Hang Time: Blake Griffin Is a Stand-Up Guy

Post #1 » by **mkwest** » Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:48 am

So let's just sit here and talk Clippers. Congrats on your new five-year, $173 million deal. I would've bought you a gift, but you're rich.

Appreciate it. Yeah, I was happy. This is where I started my career, and it just made sense to stay. When I got here, they'd just won 19 games, and there was the Clippers Curse -- like, all their first-round picks were busts. We broke through that one, then it's like, "They'll never make the playoffs." Now it's, "They'll never get past the second round." So it's just the next curse challenge. I think everybody's ideal is to have a wonderful career with one franchise, like Kobe and Tim Duncan.

For the first time in your career, you're the Clippers' unquestioned leader. You ready?

Yeah, I've fully embraced that. This is my ninth year now; it's time to take on that role.

Chris was known as the in-your-face leader, a bad cop to your good one, perhaps. Based on your paddleboard coaching, I can't see you as bad cop.

[Laughs] Yeah, I led by example, but I'll be more outspoken this year. Over the years, I've learned that leaders aren't always popular. You have to say things people don't necessarily want to hear.

Which part of your game must take the biggest leap?

I'll have to become a better passer and more of a go-to guy down the stretch. And I have to expand my range to 3. It's a weapon that I need to have. As long as I'm making a decent amount of them to put pressure on teams and space the floor for us, I'm doing my job.

Sam Alipour, ESPN

Post #2 » by **QRich3** » Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:09 am

I'm not sure I'm a fan of him wanting to be a go-to guy down the stretch. Let Lou do what he's paid to, being the best player on a team doesn't mean you necessarily have to take the most important shots. If you need to score a bucket in isolation with the clock running out, you're not gonna be better than a guy who specialises in that, even if you're 10 times the player he is overall. Hope it's just lip service about what people want to hear from a star player.

Other than that, you gotta love this guy's attitude every time.

Post #3 » by **og15** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:32 pm

Blake just seems to take things in stride, the injuries probably got really annoying for him, and I can see him really wanting to be the guy even more so than Paul to prove that their group could succeed, but things just didn't work out. His answer to this question is very "what can you do", and doesn't seem like he necessarily wanted them to break it up.

Do you feel it was time for a change?

I don't know. You never want to blow up something like that -- you have All-Stars in CP and DJ [DeAndre Jordan], great pieces like J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford. But at the same time, we haven't had success, so a shake-up doesn't hurt.

....but it does line up with Doc saying that they pitched to him re-signing with or without CP and he was down with both. I love that he's not a guy who just gets content (not that he can at this point), and keeps adding and building on his game.

MartinToVaught · Post #4 » by **MartinToVaught** » Sat Oct 14, 2017 7:43 pm

I like that Blake is embracing the challenge of being a go-to guy.

Quake Griffin · Post #5 » by **Quake Griffin** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 1:02 pm

Meh.

Find it hard to see how a Blake Griffin led team can beat GSW or any LeBron led team.

I’m just gonna sit back, enjoy the rest of his prime and see if he can make a good run at the hall.

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

Neddy · Post #6 » by **Neddy** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:36 pm

Blake's next metamorphosis is to become an aggressive scorer. but I doubt he has it in him. I think he is content being a good overall player and there is nothing wrong with that. but that also means we need to surround him with people who can score.

Ranma · Post #7 » by **Ranma** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 6:48 pm

Watch on YouTube

Neddy · Post #8 » by **Neddy** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:49 am

I am glad Blake raked 29-12 in the season debut. hope this can continues and make me eat a crow.

Ranma · Post #9 » by **Ranma** » Fri Oct 27, 2017 8:10 pm

Read on Twitter

Post #10 » by **mkwest** » Sat Oct 28, 2017 4:45 am

Here are a few quotes from the article Ranma linked above.

Why Blake Griffin returned to the Clippers, embracing next-level challenge without Chris Paul

“Jerry had a major voice to me, and he’s had an influence in coming and working on the culture here,” Griffin told The Vertical. “This franchise had unfinished business, and I had unfinished business here. We had unfinished business together and I valued that. We laid it out there that no matter what was going on around us, both sides hadn’t accomplished what we set out for.

“I couldn’t abandon this now.”

“I embrace the challenge,” Griffin told The Vertical. “With Chris gone, it changed our dynamic. For me, of course, I can look at it: I have the responsibility on my shoulder – all season. I have to do it. When Chris sat out, I was able to show it. I want to prove that I can sustain that style of play. Chris was one person, but we also lost J.J. [Redick], who I knew going into the free-agency process wouldn’t be back, Jamal [Crawford], who I thought we’d keep this summer but we had to move him around.

“So part of our core guys separated and that affected us. It changed the philosophy and we had to be accepting of the challenge.”

“I’m not going to lie, after the toe injury last season, I cried,” Griffin told The Vertical. “I’ve put myself in the best possible positions, through my daily training and my recovery processes and my offseason regimen and preparation. I break down when I have these freak injuries happen, when the hard work is basically thrown out. I feel I put myself in all the right positions – and then this happens.

“It was by far the toughest, the most emotional injury for me. Again?”

Shams Charania, Yahoo! Sports

Ranma · Post #11 » by **Ranma** » Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:22 pm

Read on Twitter

Jonathan Tjarks, TheRinger.com (10/30/17)

Griffin is a bridge between two eras of power forwards. He has the body of guys from the previous generation who waged trench warfare in the paint, and the perimeter skill set of the new generation. Teams who have downsized at the position to spread the floor are defenseless against a player like Griffin. Last week, the Blazers started a converted small forward at the 4 (Al-Farouq Aminu), and he didn’t have much of a chance of muscling up with Griffin, who shot 10-of-16 from the field in the game.

The timing has been perfect. Griffin put it all together just as he was getting the chance to show everything he could do. He has always determined the Clippers’ ceiling. The highest point in the Lob City era, their first-round victory over the Spurs in 2015, came when Griffin had the best playoff series of his career, averaging 24.1 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists a game. He has been tagged as a playoff disappointment because Paul brought him to the big stage before he was ready. Big men generally take longer to develop than guards, and Griffin was an unfinished product playing on instinct in his first few seasons in the league. Paul has spent his career getting his teams to the brink as their best player, but he wasn’t big enough to push them over the top. He could only point the way to the promised land. Griffin had to lead them there.

Blake Griffin Has Entered the Future, and He’s Taking the Clippers Along with Him

Ranma · Post #12 » by **Ranma** » Sat Nov 11, 2017 2:31 am

Read on Twitter

Ranma · Post #13 » by **Ranma** » Sun Nov 12, 2017 1:09 am

Read on Twitter

esqtvd · Post #14 » by **esqtvd** » Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:11 am

it just seems so hard for Blake to score
he got to 26 but tonight it took 27 FGAs
last 5 games he avged about 8 FTAs
which is nice but you're not gonna get fat until you get into double digits

he's averaging 22 ppg but we need him to join the 25+ club and I just don't see it
the problem is that if he's playing MoreyBall, he's either heaving 3s or backing his man down
he's not slashing to the hoop
I wanna see some MaggetteBall

LATE ADD:

Blake's last 5 games: 38% FG, 26% 3-PT, 7.4 FTAs/game---22/8/5

Austin's last 5 games: 42% FG, 47% 3-PT, 15.8/2/2 [I'd say JJ is replaced!]