Blake Griffin is staring at the possibility of another lost season, judging from initial reports Monday night. If the news Tuesday is really bad, then the Clippers will be forced to face some difficult decisions, and a whole lot of uncertainty beyond Griffin.
Griffin suffered a nasty-looking injury to his left knee when teammate Austin Rivers rolled up on his leg during the Clippers' home win over the Lakers. The postgame vibe was decidedly negative. (Repeat: It's a nasty-looking injury).
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
Doc Rivers said Blake Griffin's spirits are down right now. They're hoping for the best with tomorrow's evaluations.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 28, 2017
I just talked to Steve Ballmer. He doesn't know the status of Blake Griffin's injury but he is concerned. It has been that kind of season already.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 28, 2017
Griffin will be examined Tuesday. If he's forced to miss a lot of time — or even the remainder of the season — then a franchise reckoning would seem to be in order, primarily:
— Can the Clippers get anywhere long term with Griffin, who's 19 games into a five-year, $173 million contract? What's the best way to build around him, given the risk of future injuries/breakdowns? Those aren't new questions, of course, but this injury could change the answers.
— Those answers might not come for a while. The franchise will need even more time to evaluate what it has at the beginning of the post-Chris Paul period. Early-season injuries to Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Beverley and rookie guard Milos Teodosic had already slowed the process. Beverley is out for the season, but Gallinari and Teodosic could both be back this month. In a worst-case scenario, the latter two might not get to play with Griffin again until fall 2018.
— How much harder does LA look at trading center DeAndre Jordan, who has a $24.1 million player option for next season? One recent rumor had the Cavaliers being interested in acquiring him for Tristan Thompson. Jordan was in trade talks prior to the Chris Paul deal in the offseason, too. Does the prospect of a lost year give management more motivation to move the aging big man now?
POWER RANKINGS: First-quarter surprises, disappointments
— Will the injury, a Jordan trade and on-court unfamiliarity motivate LA and/or coach Doc Rivers to part ways before Rivers' contract expires in the summer of 2019? As with Griffin, the questions about Rivers' future are old, but a bad diagnosis can help provide clarity. If Rivers departs early, then that means a couple years, at least, of implementing the new regime's philosophy.
By that point, Griffin might be on his way out of LA, too, and the cycle will just keep spinning.
Yes, Tuesday's exam is kind of important.
