Blake Griffin to Have Season-Ending Surgery

Blake Griffin's rookie season in the NBA was over before it began.

Short of a stint in summer league action and some preseason games, Griffin's early exit left us with a big tease of his abilities at the professional level, news had just been reported last week that he was eyeing a return.

No such luck .

Griffin's fractured kneecap proved to be too much to overcome, and the Los Angeles Clippers weren't willing to risk rushing him back.

After resting his original injury for the first three months of the season, Griffin was working hard towards a return in January, until an incident in a pool exercise caused more pain in the healing knee.

Further investigation showed that the kneecap wasn't healing properly, and that surgery was the best route toward complete health in Griffin's knee.

For the Clippers, this is just another disappointment for a franchise that hasn't had the best of luck, well, ever .

Griffin's injury reminds many of Greg Oden's rookie season, when he also sustained a serious knee injury, failed to play a single second for Portland that year, and has gone on to deliver only mediocre numbers before being hurt again this season.

The question isn't really whether or not the Clippers can hold it together and keep strong after a playoff run. Griffin was never a part of the success, so what is going to happen with this team is already written in the stars. He was just going to be an added bonus.

He was just going to be their last resort, their "rookie to the rescue".

But now that's over.

Now, it's on to the future, at least for Griffin.

When asked about the bad luck and negative connotations that come with playing for the Clippers after he was drafted, Griffin shrugged it off, and claimed that everyone (and every team) makes their own luck.

That's a true statement. But for a guy that is mirror-imaging the start to Greg Oden's career, it's also a bold statement.

The question, of all questions, really, is whether or not this is going to kill Griffin's career.

Did coming to L.A. ruin him before he could even get started? Think about it folks. This is a knee injury on a kid who excels and thrives on explosive movements, banging the ball inside, and finishing strong with dunks and alley-oops.

This is a kid that depends on his athleticism to make thing happens on both ends of the floor.

In that same breath (you know, the one that is casually damning Griffin's future), Griffin's family, teammates, and fans can at least take solace in the fact that the Clippers are making the right move.

Griffin is too hurt to play, and the correct decision has been made for him to not play this season.

Kudos to you for that, L.A.

Now let's just hope he can make it back.

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