Clippers GM Guarantees Blake Griffin Will Never Leave

For the first time since Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson were pulling out the antennas, it’s trendy to be a Clippers fan. They’ve won 10 of their last 14 games, with wins over the Lakers and Heat, and Blake Griffin is making everyone find their boy with NBA League Pass whenever the Clip Show are on. But after so many years of disappointment, you can understand why management is trying to assure their fan base now that B.G. isn’t going anywhere when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2014.

From Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com:

“I can guarantee you he will only ever be a Clipper,” general manager Neil Olshey said of his prized rookie. “If [Oklahoma City Thunder general manager] Sam Presti arrived on Kevin Durant‘s doorstep at midnight on July 1st with an extension, understand that Blake Griffin lives two blocks away from me in Manhattan Beach so it’s going to be a much shorter commute for me.

“When it comes time for him to be a free agent, we won’t be losing,” Olshey said. “We’re not losing now. We’re 10 out of 14 now with our All-Star center [Chris Kaman] sitting around in a suit. The future looks pretty good. The only question will be, in two or three years with Blake, is how much more we’ll be winning.”

At this rate, where Griffin is averaging 27.6 points, 14.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists since Jan. 1, he could be the most prized free agent since LeBron. But like the King’s tenure in Cleveland, his fate will most likely depend upon what the team can do between now and then. KD re-signed in OKC because they built a squad the right way. How the Clippers move forward will determine Griffin’s decision when the time comes.

What do you think?

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