WHAT鈥橲 in a name? For Blake Griffin, everything. He began building his up as a sophomore with the Sooners, with his outstanding efforts earning for his Consensus National Player of the Year honors. And after being selected first overall in the 2009 National Basketball Association, he added to its luster as a high-flyer with impact, headlining Lob City and, in the process, claiming six All-Star and five All-NBA berths. An acrimonious split with the Clippers followed, and, naturally, he aimed to prove it remained relevant in the pace-and-space era; in his first season with the Pistons, he showed his capacity to retool his game as a big playmaker with range.
Unfortunately, Griffin鈥檚 susceptibility to injury followed his transfer. Two surgeries to his left knee all but scuttled his 2019-20 season, and his shockingly poor start to his 2020-21 campaign showed how much his handicap has continued to affect him. And with his name and what it stands for coming under threat from his largely grounded game, he found himself bought out by the rebuilding Pistons. Now, he鈥檚 banking on it still possessing enough respect in order for him to latch on to a contender as a still-relevant contributor. If speculation is to be believed, he鈥檚 likely to see his wish granted sooner rather than later.
To be sure, Griffin has no shortage of suitors who deem him crucial, even critical, in lending credibility to title aspirations. No doubt, those casting a moist eye on the Larry O鈥橞rien Trophy consider him to be a risk worth taking. Even as he will be welcomed on the cheap, he figures to be propelled by no small measure of motivation; he wants to underscore to all and sundry that his name still means something. In light of depressed expectations, he won鈥檛 encounter difficulty in this regard. At the same time, however, he means to indicate that it stands for winning 鈥 which may well be the bigger challenge for him.
Griffin hasn鈥檛 gone past the conference semifinals in 11 years as a pro, and it鈥檚 fair to argue that, if at all, he will be doing so as part of a supporting cast. If there鈥檚 anything his current-season stat line has highlighted, it鈥檚 that his best days are behind him. He began his pro hoops career bogged down by knee troubles, and it seems he will be ending it the same way. Meanwhile, he鈥檚 banking on his name to stand for something else: resolve. He may be relatively diminished, but he鈥檚 determined to be the best he can be, wherever he may end up, all the hurdles notwithstanding.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
