I was driving my car the other day, and because it’s what I do, I was thinking about basketball. Blake Griffin popped into my head and I kept thinking about the way he moved. Not in a way that would lead me to say “pause,” but in an on-the-court-that-guy-is-a-beast type of way. Driving mindlessly, I finally figured out how to describe Griffin’s absurd athleticism and fluid movements.

Do you remember the scene in The Matrix, when Neo first fights Morpheus in a simulation? The other people — Trinity, Tank and whoever else — are watching on a computer monitor and one of them, amazed by Neo, says something like, “He moves like them.” That’s how I feel when I watch Blake Griffin. He’s 6’10″, 250 lbs. of pure power and strength, but he moves like them. Kind of like Finkle is Einhorn, Blake Griffin is Neo. Neo is Blake Griffin.

The bird’s don’t fly without Griffin’s permission. He’s probably in the sky, flying with the fishes. Or maybe in the ocean, swimming with the pigeons. You see, Blake Griffin’s world is different. The sky is the limit.

I almost wish the NBA had decided to make an all-Blake Griffin dunk reel instead. But then I would have missed Andray Blatche taking an ax to Ryan Hollins’s manhood, so everything worked out perfectly in the end. And Rudy Gay? That putback was vicious.

Oh, and in case you were wondering: Rajon Rondo’s over-the-head, left-handed pass was named the preseason’s top assist. Sounds about right, no?

If Blake Griffin keeps making ridiculous highlights every game, I might have to rename this the Griffin Reel of the Day. He outdoes himself every night. For the first time since Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson tapped their heads after every big play, the Clippers have hope. Of course, it’s the Clippers. Griffin won’t last until November before needing microfacture surgery.

After the jump, Rajon Rondo’s over-the-head pass creates “a new gender of passing… yeah!” Read more »

(Shelden Williams, get crammed on.)

I watch preseason NBA games for many reasons, none having to do with the quality of play: I love seeing the Stephane Lasmes of the world earn their headlines; watching preseason is more fun than NOT watching basketball; I’m entirely addicted to the NBA (I have a problem); it’s interesting to see how offseason additions fit; and I love getting a look at the new rookies.

That last point might be the reason I most enjoy the NBA preseason. I dare you to watch this 40-second clip of John Wall and not be enthralled. I dare you. It’s not going to happen. Talents like Wall enter the NBA and make you think, “What’s possible?” With established players, you know what their ceiling is, or you at least have an idea. But with rookies? Until we find out otherwise, the rafters are the limit. Wall could become the NBA’s best point guard within three years, Blake Griffin could become an electric mix of something in between Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard, and Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins could be the next great low-post threat. Before those guys play a single game, nothing’s out of play.

Even less-heralded rookies inspire the imagination. Can Avery Bradley become the C’s next defensive stopper? Does Luke Harangody have what it takes to be Danny Ainge’s latest diamond in the rough? Could Semih Erden potentially displace one of the O’Neals in the lineup? Even with the picks who have less upside, the preseason is a time for hope. I can remember last preseason, reading about Lester Hudson: He averaged 27.5 pppg in college! He has a 6’9″ wingspan! He’s got 3.4% body fat! This kid could be a keeper! Alas, Hudson was cut midway through the season after hardly making any impact on the Celtics. But before the season, there’s always hope.

With that in mind, I handicap the Rookie of the Year race. Read more »

“You can go through each team [in the NBA], every team has a guy beat up on the roster,” Kevin Garnett told reporters. “I’m not different.”

But don’t tell the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin that Garnett is no different from the beat-up guy on every roster. Griffin, out for the season with a broken left kneecap, would likely be ecstatic to have played in 30 games this season, as Garnett has. The electric number one draft pick, charged with turning around perhaps the least successful NBA team in recent memory, has yet to lace up his sneakers to play a single game for the Clippers.  Call it the Clippers curse, call it a fluke, or call Griffin himself fragile… whatever it is, Griffin should envy even Garnett’s tenuous health. Read more »

Just when Clippers Country (if there is such a thing) thought Blake Griffin was all set to return soon, a bombshell has dropped out of L.A.

Via Clippers.com:

After experiencing some discomfort during his recently-accelerated rehabilitation program, Clippers’ forward Blake Griffin was examined Tuesday afternoon by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.

As a result of that examination, it has been determined that the healing in his left patella area has not improved to the expected required level. Griffin will undergo a surgical procedure in the near future, with a recovery prognosis of four to six months. Team personnel will be made available to the media. Further details will be made available as events develop.

And I thought the Celtics’ recent bout with injuries was bad.  The Clippers have been experiencing this for decades and it looks like the curse just keeps getting worse.

What do you think will happen to Griffin next season?  A broken leg?  Detached retina?  Maybe even a sore left forefoot?

With the Clippers, no bad news is unexpected.