Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE
Los Angeles Clippers’ power forward Blake Griffin will miss the remainder of his tenure with the USA Olympics basketball team due to a torn meniscus in his left knee, according to the L.A. Times.
Griffin hurt his knee — the same one that was sprained in the 2012 NBA playoffs — during a scrimmage in Las Vegas with the Olympic team.
Making matters more complicated, or at least more bleak, Blake Griffin recently signed an extension with the L.A. Clippers worth five-year, $95 million deal, the maximum contract Griffin can receive.
According to the L.A. Times, however, Griffin will be back in time for the 2012-13 NBA season, and the recovery time has been tabbed as taking up to eight weeks.
Although the Times notes that this injury is unrelated to his fractured knee-cap on the same knee which forced Griffin to miss his first NBA season in 2009-10, it is difficult to ignore the fact that Griffin may be slightly injury-prone. The Clippers have had a long history of injuries occurring to bright, young stars, so this is somewhat disheartening.
Of course, the injury hasn’t been historically debilitating if the recovery process is carefully done. Stars such as Andrew Bynum have bounced back from the surgery as strong as before.
This also helps to bolster the argument that Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban — as well as NBA stars Ray Allen Dwyane Wade — put forth regarding players being paid for their time on the USA Olympics team. The fear of getting injured while not being compensated — thus hurting the player’s long-term financial outlook — is only reinforced, as was the case with Griffin.
Anthony Davis will replace Blake Griffin for the USA Olympics.
Follow USA basketball at Sir Charles In Charge or read more about the L.A. Clippers at Fully Clips.
Topics: Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin Injury, La Clippers, Usa Basketball
