Blake Griffin returns early dividends, misses entire season

The great thing about selecting the first overall pick in the NBA draft, is that you most likely will grab a guy that can help right away. And the Los Angeles Clippers got to reap the rewards this year from top pick Blake Griffin. He’s now needs surgery for a stress fracture in his kneecap that he suffered in the final preseason game and will miss the remainder of his introductory season.

The Clippers said in a statement, “It has been determined that the healing in his left patella area has not improved to the expected required level.”

While he didn’t play any minutes, take a single shot, toss a single pass, or make any points, the Clippers got the benefit of his strong moral support in the locker room, which helped them to a 17-19 mark this year.

“Obviously it’s disappointing for Blake, and for us, because of the impact we think he could have had on our team,” Dunleavy said, temporarily downplaying his importance as a morale booster. “The most important thing we’ve considered, obviously, is how we get him healthy for the long term.”

It is not known where the Clippers would be this year if they hadn’t gotten such a great return on their investment.