Blake, Thanks for the Memories...

Post #1 » by **mkwest** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 3:05 am

madelynburkeThrowback to 2012 when I fell asleep on the #Clippers team plane and Lob City was a thing. Life comes at you fast. #gotem #LACTV

Read on Twitter

Post #2 » by **og15** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 3:56 am

Wow, a lot of good stuff there, still can't believe it, not until I see Blake play in a Pistons jersey, lol

Post #3 » by **mkwest** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:00 am

I remember sitting at my desk during the draft lottery and following it all online.
Excited, but trying to temper my expectations. It was hard to contain myself after reading that the Clippers would be able to get their guy.

June 25, 2009 is the day that Blake Griffin was drafted first overall for the Los Angeles Clippers. That was a pretty horrible day for me for numerous reasons, but the light at the end of that tunnel was knowing that Blake would soon be a Clipper and that there was a hope for a better future for this franchise. I remember wanting to win the "Blake Griffin Sweepstakes" not only because I believed that Blake was a talented player, but mostly because I believed that he was capable of changing the culture of this franchise. His work ethic and preparation was something that coaches and veteran teammates raved about. If anything, they thought that he needed to take it easy or slow down a little bit. It's kind of funny to me, because his work ethic has been an area of criticism that many outsiders have made over the years regarding Blake.

He is not the only person to help usher in the transformation, but I personally credit him as being the primary cause of that change. Without him, players continue to see the Clippers as a laughingstock that should be avoided at all costs. His presence here influenced agents and big-time players to take a chance on what had been the "woeful" franchise. Lob City was born. It was a fun era where many records were broken, division titles were won, games were selling out and the identity and perception of this franchise began to change. There were rivalries, haters, bandwagoners, and always something (both good and bad) to keep the masses entertained. From Blake's Clipper debut through his final game, the Clippers have won 61% (370-237) of their games, which stands as the 5th winningest team during that span (trailing SAS, GSW, OKC & MIA).

Franchise Career Rankings
6th in Games Played - 504
3rd in Total Rebounds - 4,686
5th in Assists - 2,133
6th in Steals - 484
2nd in Points - 10,863
4th in Scoring - 21.6 ppg

Awards & Honors
5x All-Star (T-1st in Franchise History)
Rookie of the Year (5th in Franchise History, Only LA Clipper)
6x Rookie of the Month (Clean Sweep)
All-Rookie 1st Team
3x All-NBA 2nd Team
1x All-NBA 3rd Team
6x Player of the Week
1x Player of the Month
2011 Slam Dunk Champion

First and Last Points as a Clipper

Watch on YouTube

Read on Twitter

Thank you Blake! I wish you nothing but the best in Detroit and wherever your future may lead you. It may not have been career-long, you may wear another team's uniform, but you'll always be a Clipper!

Quake Griffin · Post #4 » by **Quake Griffin** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 8:13 am

https://youtu.be/avJmMXkRDJc

Had a dunk, a sick post up move, a strip on Gasol and 2 clutch FTs (back when he sucked at FTs) during this come back.

Not sure if this or the Spurs Game 7 was my favorite moment with this group but I loved this moment and my respect for Blake definitely grew that day.

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

Post #5 » by **thanumba2clippersfan** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:00 pm

I also remember the day that we won the draft lottery. Back in 2009 Blake Griffin was the only player that I wanted us to draft because I believed that he could uplift our franchise. We all remember how this team was a laughing stock while we would regularly pile up losing seasons. My hope was that Blake would become an MVP and lead us to an NBA championship, but sadly we all know that won't happen now. I hope Blake has success while he's in Detroit and I hope that he becomes a champion at some point.

I hope that we bring Blake back at some point in his career.

Post #6 » by **mkwest** » Mon Feb 5, 2018 8:05 am

LA Clippers players react to former teammate Blake Griffin being traded

DeAndre Jordan, who was close friends with Griffin since before the existence of Lob City:

“The organization felt like it was best for our team now and along in the future. Blake was a teammate of mine for nine years, his whole time here. We had a lot of good times together and he’ll be a friend of mine after basketball. It was definitely tough to see him go. I wish him nothing but the best.

Sam Dekker, whose locker was immediately to the left of Blake Griffin’s:

“Blake is a true pro. I’ve known him longer than I’ve been in the league. He’s good friend of mine. He’s a hard worker. Coming off a back to back, I’ll come to the practice facility thinking I’m early and he’s already there getting lift in. That’s why he is the way he is. I saw a tweet yesterday that summed it up perfectly. His first basket here was an alley top dunk and his last bucket was a go-ahead three-pointer, so it showed how much he’s worked on his game and evolved as a player. You can a learn a lot from a guy like that.

C.J. Williams, two-way rookie whose locker was immediately to the right of Blake Griffin’s:

“Oh man, Blake taught me a lot. He taught me so much. That’s why yesterday after I found out, I reached out to him and just thanked him for all the stuff that he’s taught me and just wishing him good luck because he’s a great guy. He’s a great guy having in the locker room and he’s very positive a lot of times. He’s very intense and out of your franchise guy, you want that passion, that ‘never want to lose mentality.’ He’ll definitely be missed but it’s a new chapter for him and for us as a team.

Tomer Azarly, ClutchPoints

Post #7 » by **mkwest** » Mon Feb 5, 2018 8:06 am

Watch on YouTube

Final video is by Michael Barker aka mike3 who used to post on this board.

esqtvd · Post #8 » by **esqtvd** » Sat Apr 28, 2018 3:22 am

Matt Barnes on Lob City

https://clipperholics.com/2018/04/24/former-la-clipper-matt-barnes-on-lob-city-being-mentally-weak/

We got in our own way. That was most talented mentally weak team I’ve ever been on.

(We) Should have won a championship but didn’t because we were too much again each other and not against other teams.

Post #9 » by **og15** » Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:12 pm

Barnes such an instigator, leave Blake alone. I can't agree with him that they "should" have won the championship. When? He was around 12-13 to 14-15, which of those seasons would the Clippers have won? 12-13 Blake injury, VDN coaching and Spurs waiting. 13-14, Spurs waiting if they beat OKC, could have beat Spurs maybe if matchups worked, but then they have Miami who were still very good. 14-15 if the best Houston, they have GS waiting who was not a matchup favoring LAC, so when?

Post #10 » by **QRich3** » Mon Apr 30, 2018 8:35 am

Yeah, I can see 2015 if everything worked to perfection, they had perfect health but other teams still had the same injuries (Cavs for instance), and they somehow managed to contain the Warriors like they did the year before, when they still didn't know who they were. Lotta what ifs and still would've been the underdog, can't really say they should've won. The other years would've just been a miracle.

esqtvd · Post #11 » by **esqtvd** » Mon Apr 30, 2018 10:02 pm

What I got out of Tatty Matty's screed was that maybe Blake was the hole in the donut. I agree that they probably couldn't have won the Larry, but Barnes gets at the reason--the lack of leadership and chemistry. I'm not sure you can have either with Blake--I don't think he can lead or be led, and although I don't think he's a selfish player, I think his game is self-centered.

I think there are also complications with Chris--he's kind of a Kobe-type hardass but without the game to put a team on his back to win a game in the last few seconds, let alone take it all the way to the title.

And if it's true CP quit the Clips for not trading Austin for Melo [I have my doubts it's true], well, that would have been a dead end too and we'd still be stuck with the mutt for $28M next year.

Akklaim1 · Post #12 » by **Akklaim1** » Tue May 1, 2018 8:20 pm

I've been watching Blake Griffin highlights from the early 2010s lately and man do I miss that Blake. Face-up, points in the paint, spin move, 10 RPG. Now that's a power forward. Damn. Sorry, Pistons fans. But what you have now is a big man trying to play small forward with a mediocre 3 point shot.