To nobody’s surprise the Clippers injury curse has struck Blake Griffin again. Late in Monday’s LA derby win, Austin Rivers dove for a loose ball and his body weight placed pressure on Griffin’s knee.
In case you didn’t see the game, here is the incident:
No official word yet on the severity of Blake Griffin’s knee injury, but - um - the video does not look good. pic.twitter.com/sUTHGml3do
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) November 28, 2017
The Clippers need their marquee player now more than ever as they cling to fading hopes of a successful season. It goes without saying that this is a huge concern for the team heading forward, especially considering the current state of the roster.
Updates have been few and far between since the end of the game. Griffin was able to move up and down the court following the incident before leaving the floor without assistance. He was noted as looking disappointed, shaking his head.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated that the Clippers felt that there was no concrete information as yet:
As for seriousness of left knee injury that Blake Griffin sustained in victory over Lakers tonight, Clippers consider it "too early to tell." https://t.co/nrZ6hZ8WUv
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 28, 2017
Later, Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver noted that Griffin left the arena without any assistance:
Clippers’ Blake Griffin (left knee) exited arena walking under his own power, no crutches or brace. Didn’t take questions from media.
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 28, 2017
This is, tentatively, a good sign. Clippers fans are used to this feeling however, and it would be wise to hold out for further information in the morning. Assuming Griffin at least misses time in the short term, he would join Patrick Beverley, Milos Teodosic and Danilo Gallinari on the sidelines, leaving the Clippers essentially unable to compete night to night.
If Griffin were to miss significant time, the obvious expectation would be that the Clippers tear it down while DeAndre Jordan still has trade value. Without Griffin, more or less all of the scoring load would fall onto Lou Williams’ shoulders, and the rotation would feature another young player not ready for big NBA minutes. Not ideal in a team trying to make another playoff appearance in the Western Conference as it stands.
Cross your fingers Clipper Nation. It could be a bad news day tomorrow. If the Clippers weren’t in trouble already, they certainly could be in the coming weeks.
UPDATE since time of writing:
After reviewing more tape of Blake Griffin’s left knee injury, early indications are that Clippers forward has a sprained MCL and will be out for extended period of time. Clippers will know full extend after complete test today.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) November 28, 2017
Still no official word, but this isn’t the greatest or the worst news. A sprain would set Griffin out a bare minimum of 3 weeks, but it would most likely be longer. We will keep you updated when we get an official word.