Blake Griffin's Attitude and Style of Play Will Prevent Him from NBA Greatness

It didn't take long for hype-prone pundits to anoint Blake Griffin the game's next great power forward. He was to be the flashy, young, superstar juxtaposed against Kevin Love's workman-like approach to doing dirty work on the glass.

Unfortunately for Griffin, it's one thing to be that flashy superstar and quite another to inherit a tradition of greatness from the likes of Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

Griffin has yet to demonstrate either the mentality or superlative on-court performance that would justify such comparisons.

He has been an instant success to be sure. In each of his first two seasons, Griffin has averaged more than 20 points, and no fewer than 10.9 rebounds per game. That kind of productivity certainly warrants a yearly All-Star nod—but it doesn't make him a future Hall of Famer.

After all, the guy who gave him so much trouble in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies has yielded Griffin-like production in a number of seasons without attracting much fanfare. Zach Randolph has averaged 20 or more points six times in his career, the same number of times he's posted more than 10 rebounds per game.

No one ever thought Randolph the next great power forward.

Much of Griffin's media allure is no doubt attributable to the powerful dunks that provide highlight fodder in wins and losses alike. But just as age made Shawn Kemp look ever so mortal as his career unfolded, so too must Griffin either improve his skill set, or ready himself for declining relevance.

Of course, he won't make much headway without a decisive attitude adjustment.

Griffin's dismissive account of accusations that he's a flopper reveals the stubbornness of a 23-year-old whose confidence is woefully unbounded. His conversation with Dan Patrick suggests as much (via Sports Radio Interviews' Eric Schmoldt):

"

The commissioner said flopping is a concern. Is it a concern for you, not just individually, but around the league?:

“No, it’s not really a concern. I guess it depends on the individual but it’s not really a concern for me. Especially in the playoffs, guys are doing everything they can to get an extra possession or to get a stop, whatever it is. I’m not sure what David Stern feels, but it’s not a concern to me, really.”

"

Griffin later told Patrick the worry over flopping was, "just kind of a phase or a bandwagon that some people want to jump on." 

These are the ruminations of someone who is either inconceivably oblivious or—more likely—an actor prone to fooling his audiences both on and off the court. We all know Hollywood is conducive to wild imaginations, but Griffin sounds like a guy in denial.

That could be trouble, and not just because we all know a flop when we see one.

Griffin's first step in growing as an athlete on the court is accepting that a few things need to change. That won't come easily if the would-be icon is content with the status quo.

Without diversifying his game, the kind of sprained knee he suffered against the Grizzlies may become par for the course.

The paint is a hazardous place for high-flyers like Griffin. He'll need to develop post moves that will allow him to score when exploding to the rim isn't an option, and a more consistent mid-range jumper wouldn't hurt either.

The talented young forward also needs to recommit himself to working hard on both ends of the floor: Rotating on defense, boxing out consistently, setting hard picks, and out-hustling his opponents.

While those kind of virtues won't make many highlight reels, they have been known to make a few champions. They will certainly define the careers of the greats—if Griffin aspires to be the next Duncan or Garnett, he can't avoid emulating their well-rounded and fundamentally sound technique.

Those two greats have also spent the latter halves of their careers scoring a whole lot of their points from the top of the key or posting up on the block, preserving their bodies through styles that were both less strenuous and less risky.

At his current rate, Griffin's career is set to be derailed by injury thanks to his penchant for going to the rim no matter who's in his way.

Those tendencies will have to change if he's to become the next elite power forward—and yes, that means he'll have to accept that sometimes change is a good thing.