Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – The Clippers confirmed Tuesday in a joint statement from owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations and head coach Doc Rivers that forward Blake Griffin suffered a fracture in his hand after throwing a punch Jan. 23 in Toronto.
Griffin, who was already sitting out with a torn left quadriceps tendon, went through a procedure Tuesday morning in Los Angeles to repair a spiral fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his right hand.
“This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who we are as a team,” part of the statement read. “We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.”
Rivers said he takes the situation personally and called it a distraction.
The initial timeframe on Griffin’s injury was four to six weeks, but Rivers said before Tuesday’s game that may be unrealistic, in his opinion, when it comes to a broken hand. Since the incident, Rivers said he’s spoken to Griffin, the team employee involved and the rest of the team.
“It happens, but it shouldn’t happen,” Rivers said. “They were good friends.
“It’s frustrating. We don’t want it to happen to anyone…This type of stuff shouldn’t happen, but it did, and it’s real life, and you have to deal with real life stuff.”
Rivers’ immediate focus was on getting the rest of his team ready for Tuesday night’s matchup in Indiana. He said he talked to the players Monday about their responsibility once they decide to play in the league and how they need to conduct themselves a certain way.
Now, the focus is on helping them move forward. Rivers said he tries to turn everything that happens into a teaching lesson to his players, who are all still young and learning.
Even at 54, Rivers said he’s still learning as well.
“We have to figure out the best way to deal with this,” Rivers said. “My job right now, at this moment, is to make sure those guys in the locker room are ready to play this game. This is a distraction.”
Rivers said the team will wait until the investigation is complete to announce any potential further discipline. He said sometimes lessons need to be learned the hard way, and it’s a hard lesson for not only Griffin, but also the rest of the team.
“We have to figure it out, because we are in a tough conference,” Rivers said. “We’ve kind of clawed our way up to the spot we’re in right now. We have to keep clawing.”
Griffin traveled with the Clippers for their five-game trip, though there was no certain date for his return from his quad injury. He was with the team in Cleveland, New York and Toronto before returning home.
Since losing Griffin, the Clippers have gone 11-3, though they’ve lost two of their last three games entering Tuesday’s matchup in Indiana. The Clippers play again Wednesday in Atlanta before returning home from the trip.
