Los Angeles Clippers Roster Rumors: Blake Griffin Gets Four-Game Suspension for Assault on Team Employee
Blake Griffin's dumbfounded decision to punch a team staff member just caused him money and probably more after the Los Angeles Clippers decided to suspend him for four games without pay on Tuesday. The suspension is the team's response to the incident and it will cost him exactly $859,442.
According to a team spokesman, Griffin will start serving the suspension once he becomes healthy enough to return to action. It literally means that after his hand recovers from the injury he sustained after the punch, he again will have to be sidelined for four more games. That obviously is a big blow to the Clippers' hope of getting a much better standing, and hopefully, home court advantage in the playoffs.
The Jan. 23 incident that happened in Toronto should be looked upon as the lowest point of Griffin's accomplished basketball career. The team may not be pressingly looking to trade its former first round pick, but rumors are circling that he's actually in the trade market. If any trade will take place involving Griffin before the Feb. 18 trade deadline, then not everyone will be surprised about it.
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In the determination of the fine, the Clippers organization worked with the assistance of the NBA. It's a good thing for Griffin, though, because the league is no longer compelled to hand out its own set of punishments. The reason why Griffin was slapped with a four-game suspension (most players get two when there's a punch involved) is that the team and the league believed the injuries sustained by the staff member, Matias Testi, were serious enough.
But head coach Doc Rivers isn't really dwelling on it. Well, no one can blame the coach because the Clippers are actually winning without him. The team is currently 18-4 with Griffin still out.
On the other hand, owner Steve Balmer isn't making excuses to defend his superstar. "We have made it clear that this conduct has no place in the Clippers organization," he said in his joint statement with Rivers released to the press.
