Blake Griffin doesn’t have a team for the upcoming season, but he would love to return to the Boston Celtics if the opportunity arises.
Appearing on the “Barstool Sports” podcast (hat tip to ClutchPoints), Griffin called playing in Boston “one of the best experiences” and had plenty of good things to say about his teammates.
“The players on that team are just like such a great group of guys,” Griffin said. “Like a guy like Jayson Tatum, he’s a legit superstar. And he’s just so humble and talks to everybody on the team and talks to the whole staff.”
Griffin signed with the Celtics shortly before the start of last season and averaged 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 41 games. Boston has open roster spots and a recent report suggested there’s interest in bringing Griffin back. But the Celtics also have workouts scheduled with T.J. Warren, Lamar Stevens and Louis King, so they’re exploring their options.
There’s more from Boston:
- Kristaps Porzingis can’t play in the World Cup because of plantar fasciitis, but he’ll travel to Indonesia to support his Latvian teammates, according to Eurohoops. “I said being around is important, even though I’m not playing,” Porzingis explained in an interview with Sporta Studija. “They supported my decision. Also, there’s a long season ahead. It’s important for me to spend time with my teammates, with my family, and Boston respected my decision.”
- Tatum is sharpening his game this summer with help from former Celtics star Paul Pierce, per Brian Robb of MassLive. The Hall of Famer attended some of Tatum’s workouts in Los Angeles with trainer Drew Hanlan. “Watching JT sharpen those tools, seeing what greatness looks like,” Pierce said in an Instagram video.
- In an interview with Michael Eaves of ESPN (video link), Joe Mazzulla explains how studying jiu-jitsu has made him a better coach. “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve done,” Mazzulla said. “What the art really gives is the study of transitions, and that really helps me because in a game and in a season, there’s transitions and decision making. You’re actually learning how not to fight. You’re learning how to handle situations. You’re learning how to problem solve.”
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The Celtics acquired Porzingis in a trade involving Marcus Smart
am trade this offseason, and the big man is staying optimistic that he’ll make his return from injury by the start of the season.
Porzingis suffered a foot injury earlier this month, though the Team Latvia denied the injury rumors at first. The 7-foot-3 center revealed he is dealing with plantar fasciitis and ended up not participating in the FIBA World Cup.
The Celtics laid out a four-to-six week rehab program for the 28-year-old, and it’s anticipated he’ll be cleared by the start of training camp.
Porzingis discussed the injury further with Sporta Studija on Wednesday.
The foot hurts after exercise, I feel almost nothing when walking, it’s a really funny injury,” Porziņgis said of the injury, as translated by CBS News Boston. “I have an idea what the origin of the injury might be, but it’s something that builds up over the course of a career and pops out at one point. It got worse during the training process — when it started to hurt, then I couldn’t get rid of the inflammation either.”
He also revealed that the Celtics wanted him to do his rehab in Boston, but he ended up staying in Latvia to support his team even though he can’t play, which he said the Celtics were OK with.
“Boston wanted me to continue my recovery there, but I told them it was very important for me to be with the national team even though I wasn’t playing. They supported my decision,” Porzingis said. “Also there, most likely, I will have a long season ahead of me — it is important now to spend time with my teammates in the national team, family at home. Boston respected all of that and supported me.”
The big man feels confident that he should be fine by the first game of the season on Oct. 25 based on the Celtics planned rehab schedule.
“Feelings are good,” Porzingis said. “Of course, I am not yet in such a shape that I can play and train fully. But going step by step, everything should be fine by the start of the season.”
The team remains hopeful the center can make his anticipated return and stay healthy, as they made quite the investment in Porzingis by giving up veteran guard Marcus Smart in the trade.
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