Post#1 » by mkwest » Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:53 pm
While Griffin is trying to shake off some rust, he hasn’t felt any pain in the knee. Nor has he looked tentative. His yearlong absence also provided a lesson in patience.
“Coming in you feel invincible,” he said. “You don’t expect that to happen to you. So for it to happen, it just puts everything in perspective. One play, one whatever, it can be taken away from you.
“You learn who is really on your side when things are going bad or downhill. You got to realize that the same people talking about me now are the same people talking about me last year being a bust. … Someone sent me a link to a web site that said, ‘Blake Griffin has been forgotten.’ I like stuff like that. It just gives me more motivation. It just puts wood in that fire.”
Griffin has averaged 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 74.1 percent in his first three exhibition games. The Clippers want him to improve his defense and the release point on his jump shot – typical issues for a young player. His free-throw shooting (10 of 24) also needs a lot of work.
The rest of Griffin’s game has drawn only praise.
“I don’t know how you could help but be super impressed with Blake Griffin,” Kings coach Paul Westphal said. “I think he’s a multiyear All-Star right there.”
Because he didn’t play a single game last season, Griffin will be eligible for the 2010 Rookie of the Year award. He should face stiff competition from the No. 1 pick of the most recent draft, Washington Wizards guard John Wall(notes), but Griffin isn’t worried. He’s just glad to be back on the court.
“Everybody is talking about it,” Griffin said. “But I’d much rather give up that trophy to make the playoffs and be healthy all year.”
Marc J. Spears,
Yahoo! Sports
