NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 reasons the Los Angeles Clippers need to blow it up
By John Buhler
2. Blake Griffin is too injury prone to win a title with
This is the most painful part of blowing it up for the Clippers. For as much as he has meant to the Clippers organization for most of the last decade, it is time for Los Angeles to part ways with former All-Star power forward Blake Griffin.
He has earned every penny of every contract he has signed with the Clippers. Griffin helped turn the franchise from a total joke into a perennial playoff team. That being said, his game has declined in recent years due to a myriad of injuries. Given that his game was based predominantly on athleticism, this is a massive problem for the Clippers.
While he was marveled as athletic freak that could leap over Kia Optimas, Griffin is only an average jump shooter at the stretch four. Ideally, he should have played stretch five for the Clippers, but the contract extension to Jordan threw that creative notion into the trash for good.
It may be in Griffin’s best interest to leave Los Angeles as well. His brand is strong from all of the commercials he has been on over the years. Maybe a sign-and-trade to an Eastern Conference team or maybe his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn’t be a bad next chapter for Griffin?
If he went to a team in the East like the Indiana Pacers of the Miami Heat, Griffin can play in a conference finals before he finally exits his prime. Should he join Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, together they could be heroes in Loud City to finally put the Kevin Durant departure to rest. In short, Los Angeles has to come to terms that Griffin has played his last game in Clippers uniform, but it is for the best.