Doc Rivers evokes Nixon in talking up Blake Griffin forgiveness
Blake Griffin, already taxing his Clippers with a month-long absence due to a quadriceps injury, further put his team in peril this week by breaking his hand during an altercation with a team employee. The Clippers and the NBA are still investigating the melee, and Griffin could receive a suspension on top of the time he’ll have to sit with his newest injury; though it’s fair to assume that the league and the Clippers will find a way to let the two sit-outs coincide.
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Speaking to reporters following the Clippers’ win over the Lakers on Friday night, LAC coach Doc Rivers chose a curious subject to relate Blake to when pressed about his team’s willingness to let Griffin back into the ranks.
“He feels awful about it and he’s let everyone know that,” Rivers said of Griffin. “That’s all you can do, man. You have to forgive people at some point. I believe that. We built Richard Nixon a library.”
Yes, we did build Richard Nixon a library. We built Bill Clinton a library to house the Oliver Nelson LPs he used to impress co-eds with in 1968, and we built George W. Bush a library so he could have a safe place to paint his happy dogs. Jefferson Davis has a library. Someday, Don Henley will have one as well.
Any scroll through the TV dial will remind you that the idea that there are no second acts in American life is bunko, and if Blake Griffin shoots his way toward the first Western Conference finals appearance of Chris Paul’s career this May all will be forgotten, if not forgiven. If Blake Griffin is dealt this summer, it will be because the franchise views his on-court work (not an expert rim-protector, hesitant to shoot threes) too rough to deal with, not his off-court incidents.
Delving further into that, Rivers discussed the oft-mentioned idea that alcohol consumption led to the altercation:
“It depends on what you call ‘alcohol,’” Rivers said. “I feel like Bill Clinton right now. It really does. Did guys have a drink? I’m sure they did. Other than that, I’m going to say, no, alcohol wasn’t involved.”
Rivers said he knew what led to the scuffle but wouldn’t divulge any specifics.
This was a restaurant. Famous celebrities are usually given more leeway by restaurant staff, but how many drinks would it take a 6-9 guy to be so sloshed that he thought it was just fine to risk his season and career on a punch? You can get into just as many fights after a night spent downing prime rib, double-baked potatoes and creamed spinach alongside strong black coffee if a friend of yours hits a little too close to home with his remarks.
That’s not excusing what Griffin did. I’m scared about hurting my hands in fights because it would make my livelihood (typing about Blake Griffin) a little rougher, and I don’t have to shoot 20-footers (very well) for a living as Blake Griffin does. There are reasons why boxers wear gloves, and it’s not to protect the skull of the opponent – it’s to prevent what naturally happens to hands when you throw them at someone’s face.
Blake Griffin now made it so the Clippers, weary all the way back in May at staring down the prospect of another long playoff quest, have to further double-down to keep the pace in his absence. That’s worth the scorn of teammates, coaching staff, front office (assuming there is a difference between the last two), and fans alike. It’s just fine for anger to turn into lingering resentment.
They’re going to get over it, though. If they can do as much for the guy who signed off on the Cambodian Campaign, they can do as much for a basketball player.
Especially if he leads the Los Angeles Clippers to, ironically, earning the Lawrence O’Brien Trophy.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
