Kobe Bryant advices Blake Griffin to stand up to fouls - NBA Update
For the past week, Los Angeles Clippers sensation Blake Griffin has been gathering sympathies for being a victim of hard fouls. Los Angeles Lakers talisman Kobe Bryant, a long time admirer, and friend of Blake, recently joined
the list and gave him the most unusual piece of advice.
"I'd smack the f--- out of somebody," Bryant told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Wednesday. "I've known him for a while and he's a really nice guy so I don't know if he'd want to do that. But I would. I would've done it early in the year."
The statement is bold and provocative but perhaps holds the best possible solution for Blake. He has been subjected to hard fouls throughout the season. Taking strong hits comes with his role as a power forward, but the type of
fouls that have been committed against him in the recent past have raised many voices.
Last month Jason Smith bumped into Griffin football style and it was nothing short of a miracle that Griffin escaped unhurt. The in a game against Phoenix Suns last week, Robin Lopez intentionally shoved Griffin on the floor. The
nature of the foul was so severe that Vinny Del Negro, the Clippers coach demanded from NBA to ban Lopez.
Blake is amongst the few fearless forwards who don’t shy away from approaching the rim in the presence of even the burliest of defenses. He has mastered the technique of two handed dunks and it is simply picturesque. The bigs do
not like to be posterized and the reactions are understandable, but there has to be a limit. That limit seems to have been crossed;
Kobe gave his personal example and that of his Lakers teammate Shaquille O’ Neal to Griffin;
"I saw Shaq crack somebody his first year. I did it my first few years. Sometimes people feel like they can take advantage of you. Sometimes you have to say, 'Look, you're not going to do this to me. I'll take two games but you're
not going to put my health at risk by injuring me potentially. It's not going to happen”.
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