Monday, October 4th, 2010 at 11:00 am  |  70 responses

Blake Griffin: Being Compared to Karl Malone, LeBron James

Though the public at large has seen very little of Blake in the L, his teammates can’t stop gushing about him. From the LA Times: “Suspense about the progress of the Clippers will officially end Tuesday in Portland, the first of their eight preseason games. But forward Craig Smith, most helpfully, provided something of a shortcut, a guest primer on all things Griffin. Smith was asked if Griffin was 98.9% back after having missed all of last season because of a stress fracture in his left kneecap. ’159.7531 percent,’ he said, smiling. ‘Blake’s looking real good. He’s determined. I’m happy for him. Happy he’s back on the court. You know he’s going to do some special things this year.’ A few minutes later, he got much more specific about Griffin’s considerable talents. ‘I can say this. I never played against Karl Malone,” Smith said. “But he has the strength of Karl Malone but can run and jump like LeBron James. He can definitely make LeBron plays, defensively. Out in the open, he can make something special happen. He’s kind of like a specialist. He has the best of both worlds. The physical strength, the power and he can run like a deer. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was running a 40-yard dash with a car in the way, if he wouldn’t hurt the car versus hurting himself.’”

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  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Saying anyone does anything athletically like LeBron is an overexaggeration. Meaning you can’t put literal stock in the statement.

  • The Philosopher

    Jukai:
    If one is missing mid range jumpers and free throws when they matter on a consistent basis, then they do not possess a deadly mid range game.
    Deadly mid range game:
    1. Michael Jordan
    2. Kobe Bryant
    3. Reggie Miller
    4. Richard Hamilton
    5. Larry Bird
    No particular order, obviously.
    My point being, those guys were almost always clutch/deadly when shooting the ball from the mid range area and the free throw line in important games.
    Karl Malone was not.

  • http://www.slamonline.com J

    “like” doesn’t necessarily means equal. So if Griffin jumps like Lebron don’t mean he literally jumps as high as lebron. Craig Smith is comparing. Also pre injury Amare is a better leaper than Griffin. And remember were talking about the leap of Griffin now (post injury). Blake is my bet on ROY anyway I’m very high on that guy.

  • http://www.slamonline.com J

    Having a wet jumper and being clutch, can go independently. Malone has a deadly mid-J, but he’s no clutch.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Philosopher that my friend is known as a red herring. Your comparing Karl Malone to the best (jumpshot) players of all time. Compare Karl Malones midrange game to other comparable players, Charles Barkley, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Shawn Kemp, Kevin McHale, etc. If you haven’t noticed, ol’ Karl has the best jumpshot of the group.

  • http://www.slamonline.com J

    And ofcourse it can go together as well (see: Philosopher’s list) just to complete my first statement.

  • The Philosopher

    nbk:
    Bird?
    McAdoo?
    Ewing?
    Hakeem?
    David?
    Duncan?
    Arguable, I suppose, with the exception of Bird.
    You may be right in that respect.
    Barkley was a better shooter, especially off the dribble, and from longer range.
    I don’t know, to me, ANY great shooter was consistently clutch. The did not normally miss when the lights came on.
    But… interesting points by you.

  • The Philosopher

    *They*

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    I would take Barkley off outside 18ft. Inside that, no I am sorry Malone all day. I’m a phoenix resident who grew up with Barkley and KJ as my favorite players so I don’t much enjoy saying this, but Malone on offense was a straight up murderer 18ft and in. Post up, fadeaway, face-up size up no dribble shot (don’t know what to call it, only him, jordan, olajuwan, prolly bird mastered this shot outside 15ft from what i know) (check the finals game 5 1998 for an example), pick & roll/pop, he mastered all aspects. And saying he “wasn’t clutch” is tough for me to accept to. He did have top 3 defenisive PF of all time guarding him everytime he got to the finals, (Rodman, Duncan, Garnett – No particular order) and he really only faultered late in that one game, and that game just happens to be the most famous NBA game of the last 20 years if not ever.

  • doyouwantmore

    HAHA Karl Malone. Lakers suck.

  • The Philosopher

    nbk:
    If he was consistently clutch from the free throw line and other areas of shooting, he may have a ring.
    Again, great arguments.
    Also, I was just stating that Barkley was better from deep, and off the dribble when it comes to shooting. Mid range is a no contest in Malone’s favor, no doubt.
    Barkley was just more clutch, though.

  • http://sdjfklf.com Jukai

    The Philosopher: It’s simply a matter of opinion.
    I think clutch and midrange are completely separate.
    You think that a lack of shots in the clutch is an issue with shot mechanics.
    That’s fine.
    I’m not ‘wrong’ though. I just have different criteria, as do you. It’s fine.
    Your 8:39 pm was pointless.

  • Michael

    cosign Jtaylor..dude is good.

  • MrGoodfellow58

    Malone couldn’t shoot at first. Tha’s why most of his shots came from the same couple of spots. Pure shooters shoot from anywhere. And if you don’t remember how Griffen Beasted his college peers, then you shouldn’t even speak on him. Griffen is JUST AS(if not more) athletic than Amare. With B Diddy running the show you could see the new Hank Gather’s or Len Bias.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    @The philosopher 9:57 cosign that entire comment.

  • The Philosopher

    Jukai:
    Agreed on some points, but…
    that last thesis was pointless.
    Peace.

  • MrGoodfellow58

    HANK GATHERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    LEN BIAS!!!!!!!!!!
    HANK GATHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    LEN BIAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Griffen is a beast. Shut the hell up with the mid-range convo’s.Dude’s TIM DUNCAN on steriods after somebody ran over his dog. And he throws block parties like a millionaire on house arrest. That’s everyday for you lames. No Jumpers!!!!!!!!! The league is softer than wet tissue. He’s gonna live at the foul line and throw shots back like Lindsay Lohan at happy hour.

  • http://www.twitter.com/jtrain73 Jono

    am i the only one who thinks he’ll miss at least 15 games this year?

  • TheTruth

    Tim duncan on steriods? You just lost all credability for your comment. Blake well NEVER be Tim Duncan! Blake can only hope he’s half as good as Duncan. Get out of here.

  • corey

    u have to be serious dumb if u think any power f in the nba is better than griff

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