Thanks to Griffin, Clippers no longer doormat
To start their latest West Coast trip, the Bulls will take on the hottest team in Southern California — the L.A. Blakers.
That’s not just hyperbole. Led by rookie sensation Blake Griffin, the Los Angeles Clippers have gone 14-7 since Dec. 17, while the Lakers are just 12-8 in their last 20 games.
The Clippers will be trying to win their 10th straight home game when the Bulls visit Wednesday at the Staples Center.
When the Clipper ship left port in October, with ex-Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro at the wheel, another unsuccessful season appeared to be in store. The Clips lost 13 of their first 14 games and were 5-21 in mid-December.
But Griffin has changed everything. Now the fans are pumped, point guard Baron Davis is showing interest, and Lakers forward Lamar Odom started a minor skirmish a few weeks ago because he thought Griffin was trying too hard in the waning seconds of a Clippers victory.
“He’s a star and the things he’s doing as a rookie, they’re very impressive,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Griffin. “The power, athleticism, touch. I don’t think you can guard him 1-on-1.”
Griffin is averaging 22.8 points and 12.7 rebounds overall, but he boosted those numbers to 26.0 and 13.4 in January. He already has created at least a dozen legendary dunks. No. 1 draft pick John Wall is playing well, but he will finish a distant second in rookie-of-the-year voting.
“I look at him like a gladiator,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told SI.com. “He’s stronger than everybody he plays against and he’s more powerful and he’s quicker. Most of the time, he’s more determined on top of it.”
The one knock on Griffin is his personality. He’s robotic in games, dull during interviews. He confronted those issues in a recent chat with the Los Angeles Times.
“I don’t try to be boring,” Griffin said. “I’m just kind of laid-back, talk slow and grew up listening to my dad, who uses clichés. It’s just who I am. It’s a part of my personality. I’m shy, and it takes me time to feel comfortable.”
Sounds like another top draft pick, Bulls all-star Derrick Rose, who got to know Griffin at the McDonald’s All-America game. Rose also remembers playing against Griffin in AAU tournaments.
“He was the exact same way,” Rose said. “Do whatever to win, a grimy player, a lot of energy and aggressive.”
Does Griffin have an edge over Rose in the quiet and shy department?
“I really don’t know,” Rose said. “I think I loosen up a little bit more. I don’t know how he is right now.”
Taj Gibson played against Griffin twice in college and was in the same 2009 draft class. Griffin missed all of last season with a knee injury, which is why he’s still considered a rookie.
“He just works hard, you can tell,” Gibson said. “Seeing that Lakers game at the end, when he fought Lamar Odom and still played hard for that last possession, that’s his determination. You can see that.”
Griffin piled up 29 points and 12 rebounds in a 100-99 victory over the Bulls at the United Center on Dec. 17. On Tuesday at the Berto Center, Thibodeau talked about giving Griffin limited attention.
“The big thing is we have to try to make him play in a crowd and give the appropriate help,” Thibodeau said. “If you over-help, (Randy) Foye ends up having a big night, (DeAndre) Jordan has a big night, (Baron) Davis has a big night.
“You have to decide what you’re willing to live with. I think the big thing is we want to make him play in a crowd, but we have to make sure we’re taking care of all of the other guys so they don’t have big nights also.”
That strategy worked Friday when the Bulls single-covered Orlando center Dwight Howard. While Howard scored 40 points, no one else on the Magic had more than 11 and the Bulls won 99-90.
To finish with one more weak pun, the Clippers used to be the easiest stop on a West Coast trip, now the Bulls will plan for a working Blake-ation.