Blake Griffin Was Wise To Stay Another Year In College
April 9, 2009 – 10:20 am by Jimmy Shapiro
I understand why many college players leave school so early to go into the NBA. Their family needs the money, they don’t like going to class, or they just don’t want to wait any longer to fulfill their lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. I get it, I really do. But there are more stories of guys falling further in the draft than they expected, sitting on the bench for a few years and wishing they stayed in college because the college experience is like no other than guys thinking they made the right decision.
Blake Griffin stayed an extra year in college and he is the consensus #1 pick in the upcoming draft. An athletic dynamo (as evidenced by the picture above), Griffin is stronger than most frontcourt men and can beat most guards up and down the court. He still has lots of room for improvement with his jumper and should be a great pro for a number of years.
Blake Griffin joined The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday to discuss his decision to turn pro in a quick hitting interview with DP.
On declaring for the draft:
“I wanted to go [last year] but I knew I wasn’t ready. It’s kind of hard to wait sometimes but after I thought about it, I knew what was best…It’s one of those things where you can’t get much higher once you’re right there, I guess you can only go down.”
On people telling him to go to the NBA:
“I got a few messages from coaches like that. When I was in Detroit, I was around coach Self a lot. Every time he got up to speak and I was there, he would say something like it was time for me to leave”.
Griffin on potentially playing in Oklahoma City, the Slam Dunk Contest, and the full interview after the jump.
On the possibility of playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder:
“I really don’t have a preference. I wouldn’t mind staying and playing in Oklahoma but at the same time, I’ve been in Oklahoma my whole life, so getting out and trying something different wouldn’t be too bad.”
On the Slam Dunk Contest:
“If Lebron’s in that, I might just go ahead and watch that from the stands this year. I kind of want to sit back and watch that for myself.”
Listen to Blake Griffin on The Dan Patrick Show
Tags: Blake Griffin, NBA Draft, Oklahoma Sooners, player hits head on the backboard
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