that. i think we will still have some cap space to play with too.
Is anyone else surprised by how well some 35+ year old guys are playing this year? like nash, camby, G. Hill, kidd, etc.
- just realized i spelled chemistry wrong
i really like camby...
…And he’s been a great asset to the younger players. Plus when watching the games, you realize just how valuable the guy is. Yeah we cringe when he loads up the ugly jumper from behind his head but man, all the loose balls, the tap outs, the great interior passing, hustle plays…the guy is so underrated. THAT SAID, it makes all the business sense in the world to trade him if we get something of real value for him. I’m torn on it though, just cuz the guy is such a pro’s pro. Hell I think MDSr is torn on it as well.
by Joe Wolf's Mullet on Jan 14, 2010 3:34 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Well, I predict
that Blake will indeed make a full recovery. This will be a one year ordeal, not a five year or career fiasco. I only say this based on Blake’s work ethic and the fact that it’s “only” a bone fracture, as opposed to ligament damage or a full-on bone break (or a micro-fracture, whatever that is). I say this with no expertise, granted, but really this doesn’t sound at all like what Manning or Oden have gone through.
Here’s to waiting.
Grant Hill
Didn’t he miss a bunch of games early in his career?
"Where would the Clippers be without Sean Rooks?"
He never really lived up to his potential afterward.
he is however a good player.
He could have been amazing though.
He's proof that it's not age, but years of active play that age you
So I’m expecting all of the straight-from-high-school stars to start losing their mojo a lot earlier than guys like Grant Hill who still have plenty in the tank.
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