Blake Griffin hasn’t suited up since Dec. 18 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee knee. The Los Angeles Clippers are hoping that changes in the near future—perhaps by the end of January.
From ESPN.com’s Kevin Arnovitz:
– Clippers forward Blake Griffin is on target for his return, coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday night.
“He feels great,” Rivers said prior to the Clippers’ game against the Orlando Magic at Staples Center. “He told me that he’s felt as good as he’s felt in a long time. I think that the four to five weeks … it’s still that.”
…
Griffin will miss his 13th consecutive game on Wednesday night. Rivers wouldn’t specify a return date, but team sources said the Clippers are hopeful he could return during the last week of January, which would correspond with the initial diagnosis of four to six weeks.
“I don’t know if he’s ahead of schedule, on schedule, but all things are go for him — and that’s very positive for us,” Rivers said.
In the 13 games Griffin has missed, the Clippers are 7-6, with a 20th-place offensive rating and 17th-ranked net rating, according to NBA.com. His absence has also coincided with Chris Paul’s hamstring injury, so there is a lot of noise in those numbers. But the going without him this season hasn’t been as easy as it was last season.
Which probably puts to bed the idea that Los Angeles needs to move him in exchange for spare parts ahead of his free agency this summer (early termination option).
Then again, it’s tough to imagine the Clippers getting much this late into the game for him anyway. He’s coming off injury, and his free agency is a half-season away. He’s finishing the season in the La La Land—hopefully healthy, for the Clippers’ sake.
