SportsNation co-host and ESPN LA radio personality Marcellus Wiley was in complete disbelief when the suggested trade for Blake Griffin involving the L.A. Clippers and Detroit Pistons that was, at that time, newly announced came to fruition minutes later, sending him into a frantic zone.
Wiley has been known to be a self-professed Clippers diehard, and taking out the centerpiece of his team was a dagger sunk and twisted right in the heartstrings, as shown by his reaction — managing to spill his uncapped water bottle into electrical equipment.
Echoing many Clippers fans, Wiley was left with no idea for a sense of direction moving forward, as Griffin had been the poster boy and its central figure since Chris Paul left town earlier in the offseason.
The organization committed to him with a five-year, $173 million deal — one they were quick to walk away from as they realized this team wouldn't contend with him as the cornerstone, even if pieces were added to enhance the balance.
In return, they received a solid scorer at the forward position in Tobias Harris, a premier three-and-D wing in Avery Bradley, and a giant reserve center in Boban Marjanovic that could be a building block should the Clippers trade DeAndre Jordan.
L.A. also received a first and second-round pick that would help them build for their future or serve as additional compensation in various moves leading up to the upcoming free-agency, where they've been rumored to go after LeBron James.
Wiley is likely still scratching his head at this move, as it's not often a team decides to blow it all up and start from scratch in the middle of the season.