Kevin Durant praises Blake Griffin

They both transformed their teams. They both put up monster numbers in their NBA debuts. And they both won the rookie of the year award.

But what would have happened if Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant had entered the league at the same time? Who would have been most deserving of the honor?

Durant says that's a no-brainer. "[Griffin] would have been rookie of the year."

Said Griffin: "I dont know about that. We were kind of in two different positions as rookies. We both did come in and we got to play a lot of minutes. You know, it's hard to say."

After being selected as the top draft pick by the Clippers in 2009, Griffin averaged 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds in his rookie debut last season. (He suffered a broken left knee cap during the final preseason game in 2009 that kept him sidelined that year.) Durant, who was selected second by the Seattle Supersonics in 2007, averaged 20.3 points and 4.4 rebounds.

"I'm just fortunate enough that I didn't play the same rookie year as he did," Durant said. But it feels good to say I was rookie of the year and be in the same class as a great player like Blake."

Trying to choose which one of Griffin's dunks last season was the most spectacular is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child -- for most people, it's an awfully difficult prospect.

So we threw the question at Griffin.

Even he stumbled a bit.

Griffin talked about how there was a nine-game home stretch last season during which the Clippers were undefeated. When prodded a bit more, he mentioned the game against the Indiana Pacers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in which he scored a career-high 47 points, shot 19 for 24 from the field and nine for 11 from the free-throw line. (He had only one dunk that game.)

After winning, 114-107, he told The Times' Lisa Dillman, "As a kid, you always dream of having big games like you see guys do all the time. I watched guys like Michael Jordan. I don't know how many 40-point games he had. You think about it and you dream about it.

"But it doesn't really hit you. I don't think twice about it to be honest. It's one of those things. You have games where shots are falling."

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Blake Griffin talks Kevin Love, 'The Body Issue'

Kevin Love and Blake Griffin on the NBA lockout

-- Melissa Rohlin

Blake Griffin talks Kevin Love, 'The Body Issue'

Blake Griffin and Kevin Love are huge competitors in the league. They both averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds last season and were considered two of the best power forwards in the NBA. Their rivalry has extended off the court as well.

Griffin recently posed in nothing but a white thong for ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue. Love joked that he would now consider posing in the buff too. 

"Let me work on it a little bit, give me three to six months," Love said at a recent promotional event at Santa Monica sports bar South. "I'll work on it and then I'll do that spread but I'm not sure it's going to be the same results. Genetically, [Griffin] was pretty blessed with his body."

Said Griffin: "I don't know if he could handle it."

Even though Griffin dished a few knocks to Love, so far, he said he hasn't received any.

"I haven't been made fun of yet," Griffin said. "I'm sure it will come."

When asked why he chose a white thong, Griffin said, "I actually don't remember why I didn't pick black, I don't know, I was just partial to white, and there was no way I was doing the leopard one."

-- Melissa Rohlin

Kevin Love and Blake Griffin on the NBA lockout

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love suggested the NBA lockout could hurt his team more than others.

"It's going to be tough to really get our team on the same page because we have such a young group of guys, a young unit of guys, where we're the youngest team in the NBA with a new coach," Love said at a promotional event at Santa Monica sports bar South.

Love, an All-Star who led the league in rebounds last season, intimated that other teams could perhaps better weather the storm.

"Teams like the Lakers, teams like the Dallas Mavericks and teams like the Boston Celtics, they have veteran players who somewhat need the rest in the off-season, a team that knows each other, has the chemistry, have played with each other.

"They'll kind of jump into the season when the season is started and the lockout is finished, and jump off where they were last year. With a team like us, we need time on the floor together."

Love was not the only player to express concern about the lockout.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who missed the 2009 season after sustaining a broken left kneecap in the final preseason game, seemed peeved that he's once again being kept off of the court.

"It's very frustrating," said Griffin, who was Rookie of the Year last season. "I think it's frustrating for all the players. We all want to be out there. We want to be playing."

— Melissa Rohlin

Blake Griffin injures foot, will miss charity game

Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin suffered a small cut on his right foot while swimming in the ocean and will not play in Sunday’s charity basketball game in Oklahoma City.

Griffin’s agent Sam Goldfeder said it was a minor injury and Griffin should be back on the court soon.

Griffin, who is from Oklahoma City, was co-sponsoring the charity event with Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant.

Other NBA stars scheduled to play in the exhibition include LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.

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NBA labor talks resume after post-midnight session

NBA lockout: Live video chat with Mike Bresnahan and Broderick Turner

--Broderick Turner

Photo: Blake Griffin receives the Rookie of the Year trophy in May. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Blake Griffin poses in a thong for ESPN's Body Issue

Blake Griffin clearly has a lot of confidence.

In his rookie year last season, he posterized veterans with his monster slam dunks. At 22 years old, he helped breathe life into a Clippers organization that was flailing.

That's nothing compared to his latest move.

The 6-foot-10 muscle-laden power forward recently posed for ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue, which hits newsstands Friday.

He wore nothing but a white thong.

At first, he said he felt "uncomfortable" but after a while "I didn't really care," he said. "They were bringing the robe over after every take and after a while, I was like, ‘Whatever, it's OK.’ I guess I'm more comfortable now with less clothes."

Blake Griffin takes comedy intern job for Will Ferrell

Stymied by the NBA lockout, Blake Griffin is going to work for Will Ferrell instead.

This week, the Clippers All-Star forward is interning at Funny Or Die, the comedy website co-founded by Ferrell and Adam McKay. Griffin arrived at the site's L.A. offices Tuesday to begin three days of work in video production.

He will help write, shoot, edit and act in several videos for the site. Funny Or Die quickly creates digital comedy videos, often with celebrity guest appearances.

Griffin said he's a big comedy fan and an avid viewer of Funny Or Die. As an intern, he hopes to learn more about film production.

“Just to get an inside look at how things are run here is exciting to me,” Griffin said Tuesday. “I don't know what interns at Funny Or Die are like, but I'm about to find out, I guess.”

Mike Farah, president of production at Funny Or Die, pledged that Griffin will be treated like other interns. He noted that the 22-year-old Griffin is, after all, about the same age as most of the site's college interns. The others, of course, may not be able to dunk over midsize sedans.

Blake Griffin honors students, says he won't play outside U.S.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin was on hand Saturday to honor 25 students from across the country who were recognized for their community leadership.

The event was held at a Universal City hotel in a red-carpet affair.

"I think it's important to honor and recognize students that have done such a good job like these students have," Griffin said. "Obviously they not only excel in the classroom, but in volunteer work."

Griffin, the NBA's rookie of the year who also won the slam dunk contest, said he enjoys doing charity work.

"It's something that when you get in this position and you're able to do things like that, that's when it really hits home and that's when you realize it's a worthwhile cause," Griffin said.

Griffin said he hasn't paid much attention to the news that some of his fellow NBA players have talked about playing overseas if the NBA lockout continues.

He said has no plans to play outside the United States.

"I'm not worried about it pretty much," Griffin said. "I'm just worried about getting better as a player."

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Blake Griffin and others on ESPYs red carpet [Video]

Blake Griffin talks avocados, reality TV at 'Green Lantern' premiere

-- Broderick Turner 

Photo: Blake Griffin is tied up with Tyler Hansbrough of the Indiana Pacers. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

On the ESPYs red carpet [Video]

Some great athletes were in attendance at the 2011 ESPYs on Wednesday, including Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Russell Westbrook. 

Yet a scrawny 17-year-old named Justin Bieber drew the most excitement (read: screams) from fans on the red carpet outside of the Nokia Theater. 

Welcome to Los Angeles.

Though Beiber deftly avoided any contact with the media (sorry to disappoint), we were able to chat with some of the athletes as they strolled by looking dapper in fine suits and flashy dresses. 

Nowitzki said that if he could play with any player in the league, he would choose Kobe Bryant. Former Laker Robert Horry said the Lakers needed a new point guard. Griffin said he was excited to see Beiber. Then he giggled. I'm not 100% sure whether he was joking. 

Kevin Love said Griffin was his greatest competition in the league. Jason Kidd said his was anyone under the age of 30. 

Does that include Bieber?

At the awards ceremony, Nowitzki was named male athlete of the year and skier Lindsey Vonn was named female athlete of the year. 

-- Melissa Rohlin 

 

Blake Griffin talks avocados, reality TV at 'Green Lantern' premiere

Blake Griffin is a spokesman for Subway, which has avocados in its sandwiches. Avocados are green, and so is the namesake hero in "Green Lantern." 

That's how the Clippers star explains (kind of) his presence at the movie's red-carpet premiere to The Times' Show Tracker blog. He also tells Amy Kaufman that he would only do reality TV "if it was a good enough show":

It would have to be something fun that I wanted to do. It couldn't just be following me around with cameras 24 hours a day. I don't think anybody would watch that. I like to keep [my love life] under wraps and keep it to myself.

To read more and see the entire interview, check out "Blake Griffin: I'd do reality television "if it was a good enough show."

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Blake Griffin donating Kia to benefit charity

Reliving all 214 of Blake Griffin's dunks from 2010-11

-- Chuck Schilken

Photo: Blake Griffin arrives at the premiere of "Green Lantern" Wednesday. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Blake Griffin donating Kia to benefit charity

There is another reason to catch newly minted rookie of the year Blake Griffin tonight on "Conan" on TBS.

Remember the Kia sedan that Griffin jumped over to win the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend?

The Clippers' Griffin is going to announce on Conan O'Brien's show that he will be donating the car for a charity auction on AutoTrader.com with proceeds benefiting Stand Up To Cancer. Griffin dedicated the All-Star weekend to his close friend Wilson Holloway, who died after a three-year fight with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Holloway died a few days before All-Star weekend and Griffin was one of the pallbearers at his funeral back home in Oklahoma

"I am honored to memorialize Wilson's legacy by helping raise funds for cancer research," Griffin said in a statement. "Wilson was an inspiration to everybody who knew him, and a very dear friend and teammate."

The auction started Thursday at 6 p.m. and runs through 6 p.m. on May 15. Additionally, Stand Up To Cancer has a fund-raising site called: Team Blake: In Honor of My Friend Wilson Holloway. The web address is www.su2c.org/BlakeDunk.

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Clippers: Blake Griffin's rookie moment

Reliving all 214 of Blake Griffin's dunks from 2010-11

--Lisa Dillman

Photo: Clippers power forward Blake Griffin easily clears the hood of a car as he takes an alley-oop pass from teammate Baron Davis (peeking through sunroof) for what proved to be the winning dunk in the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday night at Staples Center. Credit: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press

Clippers: Blake Griffin's rookie moment

There was no Kia in sight on the court but that didn't stop revisiting one of the electrifying moments of Blake Griffin's rookie season, in which he dunked over the car to win the Slam Dunk Contest.

His parents, Tommy and Gail, were on hand for Wednesday's official announcement of Griffin's NBA rookie of the year award at the Clippers' facility in Playa Vista. Naturally, Tommy was asked about their level of parental concern during All-Star weekend.

"I know she [Gail] was kind of worried," Tommy said.  "I know Blake. If Blake didn’t think he could do it, he wouldn’t do it. And he is pretty much a daredevil. But if he feels he can do it, more than likely he can do it. So I really didn't have any fear about it."

His issue was with more than the jump itself.

"I didn’t know whether he was going to go over the middle of the car or over the front of the car," he said.