Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, better yet former Oklahoma Christian School star who hasn’t played since Christmas due to a tor quad muscle will be out even longer now due to an injured hand.
Michael Eaves of ESPN reported that Blake injured his hand “after hitting a member of the teams equipment staff during an argument in Toronto.” Apparently the argument started in a Toronto restaurant, escalated outside, where Blake ultimately punched the staff member many times and broke his hand. The staffer was sent home after he suffered a facial injury. Reports say Griffin and the staff member are coincidentally good friends and hang out a lot off the court in both home and away games.
What does this mean for the Clips?
Well for OKC Thunder fans it means that we more than likely will be a lock at the No. 3 spot in the west, but for the Clippers who are actually (11-3) without Blake it could mean turmoil when they look towards the playoffs.
Right now, Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, and J.J. Reddick have played unbelievably well without Blake and they have a three game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies who haven’t looked like the Grizzlies of previous years lately. However, in the final weeks of the season, into the playoffs, it’s all about the team getting into a rhythm and depth. With Blake potentially just returning at that point, there could be a problem with rhythm. The team would have played about half the season without Blake and may have gotten into a rotation (if they haven’t already), which will cause a major problem for this team especially going into series with OKC, San Antonio, or Golden State.
