Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin and Condoning Overrated

In a game with serious playoff implications for both the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers—one in which Phoenix prevailed—Lopez was called for a Flagrant 2 and ejected from the game after he prevented Griffin from scoring an easy two points. Subsequently, if there was ever a time to call bull on the NBA, it’s now.

Lopez’s hacking of Griffin wasn’t pretty, and it may have even been an intentionally brutal, but it was far less malicious than Westbrook’s Flagrant 1 on King James.

Both fouls were enacted in an attempt to prevent an easy basket, and both came in games with serious postseason implications, yet one was clearly more premeditated and potentially harmful than the other. So, why is it that the lesser of two so-called evils is the one that got slapped with most severe of consequences?

Star-power.

While it was one of the greatest players of all-time in James who went down crashing to the hardwood merely two weeks ago, it was one of the most talented young guns in the game who relegated him there. The result? A smack on the wrist for Westbrook and a sterner than normal reaction for James in the form of a Flagrant 1.

In the case of Lopez versus Griffin, though, a virtual nobody made a questionable play on an overhyped somebody. However, on this occasion, with the game actually on the line, the “villainous” defender was sent back into the locker room for the remainder of the contest.

And no, that’s not a joke.

Yes, Lopez’s foul undoubtedly warranted a Flagrant 1. An ejection, though? Absolutely not.

Lopez’s ejection was essentially collateral damage in the NBA’s attempt to coddle its superstars. And while the very premise of that argument is questionable, the reality is, at least here, it had no business being implemented.

Let’s make one thing clear: Blake Griffin is not a superstar. He’s an athletic freak, masquerading as an All-Star. And yes, there is a difference.

After enjoying a rookie season that saw his production soar amidst a team with little upside, Griffin’s potential as a player has never been more clear; the kid can dunk, but his offensive efficiency is dependent upon catching perfectly-placed passes, specifically those of Chris Paul.

Prior to the end of the lockout, ESPN ranked Griffin the 10th best player in the NBA. Let that sink in, and digest it. And now, spit it out, because it’s absolute crap.

Griffin is a defensive liability who camps out under the basket in hopes that botched field-goal attempts carom off the rim and into his hands. He has a limited skill set on the offensive end and has managed to somehow feign toughness while flopping across the court like a fish out of water.

The point, you ask?

The NBA has always catered to its star players, an equivocal principle in itself. That said, it’s a reality most have come to accept, and one that some even embrace. But it becomes an irrefutable problem when the league and its officials blur the line between superstar and athletically-gifted mascot.

Griffin is no superstar, he’s overrated in every facet of the game. He has the tools, or rather, the sheer athleticism, necessary to refine his game and hone his skills, but has a long way to go before he can be given the same preferential treatment and benefit of the doubt as LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.

That’s the tragical enlightenment of Lopez’s ejection. It demonstrated not only how protective the NBA is of its stars, but how clouded judgement is with regard to what constitutes being considered a star.

Griffin’s exaggerated stature has became a wide-spread epidemic, and after this latest display of unwarranted indulgence, it appears there is no vaccine to counteract its effects.

The Suns managed to emerge from their scuffle against the Clippers victorious despite the ghastly logic of the officials, yet in reality, as long as this perpetuated dynamic remains irreparable, no one is a genuine winner. Ever.