The Clippers will get All-Star power forward Blake Griffin back Sunday against the Wizards after he missed the last three months with a torn quadriceps muscle. But has the injury fully healed?
Apparently not.
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"It just wasn't being allowed to heal," Griffin said, via ESPN. "So, the tear's still there. It's just about managing the pain and getting through this. ... It's not like a new tear or re-tearing my [quad] in different places. It wasn't allowing the initial injury to completely heal."
Griffin has been out since Christmas, when he injured himself in the first quarter against the Lakers. Griffin initially hoped he could re-join the team after a month before it became apparent his injury would keep him out longer than expected.
"I don't want to say misdiagnosed, but it wasn't doing the right things, I guess? We weren't addressing the initial problem — the main problem," Griffin said. "So, everything I was doing was putting more stress on my [quad]. A small tear became a three-month thing because I wasn't doing the right thing until we figured it out."
Clippers coach Doc Rivers indicated Griffin will start Sunday, but is unsure how much the five-time All-Star can play. Griffin also seems unsure about what kind of impact he can make.
"Honestly, I won't know really until I get out there," Griffin said. "I mean, I've done drills — simulated drills — for this week. I practiced for the first time last Saturday. So, I don't have a really good feel for in-game conditioning and endurance. That'll kind of be a thing we figure out as we go along."