Blake Griffin is only entering his sixth season in the NBA but he has already established himself as one of the best players in the league and as a true superstar. In all five of Griffin's NBA seasons so far he has been named an All-Star and last season he helped lead the Los Angeles Clippers to 56 wins and they were within one win of the Western Conference Finals. Griffin is in the third year of a five year contract so free agency for him isn't very close but he has said he would like to finish his career with the Clippers, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
Griffin was the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Clippers at a time when the team and the organization was in a bad way. Drafting Griffin marked somewhat of a turning point for the franchise as just one season after he was drafted they made the playoffs and now they are perennial title contenders. Griffin has been with the Clippers through some tought times but now that things are going well of course he wants to stay for the rest of his career.
"Yeah, I mean L.A. is my home now. This is where I got drafted and I've been here since the beginning. I've been with this franchise during some bad times. You know, it hasn't always been like it is now; anytime you have a chance to go from that to this, you feel invested. I'm not looking to go anywhere. With that being said, you never know, but I'm happy here, I love it here, and I would love to finish my career here," said Griffin about staying in L.A.
Griffin is coming off a season in which his scoring and rebounding were down a little bit but overall it may have been his best NBA season. In 67 games a year ago the former Oklahoma Sooner averaged 21.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and a career high 5.3 assists per game. Griffin also extended his range and now has a very solid mid-range jump shot that teams have to respect to go along with his other-worldly athleticism.
The Clippers have a very deep roster so Griffin is expected to see less minutes per game this season which should keep him fresher down the stretch. The last couple of years Griffin has averaged more than 35 minutes per game but this year he hopes to get that down to around 32 which doesn't seem like a lot but it adds up and takes a toll on a players body.
Griffin is still just 26 years old so the scary thing is that he is still improving. The good news for Clippers fans is that as he continues to improve and be an MVP candidate every year it will most likely be in the red and blue Los Angeles uniform that he currently wears as he has no plans to leave.
