Tag: blake griffin

Boston Celtics sign Blake Griffin

The Boston Celtics have signed forward Blake Griffin.

Griffin’s Celtics contract is reportedly a one-year deal for the league minimum.

Per the Boston Globe, “Griffin, 33, is no longer the explosive athlete who won the 2011 slam dunk championship, and he is a defensive liability. But he has adjusted his game over the years and become a capable 3-point shooter, despite hitting just 26.2 percent of his tries last year, when he averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Nets.”

Griffin, a 6’9” forward, appeared in 56 games (24 starts) where he averaged 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 17.1 minutes per game for Brooklyn last season. The six-time All-Star has appeared in 724 career games split between the LA Clippers, Detroit Pistons, and Brooklyn Nets and is one of nine current players in the NBA to average at least 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists per game for their career. The 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year has also made the NBA Playoffs in nine of his 14 seasons.

More from the Globe: “Griffin was one of the more intriguing veteran free agents on the market, partly because of his glorious past. After missing his rookie season with a broken left kneecap, Griffin earned All-Star honors for five consecutive seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was a one-man highlight reel, using his strength and jumping ability to victimize plenty of big men on dunks.”

Blake Griffin out of Nets rotation lately

Veteran Nets big man Blake Griffin is healthy yet has been riding the bench lately. Via ESPN.com:

Falling completely out of the Brooklyn Nets’ rotation was not something Blake Griffin saw coming.

After starting 17 games this season, Griffin has sat the past two games after Steve Nash inserted LaMarcus Aldridge into the starting lineup.

“No, I mean listen, [Aldridge] has been playing unbelievable,” Griffin said. “So, I totally get starting him, especially Joe [Harris] has been out, and I totally get that.

“Being completely out of it, though, I didn’t necessarily see that coming. But that’s not my decision. As players it’s our job to do whatever coaches see best, so at this point that’s what it is.”

The Nets are 14-6 this season, which is the best record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Kevin Durant at 28.6 points per game, James Harden at 20.3 ppg, and LaMarcus Aldridge at 13.8 ppg.

Griffin is averaging 5.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 21.7 minutes per game.

Nets sign Blake Griffin, who recently accepted buyout from Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Blake Griffin.

Per the New York Post, “Griffin officially came to Brooklyn on Monday, after having been bought out by Detroit. The veteran power forward sacrificed $13 million to leave the Pistons, for whom he averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games this season.”

“We’re fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s caliber to our roster at this point in the season,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “Blake is a versatile frontcourt player with a long track record of success in our league, and we’re excited about the impact he’ll make for us both on and off the court in Brooklyn.”

Per the Post, “James Harden — who rejected a two-way, $103 million extension from Houston to join the Nets — said that move showed just how serious Griffin is about earning a championship.”

Griffin (6’10”, 250) has appeared in 642 games (all starts) across 11 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers (2010-18) and Detroit Pistons (2018-21), recording averages of 21.4 points on 49.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.1 percent shooting from 3-point range and 69.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 8.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 34.7 minutes per contest. In the 2020-21 season, Griffin has seen action in 20 games with the Pistons, averaging 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. A six-time NBA All-Star (2011-15, 2019), Griffin has spent the bulk of his NBA career with the Clippers, averaging 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 35.1 minutes per game in 504 games with the franchise.

Griffin is also a five-time All-NBA selection, taking home second-team honors three times as a Clipper (2012-14) and third-team honors twice with the Clippers (2015) and Pistons (2019). Since making his debut in the 2010-11 season, Griffin ranks ninth in the league in field goals made (5,130), 10th in points (13,724) and 15th in rebounds (5,605). Griffin has also made seven playoff appearances in his career, including six straight seasons (2011-17) with the Clippers, helping lead the franchise to three Western Conference Semifinals appearances (2012, 2014-15). In 53 career playoff games, Griffin has averaged 21.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 35.3 minutes per contest.

Per the New York Daily News, “Griffin attempted at least three three-pointers in every game he played for the Pistons this season. He has 14 games with at least five attempts from deep, three games with 10 attempts, and one game where he thought he was Stephen Curry and made 8-of-16 treys in an overtime loss to the Cavaliers. Griffin, however, only converted threes at a 31.5% clip this season in Detroit, up from just 24% from deep last season. Those numbers project to increase due to the talent he’ll now play with in Brooklyn.”

The Oklahoma City native was selected with the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Clippers and sat out the 2009-10 season due to a knee injury. He made his regular season debut the following season and secured Rookie of the Year honors after posting averages of 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 37.9 minutes per game. Prior to beginning his NBA career, Griffin spent two years (2007-09) at the University of Oklahoma, earning the Naismith College Player of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year awards as a sophomore.

Pistons waive Blake Griffin as two sides reach buyout agreement

The Detroit Pistons have reached a buyout agreement with Blake Griffin and simultaneously requested waivers on the veteran forward.

Per the Detroit News, “thePistons and Griffin announced last month that he would remain out of the lineup until the two sides could come to an agreement on a trade or buyout. The trade route seemed unlikely, with Griffin’s contract for $36.6 million this season and a player option for $39 million next season.”

“Blake has been a great representative for our franchise and for the city of Detroit,” said Pistons Owner Tom Gores. “His work ethic and his approach to the game contributed a lot to our culture. He has been a consummate pro and we wish him continued success. I’m grateful for everything he did for our team and for our community.”

“As we stated from the beginning of our discussions with Blake and his representatives, our goal has been to facilitate a resolution for the future that maximizes the interests of both Blake and our team,” said Troy Weaver, General Manager for the Detroit Pistons. “We appreciate all of Blake’s efforts on and off the court in Detroit, have great respect for him as a player and a person and we wish him all the best in the future.”

“Blake’s NBA resume speaks for itself,” said Detroit Pistons Head Coach Dwane Casey. “He’s a player I’ve respected for many years from afar and it was great to have the opportunity to coach him here in Detroit. Contending teams will love to have a guy like him in their program, which is an opportunity he deserves at this point of his career, and we wish him the best.”

Per the Detroit Free Press, “Griffin wants to play for a playoff contender while the rebuilding Pistons, 10-26 and last in the conference standings, want to prioritize the development of their young players. On Feb. 15, the two sides agreed Griffin would be away from the team while they worked on a resolution, either via buyout or trade.”

During three-plus years with the Pistons (2018-21), Griffin posted averages of 20.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 33.3 minutes over 138 games (all starts). He earned All-NBA Third Team honors and his sixth NBA All-Star selection while averaging a career-best 24.5 points and leading the Pistons to the NBA Playoffs in 2018-19. Griffin joins Grant Hill as the second player in franchise history to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists during his tenure in Detroit.

“I thank the Pistons organization for working together on an outcome that benefits all involved and I wish the franchise success in the future,” said Griffin.

The Oklahoma City native was acquired via trade from the L.A. Clippers on Jan. 29, 2018. Drafted first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Clippers, Griffin holds averages of 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 34.7 minutes in 642 career NBA games (all starts).

Pistons hoping for better frontcourt production Sunday vs. Knicks

The Knicks beat the Pistons yesterday on Day 1 of NBA preseason. The two teams have a rematch tomorrow. Via the Detroit News:

The rematch will feature some adjustments from Friday’s Knicks win, as the Pistons committed 22 turnovers and shot just 32.5% from the field and 26% on 3-pointers. In a typical season, coaches would move on to the next opponent, but one of the benefits of the new setup is that they can make adjustments and try them out on the same opponent without having to wait as long…

Another concern was the lack of production from Jerami Grant (1-for-11 from the field) and Blake Griffin (3-of-11), and the two combined to go 2-of-12 from beyond the arc. Grant settled for some long jump shots, which Casey’s offensive philosophy tries to limit.

There are plenty of players of interest in this game, but the ones at the top of our list are Griffin, Grant, Pistons rookie Killian Hayes, and Knicks rookie Obi Toppin.

Pistons have big needs to fill in free agency

The Pistons finished this shortened NBA season with a 20-46 record, which was 13th best in the Eastern conference. The only stars on the roster are former NBA MVP Derrick Rose and power forward Blake Griffin, who had an injury-filled, disappointing season. Here’s the Detroit Free Press with an overview of what Pistons free agency may look like this offseason:

The Pistons are projected to have around $30 million in cap space, depending on the new salary cap. They are among six teams in the league that will have cap space, positioning them to be a major player in the free agency and trade market.

Since general manager Troy Weaver took over in June, the organization has avoided using the term “rebuild.” Despite finishing 20-46 and moving on from Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, the franchise is eyeing a return to playoff relevancy.

It’s tough to project exactly what the Pistons will prioritize. But there are two obvious positional needs on the roster — point guard, and center. Pistons coach Dwane Casey told reporters in June that for the roster to continue to develop, the team needs a starting point guard. Derrick Rose is the only natural point guard on the roster with experience. Considering he has a year left on his deal, it seems likely the Pistons will look to acquire a point guard either through the draft or free agency.

The roster also only has one true center under contract next season in recently signed Justin Patton. There are other players on the roster capable of playing the position, but the Pistons lack depth there. Casey experimented with playing Sekou Doumbouya as a small center during group workouts in September, but said having a traditional center is a necessity.

D-Rose is 32 years old, while Griffin is 31. While Rose is signed just through next season, Griffin reportedly has a player option for almost $39 million in the 2021-22 season. Unless he has a seriously great bounce-back season, Griffin is likely to exercise that option to remain with Detroit.

But no matter how those two players play, the team is clearly in rebuild mode, and that needs to dictate the moves they make in the next few months.

Detroit Pistons holding minicamp

A number of teams that weren’t involved with the league restart at the Disney NBA bubble are currently holding minicamps of their own, each in their own individual location. Here’s the Detroit News on it:

By every stretch of Dwane Casey’s imagination, his team’s workouts during phase 2 of in-market minicamp, has been a rousing success.

But the biggest positive for the Detroit Pistons head coach has been what he’s getting out of 24-year-old shooting guard Luke Kennard, who’s taking part in his first basketball activities since Dec. 21, when the former first-round pick was sidelined with bilateral knee tendonitis.

“He’s healthy, he’s playing well, his body looks good, and that’s been another bright spot,” Casey told reporters on Saturday. “I really like what I see out of Luke.” …

The Pistons have not been together for organized scrimmages and full practices since their season ended on March 11.

The biggest areas of focus for the Pistons this offseason will of course be the draft and free agency, but also the health of Blake Griffin, who is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and reportedly not participating in the minicamp. Word is that Griffin is now healthy. For the Pistons, that could mean trying to trade the 31-year-old power forward, who is signed for several more seasons to a team that is clearly rebuilding and not about to be competitive anytime soon.

Pistons forward Blake Griffin out after knee surgery

Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin had knee surgery today and will be out for an indefinite period of time.

The team says that Griffin underwent a successful arthroscopic debridement of his left knee.

A six-time All-Star, Griffin is having an extremely disappointing season, averaging 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per outing.

Here’s the Detroit News reporting:

Griffin has struggled this season, missing the last four games; he last played in the loss San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 28, finishing with 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting — with 3-of-10 on 3-pointers. He missed the remainder of the western trip, including a notable matchup against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, on Jan. 2.

Last season, Griffin had the highest production, posting a career-best 24.5 points, along with 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists and was voted third-team All-NBA. Following a surgical procedure last summer, Griffin was expecting to return in a similar form, but he had setbacks, causing him to be limited in the preseason and then to miss the first 10 games of the regular season…

Griffin is in the third year of a five-year contract worth $173 million.

The Pistons are 13-24 this season, and face major decisions to make in regard to Andre Drummond, who openly plans to test free agency this summer. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they were to make a huge trade or two in the coming weeks, before February’s trade deadline.

Blake Griffin must play better, says Blake Griffin

The Detroit Pistons are 4-10, which ties them for the second worst record in the Eastern conference through yesterday’s games. They are on a five-game losing streak.

It’s still early in the season, and rattling off a few quick wins would vault them up in the standings. And power forward Blake Griffin, who has been injured, has only played in three games so far. His stats have been disappointing in those contests: 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 34.8% FG.

Per the Detroit Free Press, here’s what Griffin said about it:  “I just got to be better… I can’t play the way I’ve played the last two games and expect us to win. I know people make more of a deal about numbers than I do, but it’s all encompassing, doing everything or not doing some of the things I’m doing will help us win… I fully take (the blame for) these last two. I just got to be better.” 

Tons of players are rusty merely a few games in after a return from injury. We’ll look at Griffin more closely in the coming 1-2 weeks.

 

Blake Griffin says he is happy on Pistons

The 9-7 Detroit Pistons are the East’s 5th seed through Friday’s games. Power forward Blake Griffin is leading the team in scoring at 25.3 points per game, and he’s second in rebounds at 10.4 per game, but surprisingly he’s leading the squad in assists, dishing 4.8 per contest. While that’s a very low assist average to lead an entire NBA team, it’s still impressive on Griffin’s part. For more on him, mostly on his transition from the Clippers to Pistons, here’s the LA Times:

Yes, he chose to sign a five-year contract worth more than $170 million to remain in Los Angeles with the Clippers. Yes, the Clippers balked less than eight months into the deal and sent him to the Pistons. Yes, there are things Griffin misses in Los Angeles. He wishes he was closer to his children on a full-time basis. He misses some Clippers fans and people in the organization.

But being in Detroit instead of playing for the Clippers, Griffin is fine with it.

“Yeah, I’m glad it happened,” Griffin told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m not saying I don’t miss certain people. There were some awesome fans that I got to know and I felt like I was very close with them. And there are some people you miss over there, but it was just time for a fresh start.

“I’m glad to be here.”

Griffin, who turns 30 in March, is really happy — it’s something everyone says when you ask about him. Detroit and the surrounding suburbs are more like his native Oklahoma than Los Angeles, so he’s more comfortable. Teammates say he’s thriving in a role of being the lead voice in the locker room. Staffers say he’s been terrific to deal with. Others love that he seems to know everyone in the organization by name. The mood swings that at times in Los Angeles could be volatile haven’t been an issue.

The Pistons seem good, but definitely not great, and will need more consistent play from guys other than Griffin and Andre Drummond if they want to raise their status as an actual East contender. Griffin, this season, is doing his part.