Blake Griffin’s mission to come to Brooklyn is not about filling statistics or winning dunk competitions, and it is certainly not about making money. He left money on the table in Detroit to join the Nets for a reason.
A ring.
“My only goal is to help win a championship,” said Griffin in a question and answer session with fans on the Bleacher Report Live app. “Some years are more realistic than others. But that’s why I came to Brooklyn. “
Griffin officially came to Brooklyn on Monday, after being bought by Detroit. The veteran striker sacrificed $ 13 million to leave the Pistons, for whom he averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games this season.
James Harden – who rejected a $ 103 million bidirectional extension from Houston to join the Nets – said the change shows how serious Griffin is about winning a championship.
“Yes, I’m sure he wants to win, if he lets the money pass to obviously stay in Detroit,” said Harden. “He wants to win and have the opportunity to play meaningful minutes, and I assume that is one of the reasons why he came.”
Griffin also came because – since switching Jarrett Allen – the Nets have become an opponent with dire needs for depth on the court. After striker Kevin Durant and center DeAndre Jordan, the only proven big man is Jeff Green, and he is too small to play on the center.
There are still minutes left with the Nets and a role to play.
“They need a 4-man,” said Griffin. “I always had a lot of respect for Steve Nash and all the guys they have there. [General manager] Sean Marks did a great job there. It was a difficult decision and I wanted to be part of a team that was struggling. “
The Nets qualified well before Griffin was added. Adding James Harden in January to Durant’s team and Kyrie Irving made them favorites in the NBA finals.
Griffin joined Jordan in the 2011-17 Clippers, forming Lob City. And he has played alongside Bruce Brown for the past two seasons in Detroit. He pointed to Brown’s presence as another selling point.
“We are going back,” said Griffin. “Anyone you’re familiar with always makes things easier. This definitely played a role. “
Not only did Marks win Griffin, but he did it on a $ 1.22 million minimum contract for veterans. Maintaining the mid-level exception and the disabled player exception suggests goals for the March 25 trading deadline or the April 9 buying deadline. Names like Andre Drummond, Otto Porter Jr. and JJ Redick will be discussed.
Anyway, for now the Nets have Griffin.
For sure, after knee surgery in 2019, he is not the skywalker who averaged 24.5 points two seasons ago in his sixth All-Star campaign, or jumped on a Kia in the 2011 Slam Dunk competition. He dived 1,005 times with the Clippers, but only 55 times with the Pistons – none this season.
But he does provide passes (averaging 3.9 assists), size (1.80 m, 250 pounds) and intelligence that will play well outside the Big Three.
“Obviously we know Blake athletic and jumper, but I think in the last two years he’s been dropping the ball a little better, the handling of the ball is much better and he can be a great contribution to this team,” said Harden. “We would be more than welcome and looking forward to having you on our Brooklyn Nets team.”
Asked if he would accept more crayfish, Griffin replied only, “We’ll see …”
Even if you don’t, your muscle strength and basketball brain will be sufficient.