Blake Griffin has been called a flopper this year, but he says the new reputation doesn’t bother him. In April, DeMarcus Cousins called Griffin an actor. Last week during the playoffs, Chris Webber warned Griffin about flopping too much. Griffin responded to the allegations during an interview on Monday.
“It’s never really something that I’ve had a problem with, but all of the sudden now it’s kind of come up,” Griffin said on The Dan Patrick Show. “So I’m just going to keep playing the way I’ve been taught and playing the game and it’ll all go away I think. It’s just kind of a phase or a bandwagon that some people want to jump on.”
Asked if flopping was an individual or league-wide concern, Griffin said no.
“It’s not really a concern. I guess it depends on the individual but it’s not really a concern for me. Especially in the playoffs, guys are doing everything they can to get an extra possession or to get a stop, whatever it is. I’m not sure what David Stern feels, but it’s not a concern to me, really.”
Griffin also believes there’s a difference between acting too much.
“Oh yeah, there’s a fine line between completely overselling it and knowing how to draw a foul or this or that. I haven’t seen a lot of plays where guys have completely gone over the line. I honestly can’t think of that many times.”
There’s a huge difference between drawing a foul when you’re on defense and completely flopping, and Griffin has fallen under the latter category frequently. I just hope David Stern will address the issue next season like he indicated over the weekend. The last thing the NBA needs is more flopping.
Transcriptions via Sports Radio Interviews
