"As he held court at the head of a table inside a ballroom at a plush downtown hotel, Blake Griffin's fitted red flannel shirt and skinny black tie stood out as somewhat of a shout out to his forgotten franchise.

It was a daring choice of clothing, no matter the intent.

But Griffin had the look of a Los Angeles Clipper, in a room filled with NBA All-Stars, symbolically strutting his stuff.

And he was big enough to get away with it.

Halfway across the room, Pau Gasol, Griffin's counterpart in this city, sat in front of roughly half the amount of media. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant barely drew more attention than Griffin.

Welcome to the new era of basketball in Los Angeles, where Griffin is turning heads and taking a franchise to heights previously unseen.

With Griffin, the Clippers are now competing with the beloved Lakers for this city's attention. But Griffin hasn't just become the talk of the town. He's become the talk of the league."