Blake Griffin has undergone an arthroscopic debridement of his left knee, the Pistons announced today in a press release. According to the team, Griffin will go through an “extended” rehab process, with no timetable set for his return.
The announcement from the club comes just one day after news surfaced that Griffin was visiting a specialist in Los Angeles and considering season-ending surgery. It’s unclear if the procedure he underwent today is the same season-ending one he was reportedly weighing on Monday, but it seems safe to assume he won’t be back in Detroit’s lineup anytime soon.
If it is indeed a long-term injury for Griffin, it may help put the nail in the coffin of the Pistons’ playoff hopes for 2020. After narrowly earning the No. 8 seed a year ago, the team sits at 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 13-24 record. While Griffin has struggled in the 18 games he has played this season, averaging just 15.5 PPG and 4.7 RPG on 35.2% shooting, Detroit was close to .500 (8-10) with him in the lineup. The club has won just five of 19 games without Griffin.
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Griffin’s surgery increases the likelihood that the Pistons will be sellers leading up to next month’s trade deadline. Andre Drummond is the club’s biggest trade chip, and Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) says one source briefed on Detroit’s efforts to move the veteran center expressed confidence that a trade will be made by February 6.
As for Griffin, he remains under contract for two more years beyond 2019/20, with a guaranteed $36.8MM cap charge for ’20/21 and a ’21/22 player option worth nearly $39MM. Although the six-time All-Star seems unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon, Detroit could consider moving him in the offseason if he gets healthy and the franchise wants to launch a full-fledged rebuild.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
He needs to retire. He’s been mailing it in with his contract , always hurt. Wants to be a comedian anyhow.
“Mailing it in” is a stretch. Blake had his best all-around season last year. Proved he could do more than just dunk. They ran the offense through him and he was hitting league average from behind the arc.
Clippers won this deal pretty much.
Does this make Detroit a stealth suitor for Paul? Would you be willing to pay +$5mm more for a satisfactory point guard than an unplayable injured Griffin? Would OKC do the trade to shed a future $10mm or so down the line?
Sure, like those two want to play together again.
I think he’s talking about Detroit and OKC making a Paul/Griffin trade
It might be the only way OKC gets the pick(s) they want.
This was the fear of rational Pistons fans when they made the trade. He has been injured the majority of his career and the Pistons went for it as a last ditch effort to win now. Burn it down, start over. Trade Drummond, Rose, Galloway, and give Jackson as a tax write off to some unfortunate team.