Los Angeles Clippers Injury Rumors: Blake Griffin Has Quad Injury, May Be Out Two Weeks
The Los Angeles Clippers' dominating frontline will be without Blake Griffin for at least two weeks with the news that the All-Star forward has a partially torn left quadriceps tendon. His absence will be a huge blow for a team that scores more than a little over 15 points every 100 possessions when he's playing on the court.
The 26-year-old is an integral part of the Clippers offense; and with him, the team has much better percentages in field goals, three point conversions, and rebounds. As a matter of fact, LA struggles big time without him, which by the numbers will rank the team dead last if he's not playing.
The injury happened during the first quarter of the 94-84 Christmas Day win of the Clippers against the Lakers, where Griffin was already leading his team with a "double-double" of 12 points and 13 boards, including seven assists.
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According to team officials, Griffin took an MRI on Saturday, where it was officially determined that the forward has a partially torn left quadriceps tendon. He is also expected to undergo reevaluation in two weeks, according to a statement released by the team.
Griffin is currently Doc Rivers' leading scorer this season, averaging a little over 23 points to go along with 8.7 rebounds and five assists per game.
There hasn't been any official statement released by Rivers or the team as to who will start in place of Griffin, but Josh Smith played that role in the Clippers' 109-104 victory against the Jazz on Saturday, producing zero points while playing five minutes.
After missing majority of the 2009-10 season due to a broken left kneecap, he has maintained and kept himself healthy since then, except for a staph infection he suffered in his right elbow last season. He missed about five weeks at that time.
With him out for maybe seven games, the Clips will have to find out ways to produce the numbers they'll miss from Griffin. It could come from lots of other options, though, including frontline buddy DeAndre Jordan, point guard Chris Paul, or sharpshooting guard J.J. Redick.
