(PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images.)
Blake Griffin probably won’t be back until March even though he was slated to be back very, very soon.
From the Orange County Register:
Blake Griffin broke his hand throwing a punch and will miss four to six additional weeks, the Clippers announced Tuesday. The Register learned that the punch was thrown at a member of the team’s equipment staff.
The Clippers issued a joint statement from team owner Steve Ballmer and Coach Doc Rivers:
“L.A. Clippers forward Blake Griffin suffered a spiral fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his right hand throwing a punch on Jan. 23 in Toronto.
“This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who we are as a team. We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.
“Griffin received X-rays on Jan. 25th in Los Angeles that revealed the injury and he underwent a procedure on his hand Tuesday morning. The procedure was performed by Dr. Steve Shin. Recovery time from the injury is approximately four to six weeks.”
Griffin has been out since December 26 with a quad injury. Blake can’t act out of turn like this, especially if it’s over something minor (that he probably thinks that was major enough to warrant throwing a punch). Now the Clippers will have to play without Griffin longer and this may or may not be the difference of having to face either the Warriors or Spurs later in the playoffs. The Clips have been 11-3 without him thus far.
Blake Griffin was having a terrific season, averaging 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
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