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NBA -- Griffin's Olympic dreams KO'd by injury
By Joan Secuya-Medida
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 14 Jul 2012
Blak Griffin.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Before writing this piece, I watched the YouTube video of Blake Griffin's monster dunk during a Las Vegas practice for Team USA Basketball. The feat of wonder, which has 1,462, 252 views and counting, was made last July 7.
Six days later, the Los Angeles Times reported that the high-flying Griffin has been grounded by a medial meniscus tear in his left knee, The LA Clippers forward will undergo arthroscopic surgery next week and will be sidelined for up to eight weeks.
Sadly, Griffin will miss the Olympic Games in London. And just like that, Griffin's chance to wear a rare Olympic gold medal is flushed down the drain. Yet another example of how fragile life is.
But Griffin's loss is another man's gain. That man is rookie Anthony Davis, who has been been tapped by USA Basketball to replace the injured star. Davis, a college standout from the University of Kentucky, was chosen by the New Orleans Hornets as the No.1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft.
And while the LA Clippers are pained by Griffin's injury, they are relieved that the mishap isn't career-ending. After all, they recently inked Griffin to a massive contract extension worth $95 million for five years.
"We're relieved that this does not affect Blake's ability to be ready in time for training camp," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said in a statement. "Missing out on the Olympic experience is tough for him to take. I know how dedicated he was to doing that. We're glad we can get this fixed now and take advantage of the available time for him to recover."
At 6-foot-10, 251 pounds, Griffin is one of the most electrifying young players in the NBA. A two-year pro, the 23-year old has already compiled a thick scrapbook of gravity-defying dunks. Griffin averaged 20.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per in 66 games last season. (Joan Secuya-Medida.)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joan Secuya-Medida.
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