Andrew Schau – The Collegiate
On Monday, Jan. 29, five-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons along with center, Willie Reed and power forward, Brice Johnson, in exchange for forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic. What exactly does this mean for the Pistons?
The Pistons have been subpar over the course of the past decade or so. Since the 2008-2009 season, the Pistons finished above .500 in only one season. Talks of a complete rebuild for the team began to surface, trades were discussed, and a change was needed for the Pistons to compete once again.
Since the Pistons sunk to 39-43 in the 2008-2009 campaign, Detroit had became the laughing stock of the league. With superstars being traded left and right, and rival teams only getting better, the Pistons were left in the dust. The only quick savior to the Pistons franchise was either a lottery draft pick, or a blockbuster trade to go their way.
Griffin has averaged 22 points, nine rebounds, and four assists over his nine-year career, which seems like an instant bonus to the team. One room for concern, though, is Griffin’s history of getting injured. Over his career, Griffin has sat out over 100 games due to injury. If Griffin gets hurt, the Pistons are left with little firepower to keep up with opposing NBA teams.
Is this blockbuster deal prone to backfire? Many would say the Pistons made a desperation move to get Griffin. Losing Harris and Bradley are major loses. Together they provided 33 points per game this season, which was a good chunk of the teams total offense.
The news of the Griffin trade to the Pistons made waves all across the NBA. The sports world was shocked. The Pistons became once again the topic of discussion. Griffin played his first game for the Pistons on Thursday night. Griffin amassed 24 points and 10 rebounds in the Pistons 104-102 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, moving their record to 24-26. Time will tell if Griffin is the answer to the Pistons’ problems.
