Blake Griffin injured
Funny how it works with the Clippers.
Barely a day ago, I was doing an interview with a radio station in Oklahoma City, extolling the virtues of young Blake Griffin of the Clippers, the No. 1 overall draft pick.
We spoke about how well things have gone for him since the NBA draft, not a single misstep since he inadvertently wore a Lakers-colored purple shirt that night in New York. He averaged 19.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in five games of the recently completed NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and was named the league's most outstanding player.
Well ...
The news surfaced Wednesday that Griffin has a strained right shoulder and will not be attending the USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas as a precautionary measure, according to a team announcement. He had suffered the injury in the third game of summer league.
That didn't seem overly serious.
But the release went on to say he would be out for three to four weeks. That raised a few eyebrows in the office among those long familiar with Clipper lore.
The lore? Never going to underestimate it again.
-- Lisa Dillman
Photo: Clippers' Blake Griffin has a strained shoulder and will be out for three to four weeks. Photo credit: Laura Rauch / Associated Press
