Intentional Foul» I Hope Blake Griffin Stays Healthy

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Yes, I’m aware of the caveats of preseason glory, but if Blake Griffin performs anywhere near the numbers he’s posting thus far, while remaining injury, the John Wall/Rookie of the Year coronation may not happen as expected. Don’t get me wrong, I fully expect Wall to dazzle, but if any rookie consistently posts a 15 and 12 stat line, it would be hard to overtake them. Griffin is, of course, returning froma knee injurythat robbed him of his rookie season, and with the specter of the Curse of the Clippers hanging over him, it’s hard to be confident he’ll succeed where so many other Clipper high draft picks have not.

Just askDanny Manning,among others.

Because of that, I’m hesitant to even enjoy his return to action, but the his athletic ability and the way he finishes at the rim pretty much makes that impossible. Yes, he can still dunk the ball like a beast:

And it’s pretty clear the knee injury didn’t rob him of his explosive leaping ability, a point Clippers fans (yes, I wrote that with a straight face) and Griffin fans alike should rejoice in.

With Griffin (fingers crossed) looking very healthy and productive, and with the early returns on DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento, there’s a potentially new breed of dominant big men out west. While it’s still the Lakers part of the country, the future— provided those two stay on the west coast— looks like it’s certainly shifting. Andrew Bynum could very well have some more company as in the“best young big in the Western Conference” category, and that’s no offense to Greg Oden, either.

Not to mention, with Amar’e Stoudemire now plying his trade in the Big Apple, a spot has opened in the Western Conference for a young, explosive power forward who will dunk on anyone that gets in his. So far, Blake Griffin looks like a worthy candidate.

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