Blake Griffin, here we come!

[mkwest]

Playing for his hometown team, the Oklahoma City Thunder may have appealed to Griffin but wouldn't acknowledge any reservation in moving to the West Coast and joining the Clippers.

"There wasn't disappointment at all just because playing in the NBA has been a dream of mine for so long and for it to be so close and just to have the opportunity, wherever it is," said Blake. "It's a good feeling for me."

In the meantime, he's preparing for life as a rookie, with all its pratfalls. If that means running errands for his veteran teammates, Griffin is game.

"I've called all the local donut shops and made sure they can accommodate my needs," he said jokingly.

The Los Angeles Clippers are coming off a dreadful season but should have Blake Griffin to show for it come Draft night. Whatever moves they make this summer to rebalance the roster, the team is trying to win now.

The franchise expects Baron Davis to have a bounce-back season. General Manager/Coach Mike Dunleavy is demanding his players to for camp in October both in shape and ready to work.

HoopsWorld

Also, Griffin has been invited to participate in a minicamp for USA basketball. He will be joined by Rose, Durant, Mayo and Roy to name a few.

[mkwest]

I LOVE L.A.

I like Los Angeles a lot. I played there a couple times when I was at Oklahoma and about a month ago I went down and stayed about four or five days there. I liked it a lot. Obviously, there’s plenty to do. The traffic is bad and all that, but I still definitely look forward to it.

TURNING AROUND THE CLIPPERS

It would definitely be great to help the Clippers get back on track. They have so many great players and last year they had injuries and some different stuff which hurt. I’d definitely love to come in and be a part of kind of helping change the direction of the way the team’s going.

MY CAREER GOALS

I hope to be an All-Star at some point. For next year though, one of my goals is to be Rookie of the Year and be in the running for that. After that, it’s just keep building, keep moving forward and help a team get to an NBA championship and be an All-Star.

Playing against some of the best competition in the world is obviously difficult but, I’ve been around the game for a long time and a lot of things kind of come naturally. But, at the same time, I still have a lot to work on and I want to improve on.

NBA.com

Good thing the Kardashians will be moving to Miami.

[illastrate]

Look what Barkley says about Blake:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q8oIGv-4e0

He actually has some knowledge of the Clippers, unlike his counterpart Kenny Smith, who is absolutely clueless about us.

[thanumba2clippersfan]

Nice find illastrate

Yeah, I've heard what Kenny Smith has said about us. I do like him, but I have no idea how he doesn't know much about us. I thought Kenny Smith actually stay in LA? I'm glad that Barkley got it right now he described the Clippers.

[mkwest]

ESPN Fresh Take Video

Blake Griffin not worried about Los Angeles Clippers tough challenges

"I'm a big believer in not always following the most popular thing to do. Make your own path. Do you own thing."

Griffin won't have a say in which team he joins in the NBA, with the Los Angeles Clippers expected to select him with the top pick in Thursday's draft. But good thing he enjoys forging a new path. He'll have to do just that to rewrite the history of a franchise best known for its blunders on and off the court.

"It doesn't bother me at all," Griffin told The Associated Press. "All that stuff happened in the past. That's exactly what it is: It's in the past. No one can do anything about it now. If I am with the Clippers, it's going to be all about the future. No disrespect to anybody, but I could care less what happened 20 years ago, 15 years ago."

Every so often, Griffin thinks about what would have happened had he turned pro a year earlier.

"It's interesting. I wonder where I would be," he said. "Sometimes during the season last year I'd be like, 'If I was in the NBA, what would I be doing right now? I probably wouldn't be sitting in my apartment eating ramen noodles.'

"But I think it all worked out for the best."

ESPN

[mkwest]

Blake will be on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" tonight. 12:35am (PST)

[ClipperDomination]

^ It was a great appearance for him. Fallon was funny, and Griffin showed off his super athleticism, and so did Fallon, each showing off a display of a couple of nice dunks. Too bad Fallon's dunks was on a smaller hoop.

[dirkules_41]

Just watched some Griffin footage.... I gotta say congrats! I hope he gets a lot of playing time. Simply amazing to watch him play. Again congrats you'll have a lot of fun with him I guess:)

[thanumba2clippersfan]

I really love Griffin's attitude, I think he and Gordon are the right people to change the culture of our team and organization. I always said that we don't really need any more talent, our team just needs a better attitude and chemistry.

[mkwest]

^ It was a great appearance for him. Fallon was funny, and Griffin showed off his super athleticism, and so did Fallon, each showing off a display of a couple of nice dunks. Too bad Fallon's dunks was on a smaller hoop.

It was cool to watch. Blake can be softspoken, so at times it was kind of hard to hear him, but I'm sure that'll all improve over time. He'll definitely have to get used to the attention, but I'm glad he's getting it.

I really love Griffin's attitude, I think he and Gordon are the right people to change the culture of our team and organization. I always said that we don't really need any more talent, our team just needs a better attitude and chemistry.

I totally agree. He's a hard worker coming onto a team with a bunch of sloths. It's kind of crazy that he's like the exact opposite of most of the team. We're probably one of the more talented group of players, but we have pull it together and manifest it into a talented team. A better attitude & chemistry is the difference between a 19-win team and possible playoff contender.

[mkwest]

Blake takes on Jared in a game of Horse (S-U-B-W-A-Y) in New York.

[NBAWestFan]

I like the Idea of going after Tay Prince for Randolph.

Prince at SF
Griffin PF
Gordon SG

Nice to work with Get quality players from here out.

Ship out the Bdiddy's and Z Randolphs for expirings or quality.

Build a great team.

[Jajwanda]

I just don't understand one thing which is what the Clippers plan on doing about their lack of size in the back court with Gordon in the lineup. It's difficult finding a tall PG to counter that and allow Gordon to guard PGs.