Los Angeles Clippers: How Blake Griffin Has Altered the Franchise Forever

When you think of basketball in Los Angeles, you usually don’t think of the Clippers. 

That’s all about to change.

Whether or not the Clippers bring in Dwight Howard or Chris Paul is irrelevant. The Clippers are in the conversation. All of a sudden, the most laughable team in the league has become a legitimate destination for free agents.

Why? I’ll give you one good guess.

Blake Griffin. 

The Clippers have always played in an attractive city, but they’ve never had the management or talent to entice the game’s biggest names. 

However, now that the team has Blake Griffin, the possibility of having success in a town owned by the Lakers is actually feasible. Even without a big-time free agent, this year, the Clippers should have a good shot at making the playoffs.

It’s hard to believe, but the Clippers are actually a well-built team. They have so much youth, they’ve drafted well, and they seem ready to make a real run in the playoffs this year.

Recently, DeAndre Jordan said he thinks the team could be the next Oklahoma City Thunder. The craziest part of that statement is that it really isn’t so crazy. 

With a promising core of Griffin, Jordan and Eric Gordon, the team just needs to add a few more pieces, and they could be very successful. 

If they add Dwight Howard or Chris Paul, they could make a serious push for becoming the top team in the league. 

Top team? The Clippers? Yes. 

Even if Eric Gordon has to be shipped in order to land Chris Paul, it would be worth it. Paul is the top point guard in the league, and pairing him with Blake Griffin would be a dominant combination.

The truth is, though, no matter what happens, the Clippers are in the conversation. That’s something few fans could have ever really imagined.

Clippers’ fans hoped Blake would change the culture in Los Angeles. I don’t think they realized just how quickly four decades of misery could truly be forgotten. Looks like things are looking up for Clipper Nation.

About time.