Blake Griffin...

[norad34]

How come nobody is talking about Blake Griffin? Maybe it's because he plays for the Los Angeles Clippers?

I'll go out on the limb and say this... the guy is just in his second year and to me, he is better than LeBron James was in his second year.

Lets not even talk about his dunks (even Dwayne Wade says that he is amazed by this guy) but what's awesome is that this guy is 6'9 or 6'10 and can shoot mid-range jumpers, three point shots, rebound, handle the ball like a point guard, defend and block shots. He is the most complete player I've seen in a long time.

Hopefully, he doesn't get hurt. He plays hard ALL game.

Clipper owner Donald Sterling just cannot mess this up but who knows. Sterling is one of the worst owners in sports.

[JVides]

See, to me, the media seems to not ever shut up about him. 

However, yes, he's been awesome so far.  He's a monster at the PF position, probably the most athletic PF in the league (Amar'e may have something to say about that).

[Phishfan]

I don't think I've watched an episode of SportsCenter where they weren't on his jock, so I'm not sure why you think no one is talking about him unless you mean us. If that is the case, we don't talk much NBA at all here. The one knock I thought I have heard was his jump shooting which you seem pretty high on though.

[Sunstroke]

I really enjoy watching Blake Griffin play...dude is a monster. But a couple of things that seem a wee bit exaggerated to me:

* His 3-point shooting:  He's only taken 10x 3-point shot attempts in 44 games, and at least 3 of those (that I've seen) have been desperation buzzer beater attempts at the end of a quarter.  Long range bombing isn't really a big part of his game.

* Being "the most complete player...":  Id like to see him shoot free throws at a good bit higher clip than 61% before I praise his "complete game."

I agree with you on the injury worries...as hard as he plays, I worry he's going to tear up a knee or something. I hope it doesn't happen though...I really love watching the guy soar above the rim.

I'll also say that "another" one of the biggest "breakout player candidates" in the NBA so far this season has been Griffin's teammate, SG Eric Gordon, who I called "one of the best pure shooters I've seen in a long time" when he came out of Indiana a couple of years ago.

[Dave Gray]

I hear a lot about him too.  He's west coast, though, so I don't see many of his games on TV here.  The guy is a monster.

[Sunstroke]

The teammate I mentioned above, Eric Gordon, was just diagnosed with a sprained wrist and (gulp) bone chips. Out 3-4 weeks... All but 2 of my fantasy hoops teams just winced noticeably.

Fantasy aside, the reality is that whatever "microscopic" chance the Clips had of making a run for the #8 seed in the West just disappeared like a weak fart in a strong wind.