In an interview with Pistons media as Detroit wraps up its season officially, Blake Griffin said he doesn’t believe he’s finished and has been back on the court working out during the NBA shutdown.
On a media conference call, Blake Griffin says he doesn’t see his current contract as his last, and doesn’t view himself as being in decline. Said he feels “great” and met with his trainer recently to discuss escalating his training regime.
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) June 11, 2020
Lingering knee injuries kept Griffin out of all but 15 games this season, leading some to believe he could be a candidate for a disabled player exception, effectively ending his career. Griffin’s words on Thursday should put a stop to those theories.
Griffin has been on the court since May and told Pistons media he could escalate his training in a pinch should Detroit organize a mini-camp or participate in scrimmages, as has been rumored.
“If I’m on the Detroit Pistons, I’m doing everything I can to help them,” he said.
On the topic of organizing some sort of scrimmage or exhibition contests this summer, Griffin he understood the urgency to play, but worried about the risks of something that would have no material value in the standings.
Griffin: "Having been off since March, I understand teams wanting to get time in and work on some stuff. As far as games go, I think it's hard to make that decision right now — and it's hard to say if that's warranted or not with the state of the virus."
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) June 11, 2020
Griffin, 31, has two years and nearly $76 million left on the maximum contract he originally signed with the Clippers in 2017. The rebuilding Pistons are in a dicey situation, recently announcing they would begin the search for a general manager while also still having Griffin’s monstrous contract on the books. They can add around young pieces like Sekou Doumbouya, Christian Wood, and Luke Kennard, but are a long way from competing.
