Is Team USA Be Better off Without Blake Griffin?

Though Blake Griffin's season with the Los Angeles Clippers shouldn't be affected, his opportunity to play with Team USA in the Summer Olympics ended with a torn meniscus in his left knee.

That's not the best possible news, especially with big men like Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh unavailable due to various ailments. This roster was already thin along the front line, and now it will need to depend upon freshly-drafted Anthony Davis as a replacement.

Still, there's a reason Davis was taken with the first-overall selection in June's draft.

He's an exceptional athletic specimen who can protect the rim like it's a baby, and he will also do a fine job keeping up with the smooth-shooting big men who characterize this game internationally. There's at least some reason to believe these kind of benefits make Griffin's loss a blessing in disguise.

As entertaining as the Los Angeles Clipper's open-court antics would have been, his defense is a work in progress (if not regress).

Davis on the other hand distinguished himself with 4.7 blocks per game as a freshman at Kentucky, and he features the quickness, strength and motor needed to cause all sorts in the paint and on the perimeter alike.

What better opportunity to debut those skills than before the entire world?

To the extent Davis' youth limits his playing time, all is not lost.

Between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Team USA boasts a couple of versatile forwards who are strong enough to hold their own at the 4.

And, against bigs on the skinnier side of things, Kevin Durant can certainly make some contributions. 

This is a roster that won't need to post-up all that frequently, and nor will it have to contain too many elite post-players on the defensive end. Taking advantage of Team USA's versatility and some chances to spread the floor may not be such a bad thing.

As for entertainment value, it's not like Griffin was the only guy on this team who can dunk.

We come out of these Summer Games without the same volume of alley-oops, but they should produce more than a few highlight reels nevertheless.