Blake Griffin, who re-signed with the Clippers on a five-year, $173MM deal this offseason, said the decision to stay was a “no-brainer,” as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com relays.
“Obviously this has been my home since I was drafted, and a lot went into this decision for me,” Griffin said. “Not only what was best for me and my family, but just the quality of people and work that we have here. That goes from owners all the way down to the coaching staff to the roster to everything just day-to-day. I think with [Clippers owner] Steve Ballmer and [president of basketball operations and head coach] Doc [Rivers] and [executive vice president of basketball operations] Lawrence [Frank], all the way down, in the end I realized this is a no-brainer for me. This is the best place for me. This is a place where I want to start and finish my career.”
The power forward had meetings scheduled with the Suns and Nuggets early in the free agency period, though he canceled them both after meeting with the Clippers. Griffin was impressed with the team’s presentation. He added that he expects the team to play faster now that Chris Paul has departed.
“The size and speed on this team is exciting. I think playing in transition, getting out, keeping the ball moving, playing free is something we’re looking forward to. I think we’re well equipped,” Griffin said.
Los Angeles made several additions after bringing Griffin back. The Clips added Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams when they sent Chris Paul to Houston. They brought in Danilo Gallinari via sign-and-trade and they signed European star Milos Teodosic.
When Griffin will get an opportunity to play alongside his new roommates is unclear, as he’s recovering from an injury to his big toe. He’s aggressively rehabbing his injury and hopes to be ready for the season.
“I’ve met with probably five different foot specialists before surgery, and everybody’s conclusion was that training camp was a very realistic possibility,” Griffin said. “So I expect to be ready to go by training camp. Within the next few weeks here I’ll be able to go on the court and ramp up things there. It’s been nice to be on court and do ballhandling and free throws and stuff like that, but [I’m] just taking it week by week really.”
Fringe playoff contender. Gallo can’t play the three and they’ll soon realize that defensively. While the league is getting smaller and faster, the Clips are getting bigger and slower.
who on our team is big and slow other than gallo?
Doc Rivers