Blake Griffin understands he and Bruce Brown have been in two completely different Nets free-agency buckets.
On one hand, Brown felt disrespected the Nets by no means supplied him a contract extension after a breakout season in Brooklyn.
He advised The Denver Post the Nets mentioned they’d re-sign him throughout the low season, solely to commerce for Royce O’Neale and depart him hanging when free company rolled round. Brown finally signed a two-year cope with the Denver Nuggets price $13.5 million.
On the opposite hand, Griffin’s higher taking part in days had handed him. Long gone are the high-flying, rim-rocking and stat-stuffing video games that made him a fan favourite throughout his stint with the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I don’t think my situation and Bruce’s situation were quite the same,” Griffin advised The Daily News. “I was planning on waiting a little bit before I signed, but then this opportunity came up.”
By the time final season ended, ex-Nets head coach Steve Nash deemed Griffin just about unplayable. The rationale was Griffin’s incapacity to hit a three-point shot made him an offensive legal responsibility, plus his dwindling athleticism in a league solely getting youthful and quicker made it tough to justify prolonged minutes.
Griffin acquired the trace.
“I had felt last year I didn’t play much at the end,” Griffin advised The News. “So I thought maybe that had run its course. If you don’t play towards the end of the season, I don’t know that a team necessarily likes you. That’s kind of why I didn’t really think too much about it.”
That actuality was a troublesome capsule to swallow: Once a lock to play 30-plus minutes, Griffin raked in DNP’s at the next fee than any prior level in his profession. Many veterans have confronted this second, and for a big majority, it’s the finish of the highway.
Griffin wasn’t positive his NBA profession was going to increase one other season. There was an opportunity he could be alongside Dwight Howard, Hassan Whiteside and DeMarcus Cousins: former dominant NBA huge males who now discover themselves out of the league and, in Howard’s case, taking part in the famous person position in opposition to lesser competitors abroad.
“You never know in this league,” Griffin mentioned. “So I just wanted to give it another go. This seemed like a good situation and it has been.”
Griffin admitted he waited so long as he may to listen to again from the Nets earlier than signing a cope with the Celtics.
In his first sport again at Barclays Center since switching groups, the Nets gave Griffin a video tribute thanking him for his two seasons in Brooklyn within the first half. He mentioned he wasn’t anticipating it and was pleasantly shocked by the ovation he obtained from each Nets and Celtics followers.
“It’s cool, man. I enjoyed my time here,” he mentioned. “I’ve got a lot of great relationships in that locker room and appreciate the gesture.”
Griffin mentioned he’s joyful to be contributing to a championship contending staff as soon as once more. He performs third string heart on a Celtics staff with a great deal of entrance court docket depth however is aware of his quantity might be referred to as at any second.
“Honestly it’s just another chance to play meaningful basketball,” he mentioned. “I got the call from them and I’ve known some of these guys for awhile, so I felt like it was a good fit.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com