Blake Griffin is set to make his Pistons’ debut tonight, and I have a few concerns.
Griffin has been one of the most under-the-radar superstars this league has ever seen. Just think about it for a second. Has anyone ever bashed Griffin or even given him praise? He’s been surrounded by guys like Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan who receive a fair amount of praise. No one really talks about the now former Clipper, because he really only does one thing great and that’s attacking the rim with aggression.
Being alongside Andre Drummond is like being alongside a better DeAndre Jordan.They have similar skill-sets, but Drummond is just better. In Detroit, with this line-up, Blake can either thrive or crumble. There is no in-between.
Now the Pistons have a pretty mediocre team, but they gave away two key players in Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley to get Blake. Some might say that Bradley hasn’t been playing well this season, but that doesn’t takeaway the fact that he’s one of the best defenders in the NBA. Tobias Harris was an offensive option for the Pistons throughout his time there. With Harris out of the conversation the back court is going to struggle.
This is a start of a new trend in the league with two dominant big men which was started by Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins in New Orleans.
With the Pistons, I think Griffin can improve his resume and possibly lead them to a few postseason wins. That’s been part of his career that has escaped him. During his tenure in LA, the Clippers weren’t able to reach the conference finals. Now, he goes from a stacked western conference to an eastern conference that’s practically wide open.
Being in the eastern conference is the best thing that could have happened to the Oklahoma product. Griffin can finally make a little noise and what better way to do it than put Detroit back on the map. Let’s face it, the Pistons haven’t really been relevant since 2005.
Griffin had no problem waiving his no-trade clause, because he stated that he wants to play for a team that actually wants him. There’s nothing like being valued in an organization, and the Clippers organization just didn’t see him in their future.
The 28-year old needs to show more and go above what’s expected of him. Right now, no one is putting Griffin in any MVP or Hall of Fame conversations. This is the start of a new chapter, and I hope he gets the respect that he should be getting.