Here is more info on blake's injury and the progress!
Ask Eric Pincus - October 29, 2009
Thursday, Oct 29
HoopsWorld Senior Writer Eric Pincus has been covering the Clippers on HoopsWorld.com since 2003.
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Now that the season has finally started, we've got plenty to talk about. Let's get right to it!
Why are the Clippers 0-2?
Jeramie, Seattle
Eric Pincus: Well the obvious answer is that they lost their first two games. The deeper question is why? In both games they played hard and were competitive. Obviously the Los Angeles Lakers are considered one of the best teams in the NBA. The Clippers came back a few times from double-digit leads but just couldn't close out the win.
In the game against the Lakers, I look at the disparity between free throw attempts with 37 to the Lakers and 16 to the Clippers. I would say the Clips played well defensively overall but struggled to keep both Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum off the line.
Offensively the Clippers didn't drive into the paint as often as they need to - that's how you rack up free throw attempts. Turnovers were also a huge issue against the Lakers.
They did a better job against the Phoenix Suns with both teams getting 27 attempts but the Clippers missed 12. That's just giving the game away! LA was also out-rebounded 36-35 against a Suns team they should dominate on the glass.
We can point at various stats, blunders, missed free throws, etc. I think bigger picture, the Clippers need to develop closing chemistry. It takes some time to find the right combination of players who can execute effectively at the end of games.
So many contests are determined in the final couple of minutes. It's imperative the Clippers find a finishing unit. That could be the difference between 10-20 wins in the final tally.
What are the chances of Blake Griffin returning before the six projected weeks are up?
Ben, Los Angeles
EP: I heard General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday say Blake could return "in five or six weeks."
As a general rule I take the announced down time and add a week or two to it. If the team says a player is out six weeks I usually allow for seven or eight. Griffin may be sooner but in my experience, it usually takes a little bit of time for a player to get a practice or two under their belt before getting the green light.
I can't see LA rushing Blake back. He's going to have a fantastic career. They've got to make sure he's sure he's absolutely healthy before he steps back on that court.
Griffin will undergo platelet rich plasma therapy which means they take his own white-cell rich blood from another part of the body and inject it into the knee. It's a progressive treatment that has shown to speed up the healing process.
What is the rate of recurrence for that type of injury? Will he be able hit the ground running when finally given the ok?
Jason, Winona
EP: Blake has a non-displaced fracture which means the bone doesn't need to be set. He doesn't need surgery. Essentially an X-ray or MRI would show a small line somewhere on the patella. Given the proper rest and time to heal, he's expected to make a full recovery.
I let him know that the injury actually occurred when Griffin collided a few weeks ago with Craig Smith. He sat the early preseason games with what was called a bone bruise. That's essentially when the fracture happened - even if it wasn't visible in the initial examinations.
Yes, they expect him to hit the ground running although as I mentioned above - it's always a good idea to pencil in a little bit of testing/conditioning time before a return.
