Griffin Out With A Broken Knee

At some point you have to just feel sorry for the Los Angeles Clippers. Not only are they one of losingest franchise’s in all of sports, and they play in the shadow of the Lakers, but now when they make the right decision, bad luck interferes. Blake Griffin was by far the best player in last summer’s draft, and was a true no brainer at the top spot for Los Angeles. Now Griffin may miss up to six weeks of his rookie season with a broken left kneecap.

The move is disastrous for the Clippers on many levels, not only will they be without their potential young superstar, but he will also be missing crucial developmental time. When he is ready to play again, it will take him awhile to get into game shape, and even longer to adjust to the speed and style of the NBA. On top of that, Griffin was the Clippers biggest draw at the box office, and now won’t see the floor for at least a month and a half.

Its also disheartening for the Clippers and their fans, because contrary to popular belief, the Clippers have a good team this year. They have the talent to compete for a playoff spot, and if Griffin had an immediate impact like many top picks, than Los Angeles would have been a dangerous team this year. The Clippers have a nice mix of budding young stars, good veterans, and solid role players. Now without Griffin, the Clippers are in a bit of trouble. They have the depth to handle him being out for a while, but their front court is a little thin. They already had Chris Kamen and Marcus Camby in the front court with injury issues, now losing Griffin means that any injury to Kamen or Camby would be a huge blow to LA. There is also now more pressure on every player to step up, and ensure the Clippers don’t get off to another bad start without their star player. Hopefully for Griffin’s sake and the health of Clippers fans, he can come back sooner than expected, and help the Clippers raise their own banner in the Staples Center in the near future.