But this weekend, it felt as if there was too much business to be done. And one thing on the agenda was the ascent of Blake Griffin. You want to talk ownership? He has a chance to make this city belong to him the way it belongs to Kobe Bryant right now.
At the media availability Friday, it seemed as if every other player was asked about Griffin. In the rookie-sophomore game that night, Griffin played limited minutes as a concession to his full schedule for the weekend. But the crowd, predominantly children, started chanting "We want Blake" in the final minutes.
This seriously ranks as one of the most important moments of the weekend. Griffin is already resonating with the young fans, the ones who could be following his career for the next decade and a half. Sure, they still love Bryant, and, when his image appeared on the scoreboard screen, they squealed as if Justin Bieber had just entered the arena. But Griffin is next.
The impatient crowd at the All-Star Game on Sunday started another "We want Blake" chant to get West coach Gregg Popovich to send the rookie into the game. And Bryant acknowledged that Griffin's presence caused him to take to the air in a way we haven't seen the past few years.
"You want to know the influence of Blake, look at all of the dunks I had tonight," Bryant said.
