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How does Blake Griffin stack up against Karl Malone and other similar big men?

Hotdog

Hotdog

Well-Known Member
Blake Griffin has two years under his belt. I was curious as to how he measures up against Karl Malone and other great big men after only two years.


Numbers will be rounded to save room


Player_________PPG_RPG_APG_FG%_FT%
10-11 Blake____23___13___4____50__64
11-12 Blake____21___11___3____54__52

85-86 Karl _____15___ 9 ___3____50__48
86-87 Karl______22__ 10___2____51__60

84-85 Chuck ___14___ 9___ 2____55__73
85-86 Chuck____20__ 13___4____57__69

97-98 Tim______21___12___3____55__66
98-99 Tim______22___11___2____50__69

95-97 KG ______10____6___ 2____50__70
96-97 KG ______17____8___ 3____50__75

89-90 Kemp____7_____4___ 0____48__74
90-91 Kemp___15_____8___ 2____51__66

93-94 Web ____18_____9___4____55__53
94-95 Web ____20____10___5____50__50

08-09 Love ___11_____9___1____ 46__79
09-10 Love ___14____11__ 2_____45__81

02-03 Amare_ 14_____9___1_____47__66
03-04 Amare_ 21_____9___1_____48__71



Each one does something a little better than the other. Blake's stats are very similar if not better than some up there.

I just wanted to point out that he isn't just a flashy dunker. He has substance to his game, and I believe he is on his way to being a great player. I have seen too many people dismiss his game as just a highlight show. He is all the highlights and a good player. Which leads me to believe he has a chance to be better than any of those guys above. Maybe he won't ever be Tim on defense, Karl on longevity, or shoot the three like Love, but he can be great in his own right. He is certainly more athletic than any of those guys. So other than the possibility of being injury prone, why can't he be great?
 
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On January 17, 2011 against the Indiana Pacers, Griffin scored a career-high and set a Clippers record for most points scored by a rookie with 47 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.[69] He became the first rookie to have two 40+ games in his rookie season since Allen Iverson during the 1996–97 season.
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I don't think a guy who can do that, is just average.
 
Damnit, I'm scared to post this video even though its censored. It's called Blake Griffin, and its by 'Dorrough Music'.
 
Hmm.

I thought this thread would do better than this.I thought it was a legitimate discussion.

I guess I was wrong.
 
The one thing that makes some of those other players really special is their defensive prowess: KG, Malone, Duncan, and maybe Chuck in particular (Kemp and Webber are both better than Griffin and Love on defense). This is why I don't think there is a complete young PF in the NBA right now (Duncan, KG, & Gasol have more complete games than the youngsters). I wouldn't touch K. Love because his defense is truly abysmal (put up a 30/30 game however). Griffin is a very special offensive player, but his defense is disgraceful, and his stats went down from last year--not just his scoring but his rebounding.

Also, I noticed that scoring 20 points/game last year got you into the top 12 scorers in the league. If Favors could ever get up around here and with his defensive prowess, he would be a legitimate center piece.
 
I think its a legit question. Here is my take.
Blake is a very good to great talented PF and shouldnt be hated on for his flashy style. He does put up the numbers abd they speak for themself.
HOWEVER, and this is just my opinion...
As pointed out above, the previous generation PF played far better defense, imo, although some of that can be attributed to the physical play that was easier to get away with. On the other hand this also tells me that the guys back then, like Malone, who could still average those numbers playing against that MUCH more physical defense have to get credit. The "average" PF that Malone played against was again, IMO, far superior to todays PF as far a fundamental defensive prowess. Malone got those numbers against guys like Chuck, Duncan, KG, Kemp, Rodman, and even the 'lesser' guys of the era who were physical beasts...Buck Williams, Brian Grant and so on.
All in all, and Im probably biased to the generation I grew up with, but I feel that the 80's and 90's PF were better overall players easily. The Star PF of today, however, in most cases might be more athletic. But there is something to be said for attitude and hard work and I think the older guys win that battle going away.
 
JJAS said:
The one thing that makes some of those other players really special is their defensive prowess: KG, Malone, Duncan, and maybe Chuck in particular (Kemp and Webber are both better than Griffin and Love on defense). This is why I don't think there is a complete young PF in the NBA right now (Duncan, KG, & Gasol have more complete games than the youngsters). I wouldn't touch K. Love because his defense is truly abysmal (put up a 30/30 game however). Griffin is a very special offensive player, but his defense is disgraceful, and his stats went down from last year--not just his scoring but his rebounding.

Also, I noticed that scoring 20 points/game last year got you into the top 12 scorers in the league. If Favors could ever get up around here and with his defensive prowess, he would be a legitimate center piece.
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Matchups. Dirk.
 
franklin said:
Matchups. Dirk.
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Dirk's a nightmare for matchups; very true. His defense has always been mediocre at best, but he buys into the defensive scheme, takes pride in team defense, and is very smart. He has a ring and made my NBA finals with his stymieing of the "not-1-not-2..." club. He has the clutch gene too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsjmYyDzYlc

Painful!!
 
Hack said:
Hmm.

I thought this thread would do better than this.I thought it was a legitimate discussion.

I guess I was wrong.
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Great thread and conversation for either the general section, or the team section of the Clippers board... Hack.
 
JJAS said:
Dirk's a nightmare for matchups; very true. His defense has always been mediocre at best, but he buys into the defensive scheme, takes pride in team defense, and is very smart.

Painful!!
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Remember early Dirk? You project Blake to not have future Dirk drive for reasons?
 
Blake is a short/mid to basket area threat on O. No where near the problem to guard as Dirk. Even early Dirk had far more O abilities than Blake. Plus Dirk is quite a bit taller, which does actually matter.
Not saying Dirk ever has been near to a defensive stopper, but since it seems both Grififin and Dirk will hang their hat on offensive numbers, Dirk has the obvious advantage, IMO. Maybe not a huge gap in ppg, but I think Blake is an easier cover than Dirk, especially in his prime. Also, as stated above, and it cant be under valued, Dirk is money when it counts.
 
Scorpjazz said:
Blake is a short/mid to basket area threat on O. No where near the problem to guard as Dirk. Even early Dirk had far more O abilities than Blake. Plus Dirk is quite a bit taller, which does actually matter.
Not saying Dirk ever has been near to a defensive stopper, but since it seems both Grififin and Dirk will hang their hat on offensive numbers, Dirk has the obvious advantage, IMO. Maybe not a huge gap in ppg, but I think Blake is an easier cover than Dirk, especially in his prime. Also, as stated above, and it cant be under valued, Dirk is money when it counts.
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Blake has the chance to become an excellent defender. He has all the tools to do it. My guess is that in a couple years Blake will be averaging over 2 blocks a game, and over 1 steal a game. People will start to view him differently. He is already an elite rebounder.

Another thought on him is that I think he will raise his free throw percentage. Looking at a lot of those other guys, it took them a couple years to get it there. He has a nice shooting stroke, and soft touch. He will also be money from mid range like Karl was. He is just young pup in this league and he is already really good. I see him getting a lot better. I think he will average 30 pts a game at least once in his career.
 
I see that you are already sold on Blake, fair enough. BUT, when you say he has all the tools to be an excellent defender in the league I would argue that 90% of NBA players have the 'tools' to be the same. D is about attitude and hard work, IMO..Not saying he cant do it, but I dont see that same attitude on D that he seems to have on O.
Honestly, put him in the 80's and 90's and I think you have another Kemp-like player. Almost top tier, but not quite. Kemp had all the 'tools' but not the attitude and hard work to go with the talent. Yeah, Kemp had a couple awesome years, but in the end, do you think of him as a top tier PF? No.
Obviously it remains to be seen where Blake goes, and maybe it isnt fair to compare him to Kemp now, but that is what I see out of him.
 
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