Blake Griffin News: Pro Sports Daily

Blake Griffin undergos successfull knee surgery

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January 21

Los Angeles Times

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"The Clippers said rookie forward Blake Griffin underwent successful surgery to repair his damaged knee at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Center in Los Angeles. Griffin, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, suffered a stress fracture at the bottom of his left kneecap during the Clippers' final preseason game Oct. 23."

Clippers' Blake Griffin takes setback in stride

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January 15

Los Angeles Times

"With little emotion or inflection in his voice, Blake Griffin said the dreaded thought already had been in his head. One day after the Clippers said their rookie power forward would need knee surgery that would delay his NBA debut until next season, Griffin said Thursday that the decision was "the best choice" for his nascent career. "This has been a possibility in the back of my mind that it might have to happen, so it made it a little bit easier to process," he said. In a nine-minute news conference at the Clippers' training facility in Playa Vista, Griffin said he was "obviously disappointed" but that "it's better to take care of it now and not have to deal with it in the future." The ..."

Jeff Capel says Blake Griffin will be just fine

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January 14

The Oklahoman

columnist John Rohde

"Winning the NBA lottery doesn't necessarily mean you've won. The top overall pick comes with no guarantees.Two of the last three No. 1 draft choices have been lost to season-ending knee injuries. Portland lost center Greg Oden before the 2007 season. The Los Angeles Clippers have now lost Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin, the top pick last June.If Griffin is going to win NBA Rookie of the Year, he'll have to do so next season.Slow to heal from a broken left kneecap, Griffin will require surgery and be out at least another four months. An injury expected to keep Griffin sidelined roughly 6-8 weeks under the best-case scenario will now keep him off the court at least seven months total."I know ..."

Clippers lose Griffin for the season

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January 14

Los Angeles Times

"The Clippers' Blake Griffin won't have an appointment to play against the Chicago Bulls in late January, or the Atlanta Hawks in early February, or against any other NBA team this season. Now the most important appointment Griffin will be keeping will come Jan. 20. Only it will be at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who will operate on Griffin's left knee. Thus, Griffin's rookie season has ended. Then again, it never really started for the star-crossed Clipper. The Clippers announced Wednesday that Griffin, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, experienced some "discomfort in his recently accelerated rehabilitation program," and needs surgery, meaning he will be ..."

Clippers' Blake Griffin to have surgery, miss entire season

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January 13

Los Angeles Times

"Clippers rookie Blake Griffin's season is over. Then again, it never really started for the star-crossed Clipper. The Clippers announced on Tuesday that the power forward experienced some "discomfort in his recently accelerated rehabilitation program" and will require knee surgery, meaning he will be out for four to six months. The No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft last summer suffered a stress fracture in his left kneecap in the Clippers' final preseason game in October, and had only recently been cleared to increased his workload, late last month. The Clippers had hoped he would soon be able to practice."

Griffin to Undergo Season Ending Surgery

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January 13

NBA.com

"After experiencing some discomfort during his recently-accelerated rehabilitation program, Clippers' forward Blake Griffin was examined Tuesday afternoon by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. As a result of that examination, it has been determined that the healing in his left patella area has not improved to the expected required level. Griffin will undergo a surgical procedure in the near future, with a recovery prognosis of four to six months. Team personnel will be made available to the media. Further details will be made available as events develop."

Mike Dunleavy says Blake Griffin is close to practing

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January 11

The Oklahoman

"Griffin, the former Oklahoma star who was the NBA's No. 1 draft pick, is still waiting to make his debut after suffering a stress fracture in his left kneecap.He has been steadily rehabilitating the knee, but no timetable has been set for when he'll play his first regular-season game or, for that matter, when he'll first practice when contact with other players is involved."

Clippers forward Blake Griffin might practice soon

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January 10

Los Angeles Times

"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. Griffin, a power forward who was the NBA's No. 1 draft pick, is still waiting to make his debut after suffering a stress fracture in his left kneecap. He has been steadily rehabilitating the knee, but no timetable has been set for when he'll play his first regular-season game or, for that matter, when he'll first practice when contact with other players is involved. 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 ..."

No return date for Clippers' Griffin

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January 7

ESPN.com

"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."

Griffin patiently plays waiting game, as do Clips

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January 6

L.A. Daily News

columnist Vincent Bonsignore

"Blake Griffin, standing tall and sturdy, sets a pick at the top of the key for Steve Novak, who nails the open jumper. A short while later, Griffin sinks a long-range 3 from the far right baseline. Just what the Clippers envisioned when they drafted Griffin first overall in last June's NBA draft, right? An exceptionally talented big man with a dazzling array of skills. Tough enough to create an open look for a teammate with a hard pick one second, and gifted enough to step outside and drain a 3-point shot the next. Right? Yes and no. Griffin and Novak were simulating a two-man set a few hours before the Clippers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday at Staples Center. It wasn't an ..."

After a Bout With Injury, Griffin Still Waiting to Contribute to Clippers

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January 3

New York Times

"The shot by Baron Davis didn't even nick the rim, lest it take a typical Clippers bounce and kick out. Instead, it swished right through, a buzzer-beater that upended the Boston Celtics last week and momentarily allowed the Clippers to feel better about a season that will probably end where it often does — at the door to the N.B.A.'s draft lottery. Still, even this moment, the highlight of the Clippers' season, was tinged with the bittersweet. For amid the mini-mob scene, as Davis was engulfed by his happy teammates, it was easy to spot Blake Griffin, wearing a pinstriped suit instead of a Clippers jersey and still waiting to play his first minutes in the N.B.A. Griffin's participation in ..."

Clippers rookie Blake Griffin getting back in step

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December 27

Los Angeles Times

"One, indeed, was the loneliest number. His teammates had long cleared off the court at US Airways Center, having finished their pregame duties. Baron Davis went down to the far end of the court to work on his shot, along with his mentor, Clippers assistant coach John Lucas. Finally, Davis retreated to the locker room to get ready for Friday night's game against the Suns in Phoenix. Which left one player out there: rookie power forward Blake Griffin. Griffin worked on his shot, taking free throws and then longer-range shots until about 15 to 20 minutes before game time. This was a rare road trip with his Clippers teammates for Griffin, who has been out all season because of a stress ..."

Blake Griffin's rehab progresses; Camby, Thornton are injured

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December 26

Los Angeles Times

"Looks as if that Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill arrived at the Clippers' training facility just in time. It was, of course, supposed to be for one injured patient named Blake Griffin, representing another step in his long-and-winding rehabilitation assignment. The Clippers' rookie power forward went through the paces on the machine Thursday, and his close buddy and teammate DeAndre Jordan decided to try it out and looked like a cartoon character, clowning around on the high-tech apparatus. Will there be other anti-gravity clients? Considering the Clippers' past and present . . . well . . . probably. Two others could be Al Thornton and Marcus Camby, both suffering injuries in the Clippers' ..."

Blake Griffin's recovery takes another step forward

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December 24

Los Angeles Times

"Forward motion is, as they say, a good thing. It's gotten so that not-so-bad news about the Clippers' highly regarded rookie power forward and No. 1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin actually falls into the good-news department. On the face of it, word from the team Wednesday about Griffin's being cleared by doctors to begin running on an anti-gravity treadmill is a positive development. Griffin received the medical clearance after a series of tests on his injured left knee Tuesday, including a CT scan and MRI exam. He suffered a stress fracture of his left kneecap in the Clippers' final exhibition game on Oct. 23 against New Orleans. That was two months ago. Original projections had ..."

Blake Griffin not due back until January

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December 3

Los Angeles Times

"Momentum is an elusive quality for the Clippers, one that seems to slip away at the first hint of a positive development. The franchise gets the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft . . . only to watch Blake Griffin go down before the season opener because of a serious knee injury. They take solace in the presence of Eric Gordon . . . until the second-year shooting guard is sidelined for eight games because of a sore left groin. They win four of five games in late November and get Gordon back . . . only to lose him again because of a sore left hamstring. So it goes for one of the most anguished teams in professional sports, with the Clippers struggling again in Gordon's absence Wednesday night at ..."

Clippers want to be in winning territory by Griffin's return

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December 2

Los Angeles Times

"December could be a rare month to remember for the Clippers. Having closed to within two games of .500 without rookie Blake Griffin, the Clippers hope to nudge their record into winning territory before they welcome back the No. 1 overall draft pick from what so far has been a season-long knee injury. "Whew, man," small forward Al Thornton said when asked where the Clippers would be if they could sustain their recent success until Griffin's expected return late this month. "We'd be scary if we keep playing the way we are and get the No. 1 pick back and get him into the flow of things. It could be on the up and up." The Clippers (8-10) have won four of their last five games, but they might ..."

Injury sidelines Blake Griffin

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October 28

Los Angeles Times

"Where Amazin' didn't happen . . . This was supposed to be the NBA regular-season debut for one Blake Griffin, also fondly called Amazin' by his admiring Clippers teammates for his self-generated, live-action hoop highlights. Granted, it was always going to be a tough task to compete with the emotion of the Lakers' ring ceremony Tuesday night at Staples Center. But the news that the dynamic Clippers rookie power forward had a stress fracture of his left kneecap and could be out for up to six weeks deflated his teammates and the organization. Despite the brave words before the Lakers' 99-92 victory over the Clippers, the honest assessment was that the Griffin injury was a big setback for a ..."

Griffin injury won't keep Clippers down

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October 28

L.A. Daily News

"Clippers president Andy Roeser was walking quietly through the halls of Staples Center before Tuesday night's season opener against the Lakers. In case you were wondering, his chin was up and there were no visible signs of distress. On Monday, the team's prized rookie, Blake Griffin, was diagnosed with a non-displaced stress fracture on his left kneecap that will cause him to miss approximately six weeks. Clipper Curse? Actually, from the sorrowful tones people used in expressing their sympathy it was more like Clipper hearse? Not that they wanted to hear about it. "There is no curse," Roeser said. "We don't sit around and talk about it that way at all. I'm sure it's great for selling ..."

Blake Griffin has stress fracture in kneecap

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October 27

Los Angeles Times

"Clippers' rookie power forward Blake Griffin, the No. 1 overall draft choice in June, has a stress fracture of the left patella, or kneecap, and could miss as much as six weeks of the season. The news, released late Monday, came on the eve of the team's NBA opener, and the blow was a significant one, meaning the Clippers will be starting the season minus the fresh new face of the franchise and might be without him in the lineup for the first 20 games of the season. Tests revealed the fracture and a second opinion later in the day backed up the results and conclusion of the first doctor. A Clippers spokesperson said it is a non-displaced fracture. But the team will take a conservative ..."

Blake Griffin is learning his place

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October 23

Los Angeles Times

"Lessons for a rookie, Part 9. There's plenty for Clippers rookie Blake Griffin to remember and, by all accounts, he's doing a standout job, on and off the court. But even the most diligent of pupils can slip up from time to time. "Biggest thing I've learned?" he said on Thursday. "Being in somebody's spot when you're a rookie, you've got to move. I've been kicked out of so many spots." Such as the wrong chair on the side of the court, wrong seat on the bus, wrong yoga mat . . . and wrong shower. Shower? Griffin nodded. "You've got to remember," he said. "I think I've got it down now.""

Blake Griffin, goes all out in preseason debut

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October 10

Los Angeles Times

"Breathtaking? And how about adding breath-stopping to the mix? The Clippers' Blake Griffin managed to do just that in one memorable quarter in his highly anticipated NBA preseason debut, a 97-85 Clippers victory against the Portland Trailblazers on Friday night at Staples Center. In all, he had eight points on three-for-six shooting and five rebounds in 21 minutes. His second quarter featured mammoth dunks and one sequence where he went flying over the scorer's table and just as swiftly, recollected himself and displayed some showy ball-handling skills before turning it over. "I was trying to hustle," Griffin said. "Then went into the stands and the ball came right to me and I messed it ..."

Blake Griffin returns to very active duty

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October 9

Los Angeles Times

"Blake Griffin's basketball torture -- jokingly called "detention" by one of his Clippers teammates -- came to an official end on Thursday. Limitations were lifted and the power forward was free to roam and rebound at will during a high-energy scrimmage at the Clippers' training facility in Playa Vista. Of course, the so-called detention was for his own protection. And it wasn't because he'd done anything wrong. The Clippers rookie had been one tremendously frustrated No. 1 overall draft pick since he hurt his left knee a few days before training camp opened late last month. Griffin is scheduled to make his exhibition-game debut tonight at Staples Center against Portland. "It felt good, ..."

Clippers' Blake Griffin expected to play Friday's exhibition

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October 7

Los Angeles Times

"After suffering a knee injury five days before the beginning of training camp, Clippers forward Blake Griffin will participate in contact drills in practice Thursday and is expected to play in an exhibition game Friday night at Staples Center against the Portland Trail Blazers. "I've only been out a week, but it feels like a month," Griffin said after the Clippers practiced Tuesday. "Even watching practice is rough. It's worse that I'm completely dressed and I have the uniform on." His return could have been today. But Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy told his players after Tuesday's practice they would have today off if one of them made a half-court shot. Shooting guard Rasual Butler called ..."

Dunleavy: Griffin's recovery is moving forward

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August 18

Los Angeles Times

"After straining his right shoulder last month during the NBA's Summer League, Clippers forward Blake Griffin has practiced shooting while abstaining from any contact drills, according to Coach Mike Dunleavy. "Everything is moving forward probably even ahead of schedule," he said Monday at the Clippers' training facility in Playa Vista. Griffin, whom the Clippers selected out of Oklahoma as the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, suffered the injury in the third game of Summer League. Doctors estimated on July 22 that he would be sidelined three to four weeks. Griffin averaged 19.2 points and 10.8 rebounds in five games this summer. Dunleavy doesn't see Griffin's injury as an issue and thinks ..."

Strained right shoulder sidelines Blake Griffin

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July 23

Los Angeles Times

"Clippers forward Blake Griffin is expected to be sidelined at least three weeks because of a strained right shoulder he suffered during last week's Las Vegas Summer League, the team announced in a statement today. Two examinations on Tuesday prompted team doctors to advise that Griffin abstain from competition, starting with the USA Basketball National Team Mini-Camp that begins today. In the statement, the Clippers said Griffin will maintain the same level of lower body training and conditioning. Griffin was named the most outstanding player in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 19.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and impressing Clippers Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy ..."

Total package: Clippers' Griffin has combo of speed, power

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July 16

USA Today

"It hasn't taken long for top NBA draft pick Blake Griffin to cause commotion on a team often starving for publicity.After his 27-point effort in an NBA Summer League game this week, the Los Angeles Clippers' rookie power forward returned with the team to their hotel. While in a narrow corridor, a group of fans noticed Griffin and surged forward in hopes of meeting him and getting an autograph. "Mostly grown men, so it wasn't really my crowd," Griffin, 20, said. "It was a little crazy, but it died down." If Griffin continues to make the strides that are expected, it won't be long before those across all demographics will be jockeying for position when he approaches. In two games here, ..."

Griffin impresses in Summer League Debut

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July 14

L.A. Daily News

"The first time Blake Griffin handled the basketball as a professional, he won the opening tip Monday night. The second time he touched the ball, he made a layup for the Clippers' first points in their 93-82 summer-league victory over the Lakers. Then he made a short bank shot on the Clippers' next possession. Then he stepped to the perimeter and hit a 3-pointer the next time he got the ball. And so it went. Griffin scored 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds and added one assist in his first 29 minutes, 34 seconds as a Clipper. He left the game in the final minute to a hearty ovation from an estimated 3,000 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center. David Stern, the NBA ..."

Clippers make way for Griffin

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July 2

L.A. Daily News

"Not to worry, Blake Griffin will have plenty of room to operate. The Clippers agreed to a deal Wednesday that will send power forward Zach Randolph to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for guard Quentin Richardson, according to two NBA sources with knowledge of the deal. Though the Clippers were reluctant to trade Randolph - a solid 20-point, 10-rebound- a-game player whom they had targeted in a trade last season - the move was made to clear playing time for Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick in last week's draft. Due to league rules, the deal can not be completed until next week. Randolph was the team's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder last season. He averaged 20.9 points, 9.4 ..."

Clippers' No. 1 pick Griffin rolls up sleeves and gets to work

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June 30

L.A. Daily News

"Clippers assistant general manager Neil Olshey's phone rang at 8:30a.m. Saturday. Surprise, surprise. It was Blake Griffin. The newest Clipper, selected first overall in Thursday's NBA draft after more than a month of buildup, had flown into Los Angeles and was ready to get to work. "I got a call from him asking if I could track down the strength and conditioning coaches to get him into the gym," Olshey said. "And by 11a.m. he went through a full weight workout, got treatment, was on the floor for two hours and was right back at it again. "How many guys," Olshey asked, "are going to get a full 2"

Is Clippers' Griffin ready to take on L.A.?

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June 26

Orange County Register

"Newest Clipper Blake Griffin was the top story in the glamorous L.A. sports market after Thursday night's NBA Draft. The Clippers hope Griffin can help them make noise for the rest of his career, too. Regularly an afterthought in shadows of the Lakers, UCLA and recently USC, Los Angeles' other basketball franchise officially selected the standout All-American with its top overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. "When nobody expects you to do something, you have time to work, time to build, and hopefully that's what we'll do," Griffin said. "Hopefully over the next year or two years make playoff pushes and become a team that's regularly in the post season." One draft can't rewrite the Clippers' ..."

Clippers stay true to word and draft Blake Griffin

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June 26

Los Angeles Times

"Taking Blake Griffin with the No. 1 selection in the NBA draft was the incredibly simple move for the Clippers, the painfully easy open jumper, if you will. Now comes the hard part. "It's definitely going to take time, and it's not all about me," said Griffin on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. He was speaking minutes after the Clippers took him at No. 1, just the way General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy said they would do so back on the night of the draft lottery in May. The 20-year-old from Oklahoma was accurate when he said it wasn't all about him. So, who else will it be about? And who won't it be about? Those will be the pressing questions in the giddy aftermath of ..."