Blake Griffin is everything you would want in a #1 pick in the draft. He is everybody's college basketball player of the year. He is the #1 pick on every single mock draft in the nation. His work ethic off the court will shame his team mates into working out harder. His effort on the court will urge his team mates to put out harder as well. His accomplishments while playing will make others want to rise to a higher level. His character will shine. He will eventually lead this team. Yes, it will be Blake Griffin's team. So where does Blake Griffin fall short? Well, he is not King James. At least not yet. So why will the Clippers not be inticed to trade this valuable asset? Certainly there will be tempting offers by a lot of teams in the league that look at the Clippers as chumps to be played. But Mike Dunleavy has gotten the better of other teams in recent trades. Certainly, proclaiming to the world that they will indeed draft Blake puts them in the best possible bargaining position. Let the games begin.
One team that I feel will try the hardest to land Blake from the Clippers is Oklahoma. Blake is a home town boy that will keep their arena sold out for years to come. They can offer the Clippers a package that would include their third pick and the rights to either Hasheem Thabeet or Ricky Rubio, along with the 25th pick that could turn into someone like UCLA's Darren Collison and Jrue Holliday. Throw in Darren's old team mate Russell Westbrook and this becomes a package that would be hard to turn down.
So why would the Clippers not jump on that sort of trade package? Certainly that trade would make the Clippers stronger and deeper on the bench. If they drafted Thabeet they could easily trade Kaman for an All Star. If they drafted Rubio they could trade Baron for Corey Maggette or pluck a gem from the Dallas roster, making the team even stronger still. Certainly, this will eventually lead to more wins, more tickets sales, and a trip to the playoffs.
So, why not? Well, Blake Griffin instantly sells a ton of tickets, right now. Blake, also allows the Clippers to trade Kaman for an All Star anyway. Blake Griffin could easily turn into their franchise player, become an All Star, or the best player in the NBA. Only time will tell. Blake Griffin certainly will be a star and a fan favorite. He will be the reason fans buy tickets to see the Clippers play in other arenas around the league. He gives the Clippers instant credibility........ if they start winning. That's the reason they will keep him. But this is the Clippers, of course. And we need for Mike Dunleavy to keep a cool head. But look at it this way. The Clippers are in a really good position whether or not they pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade. The draft is only about one month away. What do you think the Clippers will do?
JamFan
