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Bench Warmer
The main question with Blake Griffin is when?
The Los Angeles Clippers still don't know when the rookie with the stress fracture in his left patella will play his first NBA game. There isn't even a consensus on when he will get his next set of tests on the knee. Clippers general manager/coach Mike Dunleavy said it could be on Dec. 18 or Dec. 22. Griffin said he thinks it will happen Dec. 23. A Clippers spokesman said the exact date hasn't been set yet.
Even once he gets the scans there might not be a magic return date set. It will simply give the team an idea of what the next step will be.
"The way I understood it, they have to determine how well it's healed," Griffin said. "So I guess if it is, it's a matter of me getting in shape and getting back in the swing of things."
So then the next question with Griffin would be where?
His natural position is power forward, but with Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby already in the frontcourt, he would be rotating with them. "Ultimately, there's times where you could envision the three of those guys playing together," Dunleavy said, referring to putting Griffin at small forward.
"I can play some 3, depending on the matchups," Griffin said. "Using my quickness on defense and trying to hopefully create a mismatch on the offensive end, be a big team, be a rebounding team."
Dunleavy is concerned about the impact the long layoff from game action will have on Griffin's outside shot. His range was steadily expanding and the Clippers even had hopes he could develop into a 3-point threat before he suffered the injury in the preseason.
Since Griffin isn't allowed to jump, his practice is limited to set shots, usually from just inside the 3-point line. He claims his free throw form is getting better (while practicing before the Clippers' game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night he made 9 of 12 free throws in one stretch, then saw his percentage drop closer to 60 percent).
The Clippers still rave about his work habits (he's usually at practice early at 7 a.m.) and loved the advanced court sense he displayed before he was hurt. Now they want to see how he impacts the team.
"He's kind of that wild-card player for us," Dunleavy said. "The nights we want to play him against [Ron] Artest because he's the only guy that we have bodywise that can do that, you can do that. The nights you want to play him against Rashard Lewis or one of the guys that goes small, you can do that. We have a guy that we think can defend those positions and then be aggressive to attack them as well. Instead of it being an advantage for them, it becomes potentially a disadvantage as well."
Wherever he plays it will be better than his current spot: in a suit at the end of the bench.
By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com
The Los Angeles Clippers still don't know when the rookie with the stress fracture in his left patella will play his first NBA game. There isn't even a consensus on when he will get his next set of tests on the knee. Clippers general manager/coach Mike Dunleavy said it could be on Dec. 18 or Dec. 22. Griffin said he thinks it will happen Dec. 23. A Clippers spokesman said the exact date hasn't been set yet.
Even once he gets the scans there might not be a magic return date set. It will simply give the team an idea of what the next step will be.
"The way I understood it, they have to determine how well it's healed," Griffin said. "So I guess if it is, it's a matter of me getting in shape and getting back in the swing of things."
So then the next question with Griffin would be where?
His natural position is power forward, but with Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby already in the frontcourt, he would be rotating with them. "Ultimately, there's times where you could envision the three of those guys playing together," Dunleavy said, referring to putting Griffin at small forward.
"I can play some 3, depending on the matchups," Griffin said. "Using my quickness on defense and trying to hopefully create a mismatch on the offensive end, be a big team, be a rebounding team."
Dunleavy is concerned about the impact the long layoff from game action will have on Griffin's outside shot. His range was steadily expanding and the Clippers even had hopes he could develop into a 3-point threat before he suffered the injury in the preseason.
Since Griffin isn't allowed to jump, his practice is limited to set shots, usually from just inside the 3-point line. He claims his free throw form is getting better (while practicing before the Clippers' game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night he made 9 of 12 free throws in one stretch, then saw his percentage drop closer to 60 percent).
The Clippers still rave about his work habits (he's usually at practice early at 7 a.m.) and loved the advanced court sense he displayed before he was hurt. Now they want to see how he impacts the team.
"He's kind of that wild-card player for us," Dunleavy said. "The nights we want to play him against [Ron] Artest because he's the only guy that we have bodywise that can do that, you can do that. The nights you want to play him against Rashard Lewis or one of the guys that goes small, you can do that. We have a guy that we think can defend those positions and then be aggressive to attack them as well. Instead of it being an advantage for them, it becomes potentially a disadvantage as well."
Wherever he plays it will be better than his current spot: in a suit at the end of the bench.
By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com
