Blake Griffin rearing to play after fully recovering from knee surgery – NBA News
Los Angeles Clippers All Star forward Blake Griffin says that he is feeling good and is ready to return to action with his team at the earliest.
Griffin has revealed that his knee, which was injured last month and forced him to undergo surgery and miss the 2012 Olympics, is feeling much better and he is back to almost 100 percent.
Griffin has started running and doing drills as he recovers from the surgery he underwent on July 16 to repair a medial meniscus tear. He suffered the injury during training camp for team U.S.A in Las Vegas,
as they prepared for the London Olympics.
Griffin was named on the preliminary roster and had a good chance of making the final cut in what would have been his first Olympics, but the injury forced him to miss out.
"I'm doing all my normal movements. I feel like I'm at 100 percent,” said Griffin.
The knee injury was not co-related to the stress fracture of his patella that he suffered right after he was drafted one which forced him to sit out the 2009-2010 season.
While Griffin has been rehabbing from injury, he says that he was finally able to find some time to work on his game, particularly his shooting skills. Griffin is an incredible athlete, but has been criticized
for having a one dimensional game and not expanding his skills.
"Trying to become a more complete player, working on my shot and working on free throws. Those are two things that I was able to work on a lot even if it was stationary,” said Griffin.
Griffin has had a good summer, in which he signed a five year max contract extension with the Clippers, a deal which could see him earning as much as $95 million over the course of his contract.
The Clippers want him to stay with them long term as they look to make the franchise a regular in the playoffs. They landed All Star point guard Chris Paul before the start of last season, and reached the 2nd round
of the playoffs this year.
Now, they look to continue that winning run and have been busy all summer adding talent to the roster. The Clippers re-signed veteran point guard Chauncey Billups and acquired Lamar Odom. They also added veterans
Grant Hill and Jamal Crawford.
"This is a great place to play and guys want to come here. The fact that we've had guys toward the end of their careers, guys like Grant Hill, that chose to play here, I think that says a lot about our team and
the direction we're heading in. It's great to be a part of something that has kind of turned the corner,” said Griffin.
The Clips will be looking to keep the momentum going and make themselves relevant in the NBA next season, which commences on October 31st.
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