LOS ANGELES – Blake Griffin officially signed with the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday afternoon, but his return to the court is still in question. During Game 3 of the Western Conference first round against the Utah Jazz back on April 21, Griffin suffered a toe injury to the plantar plate of his right big toe. Griffin frustratingly limped off the Jazz court and would be out for the remainder of the postseason and a return date out of reach.
Over the last couple of weeks, there have been conflicting reports as to when Griffin would be able to return to the court, especially after signing a lucrative five-year, $172 million deal to re-join the Clippers. One report had him ready for the start of the season while another said the potential to be out until December was also possible.
During Wednesday's press conference, Griffin indicated that all signs point to a return before training camp being a very realistic.
“I've met with, maybe, five different foot specialists before surgery and everybody's conclusion was that training camp was a very realistic possibility. I expect to be ready to go by training camp. within the next few weeks here , i'll be able to get on the court and ramp up things there. It's been nice to be on the court just doing ball handling and free throws, stuff like that. I'm just taking it week by week really.”
Griffin had successful surgery on May 1st, and will need to be back to 100% in order for the team to build chemistry together on the court.
The Clippers have added a whopping eight new players to the team in Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Milos Teodosic, Sindarius Thornwell, and Jawun Evans, so his return date will be key to this season's success this season.