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mkwest wrote:

I'd love to see him come in and play like he did in preseason, but I primarily just want to see him finish the season healthy.

Griffin patiently plays waiting game, as do Clips

"I'm just happy to get him out there," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "It's just good to see him running full speed on a treadmill, full body weight, and out on the court shooting shots."

Just like Griffin fights the urge to do too much too soon, Dunleavy resists the temptation of thinking too far ahead with his young talent.

It's frustrating enough not having him at all, but it's almost more maddening when Dunleavy starts visualizing Griffin in the lineup. "At this point there really isn't a whole lot of expectations," Dunleavy said. "I just have to wait until I see actually see him out on the court."

The Clippers will monitor the impact the latest activity has on Griffin's knee, and if everything checks out he'll get the OK to ramp up the action in a week or so.

Then there is the matter of building his stamina back up to withstand the grind of actual games. They'll figure out how he actually fits into the lineup in the days and weeks following his return.

"I don't have anything set in stone in terms of what I want to do when I get back," Griffin said. "I just want to come in and provide an added piece that we might be missing. And that may change from game to game."

The key is to finally get on the court, in an actual game. For Griffin and the Clippers, that day can't come soon enough.

Vincent Bonsignore, Daily News

Clippers target Jan. 20 for Griffin’s debut

The Los Angeles Clippers have targeted Jan. 20 as the night they hope rookie forward Blake Griffin(notes) finally makes his NBA debut, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

The Clippers play the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center on Jan. 20 before departing for an eight-game road trip. Griffin, the top pick in the 2009 draft, has yet to play because of a stress fracture in his left kneecap. If Griffin is healthy enough to face the Bulls, he’ll play limited minutes.

Griffin began doing on-court workouts with Clippers assistant coach Fred Vinson on Dec. 28, but isn’t expected to be cleared for contact until the middle of this month. Griffin hasn’t put on any additional weight, despite the layoff and has worked on his 3-point shot and ball handling. He’ll likely come off the bench once he does return.

Marc J. Spears, Yahoo! Sports

No return date for Clippers' Griffin

Blake Griffin would love to know when he'll be able to play his first game for the Los Angeles Clippers. To set a date, circle it on his calendar and call up all his friends and invite them to the game, maybe even tweet it.

That's not possible just yet.

"I'll be back when I'll be back. My doctor doesn't even know yet," Griffin said on Wednesday, when asked about a report saying the team was targeting Jan. 20 as a possible debut for the No. 1 overall pick, who has been recovering from a stress fracture in his knee since the preseason.

"I don't even have an appointment scheduled yet. I feel good, it's just a matter of getting cleared."

Here's the latest on what Griffin can and can't do:

He can: run on a treadmill, shoot 3-pointers, do agility drills on the court and lift weights.

He can't: participate in scrimmages or full-court basketball drills.

"I have no idea where that Jan. 20 date came from. I don't think it's an accurate date at all," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "But he's progressing. He's on the court. He's shooting the ball. He's on the treadmill with full body weight. He's shooting, running around, controlled stuff right now.

"We don't need to set dates. The first day he's ready to play, that's when we want him."

Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Los Angeles

Clippers forward Blake Griffin might practice soon

Injured Clippers rookie Blake Griffin might finally join his teammates in practice later this week, but only for running and shooting, Coach Mike Dunleavy said Saturday.

But Griffin is nearly ready to join his teammates for a so-called "5 and 0" practice drill, in which "we have our team running up and down full court, full speed, running plays and things of that nature" without a defense on the court, Dunleavy said after the team's practice Saturday.

"I would assume that to be, like, next week at some point," Dunleavy said.

"I think he's capable of about everything except he hasn't taken the step of really exploding up and having to land," Dunleavy said. "That is the last hurdle that he'd have to get through to get to contact" practice with other players.

"It's probably still very conservative, but that's the way we're doing it."

Jim Peltz, LA Times