Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin is out with a partially torn quadricep tendon, and seeing as he still can’t run, he clearly won’t be returning just yet.
This nine-game win streak that the Los Angeles Clippers are currently enjoying should have been far more difficult. Even though most of their opponents have been average at best, it still says a lot for the other starters and the bench that they’ve finally found some stability and cohesion to win in Blake Griffin’s absence. That being said, as they prepare to face the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, they have their toughest game of the streak so far.
Without Griffin to help them against the Heat’s elite frontcourt duo of Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside, the Clippers are already at a disadvantage. To make the situation genuinely scary for the team, though, DeAndre Jordan is officially listed as questionable due to illness and flu-like symptoms. Which, if he does sit, makes it the first game he’ll have missed since March 23, 2011.
Griffin is guaranteed to be out, but if Jordan is gone too and he hasn’t shaken off his illness yet, the Clippers’ frontcourt is in serious trouble. The possibility of Whiteside being out, though, is what they can hang onto if they lose DJ for the night — the Heat center is currently questionable as well due to a knee issue.
As for when Blake may return, though, there still isn’t much to go on. Doc Rivers has, however, said that he’s yet to run properly off a treadmill. Seeing as that’s the case, he’s a long way to being in game shape even if he has started weight training. Robert Morales of the Los Angeles Daily News has reported Doc’s recent comments on his condition:
"“He has yet to run, I mean, like really run,” Rivers said; Griffin has run on a treadmill. “I think he’s going to start doing that, hopefully, soon. Once he runs, how does he feel? Is there a setback? These things, they have their own little way of healing.”"
So, when considering the Clippers’ options for Wednesday night against the Heat if Jordan is out, they’re going to need Cole Aldrich more than ever. He’s the only typical center they have now, and while he’s been playing well in the 12.9 minutes he’s averaged since Blake’s injury, he’ll have a real challenge against the athleticism Bosh and Whiteside, in particular the latter’s overall strength in the paint.
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If Jordan is out, the Clippers are also going to need Josh Smith off his comfortable spot on the bench. They have no one else who can go in at center behind Aldrich, meaning a small-ball lineup with Smith (as bad as it’s been this season) is the next best option. Yet, as he’s received a DNP in eight of the last 10 games, the form he’ll have with his teammates is going to be even worse.
Plus, the thought of Smith trying to stop a 7’0″ center with as much explosiveness and strength as Whiteside down low or on lobs is going to be terrifying for the Clippers.
Until the game is upon us, we’ll just have to wait and see what the state of both team’s starting centers is. And as for Griffin, it looks like another week or two is the earliest L.A. can hope to get their All-Star power forward back.
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They are expecting a more in-depth re-evaluation of Griffin soon, so we may hear an update by the end of this week. He’s been running on anti-gravity treadmills, he should have introduced weight training by now, and he’s generally coming along well. Once he can start running properly and apply some pressure to his legs again, we should have a better idea of a possible return date.