Blake Griffin deserves a lot of credit for helping the Los Angeles Clippers around after they made him the number one overall pick in the 2009 draft.
Griffin was an All-Star from 2011-2015 with the Clippers, but had an ugly exit in 2018 that saw him dealt to the Detroit Pistons. Despite the animosity from the trade, Griffin takes no joy in seeing the heavy punishment the Clippers received for circumventing the salary cap with former Clippers and current Toronto Raptors’ superstar Kawhi Leonard.
Blake Griffin Gets ‘No Joy’ In Los Angeles Clippers’ Punishment
The Clippers dealt Griffin to the Pistons in January of 2018, just months after Griffin was given the pitch to be a “Clipper for life,” signing Griffin to a five-year, $171 million max deal. Griffin also reportedly found out he was traded by social media, and communication was tough to come by.
Meanwhile, the Clippers received an extraordinary punishment for circumventing the salary cap.
The NBA took five first-round picks, fined the Clippers $30 million, and imposed a five-year compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league. Owner Steve Ballmer and Gillian Zucker must be away from the team for a year, with Zucker suspended without pay. Lawrence Frank was also suspended without pay for six months.
The Clippers did manage to complete their trade of Leonard, sending him back to Toronto.
Despite the lack of hope and direction, Griffin gets no joy in seeing the franchise in this state.
“I get no joy in like seeing this happen to the Clippers,” Griffin said. “I for one thing, the people I feel the most bad for are Clipper fans. Cause they didn’t do they’ve just they’ve been nothing but loyal and I still live in LA.”
In fact, Griffin really feels for the fans.
“Like I run into Clipper fans all the time,” Griffin continued. “They’re the best. Like some of the most loyal fans in all sports. Find me a franchise where they there’s been that many downs and I’ve been a part of those downs. I’m not putting down the franchise. I unfortunately have caused some downs.”
Griffin acknowledged that he was a big part of those downs, but did point out that he was at quite the disadvantage.
“Yeah, I’m a downer,” Griffin said. “But like I had Donald Sterling as an owner and he was one of the worst and notoriously cheap. And now you have a guy who’s like, “I’ll pay more.” But like I take zero delight in seeing the Clippers not be where they should be.”
It’s good to see that Griffin harbors no ill will toward the Clippers these days, as he, along with Chris Paul and, to a lesser extent, DeAndre Jordan and JJ Redick, among others, took the Clippers out of the doldrums and helped usher in the ‘Lob City’ era.
The road back may be even more difficult this time.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.