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Griffin’s Debut Delayed
Blake Griffin could only watch from the bench in street clothing as the Lakers beat his team 99-92 on opening night. The Clippers have for long had the reputation as the franchise that repeatedly managed to draft some of the biggest busts in history. Most famously, Michael Olowakandi, whom the Clipps drafted 1st overall with hopes he would be the one to change their fortunes and develop into a dominant center. They soon realized their mistake. The Kandiman never lived up to his nickname, as there was nothing sweet about his game and he seemingly never made a single stride as a player.
When awarded with the 1st pick in the 09 draft, one had to believe that the Clippers somehow would manage to screw this up and maybe even pass on Blake Griffin and go for Ricky Rubio. But coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy exercised his common sense by announcing Blake Griffin as their choice.
Immediately, Clipper Land grew with excitement and a new, hopeful outlook for the future, which has been a rarity in the past. Blessed not only with superb athletic ability and strength, Griffin also possesses a basketball IQ like a Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan. Certainly not a bad company to be in. Though I would describe his style of play as a mix of Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer.
Back to reality, Clipper fans! The excitement did not last very long, as Griffin was diagnosed with a fractured kneecap after injuring himself after a ferocious fastbreak dunk. He will be out for at least 6 weeks. A former promising guard of the Clippers, Shaun Livingston, drafted 4th overall straight out of high school in 2004 also had a kneecap injury and never managed to recover fully. Considering the history of the franchise, one can not blame fans for being pessimistic and overly worrisome about the news. Doctors are much more optimistic and believe that Griffin will be back to 100 percent.
–am
