Los Angeles Clippers trading news: Griffin stays in L.A. despite savory rumored deals dished by Denver; PF gets four-game suspension
Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin has lately been tossed around in the trading scenario name-game. It comes as no wonder that the Clippers coaching staff would send a word of warning to other future ball clubs in the NBA that their most-prized power forward is off the wooing list.
"Blake's ours and he's going to stay ours," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters via The Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch.
Previously, the basketball grapevine was abuzz with hearsay that the "Lob City" All-Star was being shopped around.
The Denver Nuggets then topped the list of NBA teams enticing the former Oklahoma Sooners standout. A roster team mapping had already been drawn out for the likelihood of having Griffin call the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado his next home. The management had put on the trading table the names of both power forwards Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari, as mentioned in Forbes.Each presents a savory deal as the Nuggets are looking to build a potential future with Griffin and rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who has shown all the right signs as a playmaker.
Faried is making a low key-comeback in the statistic books in the 2015-2016 season, averaging 17 points, 4.8 offensive rebounds, and 7.4 defensive rebounds per 36 minutes, according to Basketball Reference, a promising difference from his average during the 2014-2015 season. Gallinari, the former Knicks' draft, has also brought his A-game in the last five outings of Denver for the month of February. Rotoworld listed the Italian with double-digits in scoring, with 33 points on a win against the Chicago Bulls the largest.
The low-post maestro's sudden fall from grace in the Clippers fan-base, despite being a top-ten player, culminated in Griffin's altercation with a management staff last month. The row placed Griffin in the injured list as he broke his hand after punching Matias Testi, the Clippers' assistant equipment manager. According to ESPN, Griffin has already been given the consequences for his actions as he will start a four-game suspension once he returns to the active roster.