Still no word on when Blake Griffin will return to Los Angeles Clippers’ lineup
Injured Clippers forward Blake Griffin during a timeout of a game against the Cavaliers.
The questions about when Blake Griffin will return to play for the Clippers will be asked until he finally returns.
Griffin, recovering from injuries, sat out a 41st consecutive game Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers and still is no date for his return.
Griffin suffered a partially torn left quad tendon on Dec. 25 against the Lakers.
He hasn’t played in a game since, leaving the media to ask Clippers Coach Doc Rivers if there was anything new to report.
“Huh, no,” Rivers said.
Griffin was seen before the game working out with his personal trainer, Robbie Davis, on the court at Staples Center.
Griffin was doing drills and shooting.
“He’s just trying to get back,” Rivers said. “We’re not trying to hold, like, dark secrets. Blake is cleared with his hand. Now we’ve got to get his leg right. He’s getting closer. That’s what I keep hearing. But until he’s out on the floor, we won’t know anything.
“Hopefully that is coming very soon. But I don’t have any basis of saying that. I’m just telling you what I hope.”
Griffin suffered a broken right hand when he punched Clippers assistant equipment manager Matis Testi in January.
When Griffin returns, he’ll have to serve a four-game suspension for hitting Testi.
The Clippers have 11 regular-season games left, meaning there won’t be much time for Griffin to work his way back into the shape before the start of the playoffs next month.
“He’s doing all the conditioning,” Rivers said. “He’s running, shooting. So his next step is going through a practice.”
Not Rivers’ problem
When the Clippers last played the Trail Blazers in Portland in January, guard C.J. McCollum wasn’t able to play because of a “clerical error in the NBA’s active list,” in which he was accidentally left of the team’s active roster.
Most reports said that Rivers was given the option to allow McCollum to play in the game, but he declined to let Portland’s second-leading scorer play.
Rivers denied that it was his fault for not letting McCollum play in that game.
“Like I said before, you guys need to talk to [Portland General Manager] Neil Olshey or whoever their guys is that signs the player [active list],” Rivers said. “Other than that, I had nothing to do with that.”
Portland Coach Terry Stotts was asked what he thought about that situation.
“No comment,” he said.
Twitter: @BA_Turner
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
