Blake Griffin Signs with the Clippers
July 9, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Basketball
The Los Angeles Clippers have wasted no time in inking Blake Griffin after taking him number one overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. His contract is expected to pay him more than $4.2 million next season.
Griffin was the easiest pick in the draft. With the Oklahoma Sooners, Griffin was hands down the best player in college basketball. He averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season as a sophomore. He also shot 65.4% from the field and blocked 1.2 shots in 33.3 minutes per game.
With the Clippers, expect Griffin to play at power forward. While it may take some time for his offensive numbers to come around, he should be a very good rebounder right away for L.A.
The Clippers made room for Griffin’s spot in the starting lineup earlier in the offseason when they traded Zach Randolph to the Memphis Grizzlies. Other bigmen on the Los Angeles’ roster include veterans Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman.
While few are expecting the Clippers to make noise in the 2009-2010 NBA season, there’s definitely a chance for the team to surprise as long as Griffin is as good as billed.
Blake Griffin - Los Angeles Clippers (Image: Zuma Press)
