Blake Griffin Return Press Conference.

Starts at 10 am Pacific time like yesterday. Clippers official Facebook and website should have links.

2 hours away😄

when are they going to introduce Milos Teodosic?

8 minutes until the start.

Ramona Shelburne>>> Michael Eaves. Blake just said he expects to be healthy by training camp. So not out till December as Eaves reported.

Honestly this is all I needed to hear, lol

Sort of like Blakes first season when he was coming back December... but missed the whole season.

Or 2 seasons ago when he would be back mid season, and pretty much missed the rest of the season and playoffs.

I'll believe it when I see it

Very Happy to have Blake back, we finally get to see what he's really made of! It should be really fun to watch him play alongside Gallinari and Milos! We have an intriguing season ahead of us

He's always healthy during training camp. It's the 2nd half of the season where he gassed out and becomes the injury prone play r that he is

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20105189/blake-griffin-la-clippers-said-re-signing-team-was-no-brainer

He met with 5 foot specialists and was told he should be good to go. This is really good news. Not sure why Postman and Jarca are insisting on being so critical before the season even starts. I get it, neither of you like Blake. At this point though he's our best shot to do something, so it seems foolish to root against him.

there are still many fans that have loyalty to Chris Paul. This is one thing that I have hated about Paul's presence here, it stopped being about the clippers. Needless to say Paul chose to form....

A lot of us are just frustrated with Blake's injury history. I hope he can really be ready by training camp but I'd much prefer him take extra time to make sure he's fully healed. He's made the mistake of coming back from injury too soon several times in his career now which has led to re-injury.

Not critical but I'm not lowering my expectations for this team like a lot of posters. It's still western conference finals or bust for me. Why? Because this team isn't exactly young, we have no cap....

Because Blake stayed purely for the $$$. I would be more on board with building around Blake if he took a pay cut that would help us sign more players in the future. Because he took that max $$$ I'm expecting him to live up to it. I don't expect him to be Russell Westlbrook but i expect him to play at least 75 games, all star game, and perhaps finally make it NBA first team. Time for him to take off the suits and be on the court

Chris who? Move on

Chris Wilcox? Chris Kaman? Lol

Perception vs Reality. I've made plenty of post that I've been positive about. (See Tedo Thread, Signing of Willie Reed, etc...) Your brain focuses on post I make which are critical, but are just realistic. I named....

I agree that money was a factor in him staying, sure. However, I think another factor was Paul himself. I have a feeling if Paul decided to stay, Griffin would have gone elsewhere. I'm not exactly sure those two wanted to play with each other any longer. As for the pay cut, I also agree with you. Blake should have put us in a position to free up more money for other pieces. Will he live up to the max money contract, NO! Blake has a history of injury, and he rarely plays defense. Max money should be given to two way players, or at the very least lights out shooters, but it should never be given to a one-way power forward like Blake. Resigning Blake was not my desire, but sadly it is what the front office decided to do. This team is not suddenly going to go to the western conference finals, but it has the potential to be a lateral move and keep us in the second round of the playoffs. However, I do want to make one thing clear, the fact that we will remain in the same playoff trajectory will be more attributed to the defensive prowess and youth of the new additions like Beverley, Harrell, Dekker, and Gallinari. What we lost in Paul, we got back through a combination of other players.

Well, so far we have a good record on Blake. Expect that there will be injury either this year or next. Expect that the injury could lead him to miss a few games or the entire season. This is why I wanted a full rebuild. As much as Blake and a few pieces like Gallinari can be playoff bound, there is too many conditionals in play...if Blake is healthy, if Gallinari is healthy...

I would have rather traded Blake to the Celtics and gotten Fultz, Brown,and other pieces in exchange. With a projected package from the Celtics along with the package we got from Houston this would have been a very, very decent squad in the future. But hey, this is what we have and hopefully it will work out for the best.

Why would Blake take a pay cut? A lot of people point to being injury prone but that's sports. Sometimes injury happens, and they can happen to the best players. Blake didn't need to take a pay cut. This team has a couple if not more than a couple assets to work with moving forward.

-Lou Will's expiring contract

• Beverly's Non guaranteed contract for next year

-DJ at the deadline

-Gallo could be an expiring contract after this season

-If NBA doesn't work for Milos, he can opt out, cleAr cap space

-Evans, Thornwell, Dekker,Harrell are lost cost/high upside

I think the Clippers are in a good position and not necessarily Western Conference or bust

I think this gives Blake an opportunity to run the offense through him first. I think pushing the ball through him will be a dynamic change to what was before (guard centric). I do hope with the addition of Gallo, Milos and Bev we have 4 players that are decent playmakers, and that also gives us a different approach. I do hope that Doc truly does incorporate a lot more cutting and rim runs.

LOL, Celtics actually making a trade with some of their high picks would be a sight to see. Ainge is the most selfish person with his assets, guy does not want to move any of his young guys or picks.

This has the potential to be completely dynamic. We have so many new players, and some of them offer a skill set that is nothing like we had before. However, the biggest factor still remains, will Doc make the right line-ups? Will Doc use each player and optimize their abilities? I still worry about that. I have seen some very good players on this team Doc took over personnel decisions, yet some of these players never saw their fair share of play time. The pieces are there, but the ultimate questions is will they be used? It is really all in Doc's hands

I agree Doc is still a large concern.

I've had the thought that if we could have a good run, over achieve and let's say make the western conference or just shy then next year we could make something happen. It would be interesting if Lakers don't have as good a year as there expect and we over achieve maybe we could possibly add PG.

Well i like your point about the western conference. This is why making it deeper into the next round is critical, and it was a large reason why I was so critical of this team....

I agree with you 100%. BG got paid the big bucks and those excuses are worthless now. Everyone here should hold BG to the same standards as those that are getting paid the same as he is. Give him this season to prove he's worth the money before we throw the baby out with the bathwater. It's still WCF or bust and I expect nothing less. The weird part? I'm farking more excited for this upcoming season than I have been the last few years.

Because Chris and Blake together could not get past the second round, this was our standard for success. Should it be the same now even without Paul, of course. Even more so now because we all need to believe that the front office made the right trades, moves, and draft picks. As for age, well we have added some young guys from that trade in Dekker and Harrell, so this puts us in a very eclectic mix. What I loved about the CP3 trade is that we got players who can help immediately in Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley and young players to develop. This was wonderful because even if this new team of Beverley, Williams, DJ, BG, and Gallinari don't pan out, we now have the following guys who we can develop: Dekker, Harrell, Evans, Johnson, and Thornwell. We essentially went from just Brice Johnson, to all of a sudden five players to rebuild around if needed. We are in a great position.

Could not have said it better than pagec4. You need to be more optimistic and look on the good side of this offseason, which happens to be plentiful. While teams like the Bulls and the Pacers traded their star player for assets I can find in my couch, we literally got almost the entire Rockets bench plus their best defensive player. We then literally got the Nuggets to help us get Gallinari AND get rid of Jamal Crawford's albatross contract when they didn't have to do it. We then added the best PG not in the NBA and got Willie Reed for a bargain. We now have depth like we've never seen before(which should immensely help Blake's health since he won't have to play as much) and the perfect balance of present and future. When you look at our team, our only major flaw is having injury prone players, which our depth should help with that as I mentioned before. So be optimistic about the upcoming season because there is a lot to be excited about.

Not sure what the team is going to look like on the court but the possibilities are better than the previous year. it will all depend on the teams chemistry. So far I like what i hear, hopefully we can turn words into wins!

You have a right to believe WCF or bust Joe and Jarca, but why? You basically expect the Clippers to be the 2nd best team in the West then, or at least become it. The Rockets and Spurs were better last year when the Clippers had Paul. Now Paul goes to the Rockets and you expect the team to go further than they ever did WITH Paul? Thunder added Paul George and will be very dangerous as healthy. Expecting anything better than 4-5 seed with this team is setting you up for big disappointment most likely. Again, I fully support your right to do so.

@Jarca

Also Blake was already on a max deal. So your standards shouldn't of changed. CP3 left on his own accord, not sure what that has to do with Blake taking money to stay. Nobody in their prime takes paycuts really. Durant took a pretty huge one but it's also on a 1+1 contract, on a dynasty team.

I'm not excusing Blakes play either. When he's soft or lazy on the court I call him out. He definitely needs to bring more consistent effort since it's his team now. At the same time it does me no good expecting the worst from him. May as well see what happens before picking him apart.

As for 2 delayed recoveries you can blame our training staff, not Blake. They misdiagnosed him twice, leading to much longer recoveries. He said in an interview about torn quad that they had him rehabbing wrong thing for nearly a month.

Why? I have hope now. There is no reason why this team can't compete and become the second best team. Spurs aren't looking so hot considering the Aldridge situation and adding Rudy Gay to that team. The Rockets are a big question mark considering they traded their bench for a ball dominant PG who will the playing off the ball. We're also a big question mark but I have a feeling, these guys are going to be better than some of us think. I can certainty be wrong but again, I have hope now.

Griffin is going to have to carry this team whether he likes it or not. Since this is his team, he's going to have to prove the Clippers made the right choice.

Joe I'm excited too. I think

Blake will step up personally. My main reason for not expecting 2nd best in West is health. Half of our team is injury prone. If we have miraculous health, maybe the team will go far.

Wow, 2nd best in the West and WCF, well people are really quick to amp up those expectations. The team has like 10 new players, three injury prone starters, and while they shouldn't all miss time, if one of Gallo or Griffin misses time, it can be an issue. Defensively, there's a lot of questions, can Teodosic guard anyone? Is Gallo actually better defensively at the 4 now than at the 3? Who can Lou Williams guard?

I guess optimism is good, but I certainly won't be anywhere near as disappointed or frustrated as you guys at the end of the year if that doesn't happen. I'm expecting more of 45-50 wins, with good health, maybe second round if it is a good matchup, and WCF only if the other team somehow gets some serious injury. With not so good health, this could be a 40-45 win season and possibly missing the post-season. I'm also hoping to avoid 4th or 5th place because that is the dreaded spot to match up with GS in the second round.

The thing with the Spurs is that even if their team won't be primed for the post-season, they win regular seasons games on discipline and consistency. Barring any significant injury to Kawhi, they will likely be in the 55-60+ range again even with that odd Rudy Gay signing. Houston replaced most of their bench. Still have EJ and Nene, then added Mbah and Tucker and have a couple of young guys off the bench. They plan to stagger Paul/Harden so one is on the floor at all times. When Paul was on the floor last season the Clippers had a 118.8 Ortg, with Harden, Houston had a 117.0 Ortg. GS for example as a team had a 115.6 Ortg, so there's a lot of potential there. Whether it will win in the post-season or not is a different question, but that kind of offense is going to win a lot of regular season games, certainly in the 55-60+ range even with their adjustments and growing pains. There's also Minnesota:

Teague / Wiggins / Butler / Gibson / Towns From a pure talent perspective, they are looking good. They were the 10th most efficient offensive team last season, but horrible on defense. Adding Butler and Gibson and another year under Thibs should help that. They are a potential top 10 offense and defense team next season

Next, did you forget the Thunder?

George is not as good as KD, but he's right there. This was a team winning 55+ games each season if KD and Russ were fairly healthy. They won 47 games last season with just Russ. This is another team that's going to be in the hunt for 55 wins. They traded Oladipo and Sabonis for George and they added Patrick Patterson, a nice two way role playing stretch big. Westbrook / Roberson / George /....
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OK, when YOUR prediction is so full of disclaimers, I wonder how you can criticize others for their expectations. It's actually a nice way of hedging your bet.

Way to stay positive:) The west has certainly become even more loaded. Houston, San Antonio, Minnesota, Utah, and our team have made a lot of moves. This can be either good or bad for all of these teams, including us. Sometimes, the media hypes up off season acquisitions depending on the name recognition of the player. Houston is now being showered with a lot of attention by the media because of its acquisition of Paul, yet they certainly don't take into account various factors, like coaching and the style of play of each player. Funny how the media is completely writing off the Clippers, but giving such praise to the Rockets.

I certainly have my predictions, and I think we might end up anywhere between 6-8 in the playoffs with a possible advancement to the next round if the right match up presents itself. However, how often are any of us right? No one certainly predicted the Dallas Mavericks to beat the loaded Miami Heat, and they had one true superstar with Dirk Nowitzki only and a cast of good role players like JJ Barrea and Jason Terry. Maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle, who knows. This is part of what makes the NBA fun, the element of unpredictability.

I applaud you for the well placed hope though, and I certainly want this to be true because we certainly need this club to finally reward the fans.

I think that people get too caught up in the gotcha moment that people miss the forest for the trees. Notice that Jarca and I said "it;'s WCF or bust". Why can't anyone here HOPE for that? Not sure why people are fans of a team and not hope for the best. There were no stats applied when I made that statement...It was just a fan of this team wishing the best for them. It's still the same goal I had last season and it's still the same goal I'm applying to this team. I guess I overslept when I used the word, Hope. Looks like the definition has changed. I guess since I didn't layout a presentation as to why I believe that, it doesn't m3easure up. The fact is, I or Jarca never made any predictions. Jarca's comments was more of pessimist putting on expectations he doesn't see coming to fruition. I on the other hand, countered that by being optimistic by purposely using the word, "hope" (a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen) .

I don't control injuries and I can't predict them. I'm not "criticizing" anyone, there's nothing to be sensitive and defensive about, it's just discussion, it's okay, seriously. I'm just surprised about that expectation and commenting on it, your intellect is not being questioned or something.

There's a good chance there will be games missed due to injury based on the past, I made an expectation for healthy (45-50 wins), and then commented on the other possibility if health doesn't work how we would like. I'm not trying to make a "prediction" so I can say "look everyone, look at me, I made the right prediction, I told you so", so I don't care, this is more of an expectation. If it happens, it happens, if they do better I will be happy, if they do worse, sucks, it's still just basketball. Whatever happens, I will discuss and comment on what people say about the team and expect people to discuss and comment on what I say unless I wouldn't post.

Understood. Hopefully, it didn't come off as a criticism or sarcasm. My post was really to commend you. After Paul left, there was almost this incredible reaction that the world would end and we would revert back to those 16 win years. I never saw it that way because each player in the end is just one player. A season isn't dictated by one player, it is dictated by a team. Griffin, Jordan, Paul are all one part of whole that are replaceable. That being said, we should all hope for a WCF berth. Glad to see that there is some optimism.

I'm pretty sure everyone HOPE's for WCF but I could never declare WCF or Bust. "Bust" implies a failed season and we can take many positive steps for this franchise with this current roster even if we don't get that far. We have tons of trade options to make big moves, young players to develop, as well as seeing how the BG, DG combo works. There are many more things to be optimistic about OTHER THAN how far we get in the playoffs this year, which is why this upcoming season feels so exciting.

For the past few years, we've basically wanted to skip the Regular season just to see how far we could go in the playoffs. This is the first season in a while where the 82 games of the regular season will be more important than the 4-24 games of the Playoffs. The Western Conference Finals are certainly a possibility and a goal worthy of genuine hope, but we can still have an extremely successful season without them.

"or bust" is no different than saying, "or die trying". It doesn't mean, "WFC or we're losers". This is an old phrase that doesn't imply what you think it does.

Here is how it was originally used and if you look at my avatar, it is a sign with the "bust" spray painted over it. Exactly like they used to do back in the hitchhiking days. It doesn't mean what you think it does.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/60989/why-do-hitchhikers-say-destinationor-bust

"Hitchhikers used to scrawl it with Magic Marker on a piece of cardboard, and some oh-so-clever marketers emblazon phrases like “Daytona Beach or Bust” across the chests of their souvenir T-shirts. But the “bust” in the phrase has nothing to do with female anatomy; rather, it refers to the “risk everything and go for broke” definition of the word."

Agent, I noticed you repped the post and added this:

"Exactly, WCF or bust is different than simple saying "I hope we get to the WCF".

I suggest you read the post above this to see what that phrase actually means. I can see why you were confused.

This is why I hate arguing over silly things here. People love to twist things and put their own spin on them. Then I have to spend time trying to defend myself under false pretenses. This is how petty things get sometimes. Luckily, my old avatar and the article I posted kind of puts things to rest now, amirite?

/nothing to see here

Well that's good to know, not sure that is the colloquial understanding and use of that phrase that most of us would associate it with, which is obviously where the disconnect comes. Based on your clarification, then I'd assume most of us are in the same position, we all hope the team goes to the WCF, at least most of us, honestly I hope they matchup with Houston, beat them, and then beat the Warriors, somehow, some way, so sure that's cool.

^^^

I think people are just focusing on the word "bust" and thinking it refers to players not living up to expectations. That is where it is lost in translation. That phrase has nothing to do with being a bust if you don't make it to your destination. It was created with one meaning and as far as I know, there is NO meaning that it implies that if you're don't make it, you're a bust. Not one on-line definition implies otherwise. Even urban dictionary has the proper meaning. Not sure what other way people use that. How do you use it? Just curious.