Blake Griffin has missed the Los Angeles Clippers last 14 games while he is dealing with a partially torn quad in his left leg. Griffin had been travelling with the team on their current road trip with the expectation that he would be able to return at some point soon but on Monday he was sent home and ruled out for the team's next two games. The Clippers said Griffin had not suffered a setback, which is true, but it seems as though he has suffered a completely new injury by breaking his hand, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
Griffin reportedly suffered the injury in an "undisclosed team-related incident" and there isn't much more information about his hand. The expectation is that this new injury, which is unrelated to Griffin's quad, will keep him out weeks instead of days, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. The Clippers are currently still evaluating how serious the injury to Griffin's hand might be but it seems serious enough that he will miss even more time.
When the news broke that Griffin was sent home on Monday it was said that Griffin did not suffer a setback but he instead wanted to make sure he was ready. That seemed fishy at the team because Griffin was dead set on returning during this road trip but now we know the real reason why he won't be returning anytime soon.
In the 14 games Griffin has missed so far the Clippers have actually done well as they hold a record of 11-3 but only two of those wins have come against teams with winning records. The Clippers schedule is set to become a little more difficult now and unfortunately they will not have their leading scorer for the foreseeable future.
In 30 games this season Griffin is averaging 23.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The Clippers have been able to take care of business without Griffin so far but not having him long-term is not what the Clippers need. Griffin is a crucial part of this Clippers team and they are hoping this hand injury isn't too serious. The Clippers should provide an update soon as to the severity of the injury but until then all we can do is speculate.
