Kobe Bryant Has Perfect Solution for Blake Griffin Bullying
Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin takes a lot of abuse because of the way he plays basketball. The more pain inflicted on the body, the more likely it is his career ends sooner than it should. Fortunately, a fellow superstar is here to offer sage advice to curtail the abuse Griffin takes.
Kobe Bryant has built a reputation as one of the most intense and fierce competitors in the NBA. Griffin is one of the most exciting players to watch, but has a much more laid-back approach on the court.
So when Bryant offered advice on what the Los Angeles Clippers star should do to curtail the punishment he takes, it came off as both shocking and brilliant.
"I'd smack the f--- out of somebody. I've known him for a while and he's a really nice guy so I don't know if he'd want to do that. But I would. I would've done it early in the year.
--snip--
"Sometimes you have to say, 'Look, you're not going to do this to me. I'll take two games but you're not going to put my health at risk by injuring me potentially. It's not going to happen.'
"
While Bryant's words of wisdom might not sit well with David Stern, there is a lot of truth to what he is saying.
It might be a psychological thing with other players, but if they know that they can go after Griffin hard without fear of him retaliating in kind, they could be more likely to hit him harder than someone else.
But if Griffin fights back with a hard foul or two of his own, opposing players are going to think long and hard about doing anything to him again.
Bryant isn't advocating injuring someone, but there are times when you have to send a message in a physical way.
Griffin should get more aggressive with the way he plays to keep opponents off his back, so we can avoid ugly incidents like the one that happened with Robin Lopez last week. It might cost him a game or two suspension, but if it keeps opponents from beating up on him and he can stay on the court, it is a small price to pay.
