The Los Angeles Clippers are within striking distance of catching the Oklahoma City Thunder for third place in the Western Conference standings. Third place means avoiding the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs, so it is certainly worth playing for. The Clippers have been without one of their best players, Blake Griffin, for quite some time now, and they have actually performed better without him.
Despite what the record says, the Clippers need Griffin back if they have any hope of making a deep playoff run. Griffin missed the Clippers' last 29 games as he is currently recovering from a broken hand, and the Clippers have yet to reveal a timetable for his return. Head coach Doc Rivers recently said that Griffin is "not close" to returning.
While Rivers doesn't foresee Griffin returning anytime soon, Griffin happens to disagree. Griffin was in attendance at Oklahoma's game against Baylor Tuesday night as he was getting his jersey retired, and he addressed the media there. When speaking to the media, Griffin said he was "very close" to a return, which is quite the opposite of what Rivers said just a day earlier.
When trying to figure out a timetable for an injured player, it is usually a wiser decision to trust the coach over the player since players tend to be much more optimistic about their return dates. Even though Griffin is optimistic that he will be back sooner rather than later, he wouldn't commit to a timetable. The 26-year-old forward has been getting up some shots recently, which is a good sign considering he fractured his shooting hand, but Rivers even downplayed that.
The likeliest scenario for Griffin, despite him saying he's close, is that he will be back around the end of March or early April. Griffin still has to take contact in practice before he can get into games, and it also should be noted that he has a four-game suspension waiting for him when he is medically cleared. Griffin is essential to the Clippers making a deep playoff run, but they are playing well without him for now, so there is no need for him to be rushed back before he is ready.
