Blake Griffin Has Become LA Clippers' LeBron; Point Guard Included

At some point, the world is going to have to forget the “King James” project in Cleveland, Ohio and grasp the future of the league. Of course, there is no one in this year’s draft that could create the stir that the 2003 draft formulated in the seasons afterward. But there is a prospect already in the NBA with the ability to have the same influence and impact on an organization that LeBron James did.

That rookie is Blake Griffin.

You have those that have come into the league beside him such as the dancing John Wall and the rookie that fell into the shadows, Landry Fields. There is even mention of Demarcus Cousins and a solid stay in the league if he could control his occasionally irate temperament.

Averaging 14.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in the first season is not too shabby, until you take a step back and look at the confrontational headlines he sported on his way to the season’s end.

John Wall was very influential on his team’s direction in the 23 games the team managed to win. Yes, they were without Gilbert Arenas, a once hard-working, advanced Wizards’ player gone gun-toting, trade must, and had to rely on the youthful efforts of players such as Nick Young and Javale McGee. The potential is great, but it is a strong belief of mine that the front office will come to the decision that the three may not be able to succeed while linked.

Landry Fields was shaken and stirred by the trade that brought Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the NY lineup. Not only did he receive a strong slump in playing time, but he was generally wiped off the slate of the Rookie of the Year discussions. Even when he was given time in games, Fields struggled with his shooting and ball handling, issues that are associated with players in their first years in the NBA.

Then you arrive at the Clippers’ savior. After waiting for an entire season for his first official game, Blake Griffin had a lot riding on this season. He was not given the permission of failure that most rookies are. Griffin’s year on the bench was treated as if he had actually played and critics expected him to come out of the corner swinging.

Following expectations, Blake tossed his warm-ups to the side and landed punches in the nose of every franchise’s defender, including a haymaker style dunk to the face of Timofey Mozgov, a facial heard around the world. Dunks like that not only determine early position in the 2011 NBA All Star Dunk Contest, but give the crowd an opportunity at restored faith.

There are no bones about it. The Clippers have become the most forgotten franchise, right in front of what the New York Knicks were before the recruitment of Amar’e Stoudemire.   

After the monstrous spectacle and attention that Blake Griffin has brought to the doors of the Clippers, remodeling must take place for him to stay happy. Let’s be wholeheartedly honest about the league in today’s age. The team’s objective is not only to secure long term success, but it requires that the greatest player on the roster remains content with his surroundings. Right now, those goals seem far from maintained in LA’s little brother organization.

It took a couple of months for players to begin going after Griffin solely. The Hack-A-Blake strategy is now nationally employed in the league, and elder players especially will not hesitate to land an elbow or two on the former rookie. How should the Clippers prepare?

Not by signing the exact same point guard from Cleveland that LeBron showed his professional discontent for by bolting from the team.

In a situation so similar to James’, it is incomprehensible why general managers deemed it necessary to trade for Mo Williams, when he accomplishes the exact same things that Baron Davis did as Griffin’s teammate. The plot seems the same. Throw a lob and let Blake jump through the roof to dunk or throw it down on some innocent bystander with a jersey or a camera. It is not Williams’ fault however. It seems as if he is trying to remain afloat after suffering a futile season under two different brands in one season.

I am not underestimating the glimpse of brilliance that Williams can provide every now and then. He has a perimeter range that is coming and going. However, so did Davis. It just seems that the Clippers’ executives have forgotten how to season such a huge talent and place those necessary pieces around him. He needs a star by his side to carry the load, period. If his numbers remain high, then so be it. There will still be that second option.

Derrick Rose is the most athletic point guard in the league right now, but without that reliable second option, he fell hard at the hands of the Miami Heat. Of course you could attribute a lot of what happened to growing pains, but those surrounding him such as Carlos Boozer (29) and Luol Deng (26) are old enough to know the ins and outs of victory. Still, neither is able to give Rose that boost of offense he sometimes needs to lean on.

Blake Griffin is an extremely talented young athlete, but he will slip through the Los Angeles Clippers’ fingers if they do not treat him like their revival.