After experiencing some discomfort during his recently-accelerated rehabilitation program, Clippers’ forward Blake Griffin was examined Tuesday afternoon by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.

As a result of that examination, it has been determined that the healing in his left patella area has not improved to the expected required level. Griffin will undergo a surgical procedure in the near future, with a recovery prognosis of four to six months. Team personnel will be made available to the media. Further details will be made available as events develop.

Previously on December 23rd, after undergoing a CT Scan and MRI Griffin had been cleared to increase his rehabilitation workload.

Griffin, the first overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, suffered a non-displaced stress fracture of his left patella during the Clippers’ last preseason game vs. the New Orleans Hornets on Friday, October 23rd.

Hope he bounces back. I'd still trade Jordan Hill for him right now.

I think the NBA needs to think about whether athletes are over-training, the aggressive recovery schedules from major injuries (Michael Redd), and the year 'round high-level competition that the foreign players engage in and some American players as well...part of being a healthy athlete is rest.

***

Okay, who will be a better pro athlete...Brian Bosworth or Blake Griffin?

oohah

2000 - darius miles at #3
2001 - tyson chandler at #2 (traded immediately for... elton brand? not a bad move for them in hindsight)
2002 - chris wilcox at #8
2003 - chris kaman at #6 (looking like their best pick so far....)
2004 - shaun livingston at #4 (WHO can argue with this pick? sigh)
2005 - yaroslev korolev at #12 (ah, who can forget yaroslev korolev... it is any wonder we all winced when donnie picked gallo?)
2006 - i'm not seeing a first round pick for them... this may have been their best draft...
2007 - al thornton at #14 - okay this is a solid pick... for nba live at least...
2008 - eric gordon at #7 - not a bad pick at all, maybe their best of the decade...
2009 -blake griffin at #1 - TBD

for comparison... the knicks in the 2000s draft, first round only so the likes of magic lampe, trevor ariza and lavor postell will live on only in memoooooriiiiieeeessssss...

2000 - donnell harvey at #22... traded with john wallace to dallas for erick strickland
2001 - no pick... can't even remember what the trade was... i think mark jackson was involved?
2002 - nene at #7 .... guh.... traded with camby for mcdyess. d'oh. also frank williams at #25.
2003 - sweetney at #9 - guuuuuuuuuh
2004 - lol @ zeke
2005 - channing frye at #8, nate robinson at #21, david lee at #29. the draft that basically defined our team for the next 5 years.
2006 - lol @ zeke... almost forgot renaldo balkman at #20 and mardy collins at #29.... so little to say here, except we passed over rondo, lowry and marcus williams to take balkman at #20 and then drafted the worst point guard of all time at #29.
2007 - lol @ zeke... but oh wait, he somehow got wilson chandler at #23. not a bad pick at all.
2008 - danilo gallinari at #6 - we laughed, we cried, maybe our best draft pick since rod strickland
2009 - jordan hill at #8 - less laughter, more crying. also toney toney toney at #29. wahoo.

yep. that is how this team was built.

fishmike wrote:if we just took Jennings this draft I would say w/ Lee, Chandler, Gallo and Jennings to build around we would have drafted a pretty damn good core. One guys makes a big difference. I hope like hell Hill becomes a good player.

agreed.

but honestly, i'd trade hill right now just to get $3M more in cap room this summer.