Blake Griffin has missed the Clippers’ last 10 games, during which they’ve gone 7-3. Griffin underwent surgery to treat a staph infection in his right elbow, which could have had a recovery timeline of anywhere from three to six weeks. According to ESPN.com’s Arash Markazi, Griffin could be back as soon as next week.
This is, of course, great news for the Clippers, who don’t exactly have a deep bench and are fighting for playoff positioning. The Sunday game Markazi referenced is against the Warriors at Oracle Arena, which would be great to have Griffin back for, but he might not be ready. Still, the following week, the Clippers play the Thunder, Mavericks and Rockets. They’re currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference at 40-21, half a game ahead of the Mavericks and half a game behind the Blazers.
A source said it would be “wildly optimistic” to expect Blake Griffin to return Sunday but the following week is likely.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 3, 2015
Blake Griffin’s conditioning and cardio is back to normal and he’s expected to start shooting this week.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 3, 2015
After staph infections you want the surgery site to heal completely before returning. A big reason why timetable is about 4-6 weeks usually.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 3, 2015
This is, of course, great news for the Clippers, who don’t exactly have a deep bench and are fighting for playoff positioning. The Sunday game Markazi referenced is against the Warriors at Oracle Arena, which would be great to have Griffin back for, but he might not be ready. Still, the following week, the Clippers play the Thunder, Mavericks and Rockets. They’re currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference at 40-21, half a game ahead of the Mavericks and half a game behind the Blazers.
