I am pretty sure that Blake Griffin is a happy man today. It is being reported by our friends over at ESPN.com that “Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin has agreed to a five-year contract extension, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The extension had been expected as sources had told ESPNLosAngeles.com earlier this month that Griffin had informed team officials that he intended to sign an extension with the club.
Griffin could earn as much as $95 million over the course of the five-year extension if he is voted an All-Star starter again or named to a second All-NBA team next season under the so-called “Derrick Rose Rule” in the new collective bargaining agreement. The rule allows a player finishing his rookie contract to make 30 percent of a team’s salary cap — up from 25 percent — if he’s twice been voted an All-Star starter, twice been voted All-NBA or won an MVP award.”
Happy to officially sign my extension to #clippernation for 5 more years. Can't wait. Thanks for all the support.
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) July 11, 2012
This is pretty good news for Clippers fans (like myself), as the team looks like they are on the right track, after years of being AWFUL. For decades, the Clippers were the joke of the NBA and cheap@ss owner Donald Sterling did not make life any easier. There were bright spots over the years, but the fortune of the club really started to change once Griffin was drafted. The team looked solid and Griffin became a fan favorite, especially when Chris Paul came to town.
RT @blakegriffin: Happy to officially sign my extension to #clippernation for 5 more years (Yesirrrrrr CONGRATS BG!!!)
— Chris Paul (@CP3) July 11, 2012
In fact Chris Paul was overjoyed about Griffin signing his long term contract, as seen by his tweet above.
So where do the Clippers and Blake Griffin go from here? The team had a decent showing in the 2012 Playoffs and they can look to build on that achievement. As for Blake Griffin! With long term security, he should be looking to take his game to the next level. His focus should be working on his broke jumper and trying to take his game to that superstar level. Hopefully playing with so many great players on the US Olympic team will rub off on him. If he comes back to the 2012-2013 season with improvements to his game, watch out league!
Image Source
Qnr Must be light on coins, looks front-heavy :). February 20, 2008. Online image. Flickr.com. 10 July 2012.
