Clippers won’t overreact enough to trade Blake Griffin, right?

When looking past the ridiculous NBA trade rumors, surely it’s obvious the Los Angeles Clippers won’t overreact enough to recent events to trade Blake Griffin, right?

Well, within an hour, what anyone who knows the Los Angeles Clippers would have expected was confirmed. Moments after a report surfaced that they had called the Denver Nuggets to discuss a possible trade featuring Blake Griffin, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register quickly lowered the uproar on Twitter by reporting that it was the Nuggets who started the call and they got nowhere doing so.

It was hard to think that the Clippers would really be the ones initiating trade calls for Griffin, let alone initiating those calls with a team like the Nuggets.

Of course, they could package valuable assets that would help L.A., such as Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari and maybe even Will Barton, but they still wouldn’t be nearly beneficial enough to replace Blake.

Although, at this point, would the Clippers get anyone in return for Griffin that would be beneficial for the team? Until they get a chance (however slim) to pursue the rumored Blake-Kevin Durant swap, the answer to that question must be “no”. And that would be if L.A. were even considering trading Griffin, which, according to Doc, isn’t happening any time soon.

The very idea of a superstar of Griffin’s rare athleticism, talent and versatility being shipped off just because of a strong record through a weak schedule in his absence is absurd by itself. To encourage the idea due to the punching incident with the equipment staffer is even more absurd.

Of course, it’s not acceptable by any means. That goes without saying and Steve Ballmer has made his attitude towards the matter perfectly clear, but unless you blow his comments out of proportion time and time again, it’s clear that a Blake Griffin trade isn’t something the Clippers are pursuing.

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times has reported Ballmer’s comments on the matter:

"Asked Wednesday night if he felt it necessary for the Clippers to take the kind of action that would represent what they stand for, Ballmer didn’t hesitate.“There needs to be consequences,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do.”Citing a team investigation into the incident that resulted in a broken right hand for Griffin, Ballmer didn’t offer any details, so it’s not known whether the Clippers might add to whatever punishment the Kia pitchman receives from the NBA. Still, Ballmer made it clear that employee-on-employee violence would not be tolerated."

Whatever consequences await, there’s a major difference between disciplining a superstar and rashly trading them away. That’s something the Clippers won’t be doing, no matter how hard the Nuggets may have tried before the Clips’ front office hung up on them the other day.

They just aren’t a better team without him. Yes, the spacing is better with a stretch forward like Paul Pierce (if he’s actually making shots), and yes, the offense may be a little quicker with Chris Paul dominating the ball more and dishing out 10.1 assists per game. That’s what always happens when Griffin isn’t able to play. But that also doesn’t mean that just because the offense changes with more interior focus, passing and post-up play when he’s healthy, that the team is better off without him.

More clippers: Breaking down the Blake Griffin-Kevin Durant trade idea

He was averaging 23.2 points and five assists per game before he was injured for a reason, and he also averaged 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists in the playoffs last season for the exact same reason: he makes the Clippers better and, in his own way, he can lead the offense. Whether he’s controlling fast breaks, operating in the pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop with Paul, passing like a point guard or just bullying players in the post, he can take over.

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L.A.’s current 16-4 record without Blake isn’t a result of no Blake. A weak schedule, sudden hot shooting from normally unreliable players and the stellar play of CP3 to take over has led to such a good record without Blake. His absence may have encouraged others like Paul, J.J. Redick and the bench to step up, but it hasn’t made them a better team long-term.

Simply put, if Doc wants to take his team over the hump of the second round, moving Blake is not the way to do it — especially if it involves trading him for a few players that are ultimately a downgrade instead of acquiring another superstar.

So, would Doc really be so unwise and overreact that much to recent events to trade Griffin? It’s incredibly hard to think so. Maybe if an incredible opportunity presents itself something will happen; we’ve seen Doc surprise us before.

Next: Clippers' NBA Trade Deadline Targets

Questionable decisions in the past aside, though, it’s hard to think the Clippers are going to overreact to such an extent that they would trade a star of Griffin’s level unless they get a shot at someone like Kevin Durant.

If that situation materializes, the Clippers won’t be acting out of panic or madness and will instead be entertaining something that is far more interesting. Until then, let’s just put these trade discussions to rest.