Blake Griffin didn't plan to be away from basketball for this long. No one really did.
The Pistons forward last suited up December 28, before missing the remainder of the season because of knee surgery.
“As far as rehab goes, I feel great,” Griffin said. He wants to be fresh whenever the next season starts. “Obviously nine months or a year is a lot longer than I wanted to sit.”
The Pistons are entering a rebuild. They traded away Andre Drummond, and bought out Markieff Morris and Reggie Jackson during the 2019-20 season. Griffin said he doesn't believe he's in a decline, and added this isn't his final contract.
“If I'm on the Detroit Pistons, I'm doing everything I can to help them,” Griffin said.
The 31-year-old has two years and $74 million left on his contract. He was an NBA All-Star and third-team All-League in 2019, but has undergone two knee surgeries. His contract and the Pistons plans certainly present an interesting combination.
Getting back on the court is his main focus, and he's been working on-court since May.
"Having been off since March, I understand teams wanting to get time in and work on some stuff. As far as games go, I think it's hard to make that decision right now (for non-Orlando teams) and it's hard to say if that's warranted or not with the state of the virus."
