 Blake
Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American pro basketball player for the
Los Angeles Clippers and a total hottie. He also has a sense of humor and
can clown for the camera. Plus he loves to go to the beach! What a convenient
excuse for shirtless photos. That plus he posed in the buff for the cover
of ESPN magazine.
Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian
School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father who was the
head coach. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners
and was awarded numerous accolades in his second year including the Naismith College
Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the John Wooden Award. Griffin left
college after two seasons to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected first
overall by the Clippers. In his first season, he broke his left kneecap, which he
injured during the final pre-season game, and underwent surgery missing the entire
2009-10 season. He made his NBA debut as a rookie the following season and was
selected as an All-Star, won the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and was named the NBA
Rookie of the Year. In 2011, Sports Illustrated ranked him as one of the NBA's 15
Greatest Rookies of All Time.
Standing at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), Griffin
is a power forward who is renowned for his combination of strength, athleticism,
and leaping ability. In his rookie year, he averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds,
and 3.8 assists per game, becoming just the 20th rookie in NBA history to average
at least 20 points and 10 rebounds a game in the shot clock era. He has established
himself as a difficult player to guard, especially when coming off the pick and
roll and attacking the basket off the dribble or in the post. Furthermore,
Griffin's exceptional leaping and ability to establish position down low allowed
him to finish in the top 5 in rebounding during his rookie season and in the top
10 for offensive rebounds.
Rob Mahoney, in a January 2011 post in the New York Times
basketball blog, singled out Griffin's playmaking abilities as a passer and ball
handler stating, "The overtly dominant aspects of Griffin's play have made
him one of the season's greatest delights, but his game clearly stretches beyond
the scoring and rebounding columns... his passing aptitude should serve as a reminder
of the substance in his game. The dunks are great, but it's his multiple-layered
impact that has paved his early road to stardom." Griffin's weaknesses
remain his jump shooting and free throw percentage, which stands at 64.2% following
the conclusion of his rookie season. |
