A little more than a week after losing Chris Paul to left thumb surgery, the Los Angeles Clippers have gotten some good news.
Blake Griffin is on his way back.
Per ESPN.com’s Kevin Arnovitz:
https://twitter.com/kevinarnovitz/status/823668482730524672
Griffin hasn’t played since Dec. 18 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. His return comes not a moment too soon, since the Clippers will be without Paul for a protracted period of time.
It’s unlikely that Griffin returns to bring down the house right away, and the Clippers are playoff locks thanks to the hot-garbage fire that is the bottom half of the Western Conference. But getting Griffin back into the swing of things, even if it takes a few weeks, could be the difference between the Clippers maintaining and losing home-court advantage through the first-round of the playoffs. And even if they can’t hold onto to the No. 4 seed, they’ll damn sure want to avoid sliding down to the No. 7 slot, where a first-round matchup with the San Antonio Spurs will await.
On the most fundamental level, the Clippers are lucky Griffin’s return almost perfectly aligned with Paul’s absence. Having everyone healthy is the goal, but it’s imperative they at least have two of their three stars healthy at all times.
