LA Clippers Rumors: Blake Griffin (knee) could miss 3-6 weeks

LA Clippers’ star power forward Blake Griffin will reportedly miss 3-6 weeks with arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

The LA Clippers losing 117-110 to the Washington Wizards, once again downplaying an inferior opponent, losing the fourth quarter 32-23, and showing more defensive breakdowns was bad enough for their fans on Sunday. But, for another kick on the weekend before Christmas, news emerged that Blake Griffin will be undergoing surgery on his right knee and won’t be back until January.

He’s already rested in a couple of games this season due to soreness in his calve and knee, but Shams Charania of The Vertical has now reported that he will undergo minor surgery on his right knee.

The extent of “minor” surgery isn’t always clear and it’s a concern for an explosive big man like Blake Griffin, especially after he also dealt with quadricep issues so much last season and this summer. However, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported some more details, adding that Griffin will need arthroscopic surgery and should be out for between three and six weeks.

Both Charania and Woike reporting this certainly makes the surgery sound final. If something is notably wrong with Griffin’s knee, head coach Doc Rivers and the LA Clippers staff won’t take any chances by letting him play on and making something worse.

However, Woike did add that it’s not 100 percent confirmed the surgery will take place.

Unfortunately for hopeful fans, though, Woike also added not to overreact to that possibility. So, unless anything changes at the start of this week as the Clippers finish making their decision, it seems safe to say that Griffin will indeed undergo surgery.

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For the team, they’ll obviously have to go small in his absence. Ideally, with as little Paul Pierce as possible. Austin Rivers or Wesley Johnson starting at small forward (and alternating due to certain matchups and the size of their opponents) should be fairly likely, while there’s a good chance the Clippers can keep starting Luc Mbah a Moute for his elite defense and simply shift him to power forward, a position that he’s always been comfortable at throughout his career, anyway.

There’s a small chance Brandon Bass could start at the four, but it’s hard to see that happening when he hasn’t consistently made the rotation so far. He’s only played in 13 games.

The pressure to lead is on Chris Paul‘s shoulders now, and it’s up to him to assert his MVP candidacy in this time. The biggest problem, beyond the team’s performance, who we saw get by well without Griffin last season (and they have a touch more depth now, too), is what’s in store for Griffin himself.

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If the surgery is only minor, hopefully it won’t tarnish his athleticism or play too much when he returns. The thought of injuries in his legs going forward and the problems he’s now dealt with over the last two seasons is a worrying one.