Blake Has a Small Back Fracture (Don't Panic)

[mttwlsn16]

LAS VEGAS -- Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin withdrew last week from Team USA training camp for the FIBA World Cup because he was advised by doctors to give a small fracture in his back more time to heal before the start of the next NBA season, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com.

Griffin is expected to make a full recovery from the injury, which sources say was suffered during the playoffs. However, doctors advised him to sit out international competition this summer for precautionary reasons.

Griffin has continued to work out this summer in Los Angeles with teammate DeAndre Jordan and former Laker and Clipper Sasha Vujacic.

Both Griffin and Minnesota forward Kevin Love withdrew from the training camp last week, which left Team USA thin in the front court and prompted the late addition of Atlanta's Paul Millsap to the camp.

In a statement, USA Basketball said Love was unable to participate "because of his current status," a thinly veiled reference to the trade talks that have dragged on since June.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... cture-back

[QRich3]

Can't he have one single normal healthy offseason where he can work on expanding his game??

[Quake Griffin]

Wish this was caught in May and he had healed already.

Now I'm not as optimistic about him quitting international competition

[mj_shoefanatic]

As long as he's ready to go by November which sources say he will be then idc.

[ejftw]

I've had a small back fracture, and it healed within 6 weeks at the longest, with a fraction of the medical attention that Blake has at his disposal.

He'll be fine

[Roscoe Sheed]

I don't remember Blake injuring his back during the playoffs. I remember him injuring his back in a regular season game, but not the playoffs. I wonder when this happened. It was probably Ibaka's fault

[thanumba2clippersfan]

I would have liked him to play and train with Team USA. But I guess he'll just have to take the time to heel. He should be fine for the regular season so that's what matters right now.

[og15]

"My whole thing is that I didn't want to go into [Clippers training] camp and put myself in a worse position," Griffin said. "It's not that my back is broken and I'm walking around with a broken back, or I'm in so much pain.

"But if I start playing basically two months earlier than everybody else and then go through all of next season and the playoffs, then I'm probably going to put myself in a bad position. I couldn't do that."

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... -back-fine

[mj_shoefanatic]

BG has the right mindset as the season approaches. Much respect to him for that.