Derrick Rose isn’t the only NBA superstar who’s tired of the hard fouls and cheap shots. Blake Griffin was the notorious recipient of one of the worst fouls of the year – Jason Smith‘s attempted fast break murder from March 22 – and now the Clipper superstar is speaking out as well. At some point, you knew Griffin’s celebrity would come back to haunt him. DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t enjoy it, and neither do any of the players that have been publicly embarrassed by the most explosive player in the world. I just didn’t expect it all to happen so soon.
The Orange County Register writes:
“I’m definitely sick of taking hard hits,” Griffin said after the Clippers’ shootaround Monday. “…There’s a point, I can’t remember what game it was, in my mind where I thought this is kind of ridiculous. I’m sick of it, but it’s going to keep on happening.”
The most notable foul Griffin has taken this season happened at New Orleans, where Jason Smith shouldered Griffin to the ground on a fast break, earning an ejection and suspension.
The beating Griffin’s taken around the rim has impacted him on the court.
“It’s affected me this year a lot, especially with the referees,” he said. “I’m just getting frustrated and getting my self in trouble with officials.”
Vinny Del Negro says the same thing, admitting he thinks teams are “probably” fouling Griffin harder than usual. The forward’s frustration has been visible at times.
Griffin has been whistled for 11 technicals this year (with one being rescinded) as well as three flagrant one fouls. But as long as he garners the reputation of an on-court complainer, fans aren’t likely to feel bad for him, even if players are technically taking cheap shots to avoid game-changing dunks.
Do you think he takes a lot of hard hits?
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