It has now been over three months since we last saw Clippers forward Blake Griffin on the court. But it looks like his return to action could be coming in just a matter of days.
According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, Griffin has been medically cleared to return to practice and did so on Saturday.
Blake Griffin practicing today. He's been cleared.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) March 26, 2016
Though the former No. 1 overall pick will still have to serve his four-game suspension for punching a team employee back in January before seeing game action, Bolch also notes that since the suspension is a team-imposed one, Griffin does not necessarily have to be activated to begin serving it.
Clippers now saying because it's a team-imposed suspension, Blake Griffin doesn't need to be on active list to begin serving his punishment.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) March 26, 2016
Additionally, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports that Griffin “looked good” in Saturday’s practice and that there is “real optimism” that the suspension could begin on Sunday against the Nuggets.
And there's real optimism that the 4-game suspension could begin Sunday. Griffin looked good in today's practice
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) March 26, 2016
Starting the suspension clock on Sunday would put Griffin’s return date on April 3 against the Wizards, seven games before the end of the regular season.
The five-time All-Star has been out of commission since initially suffering a partially torn quad in late December. While recovering from that injury, Griffin then sustained a broken right hand in the January incident.
Though the Clippers were surprisingly successful in those first few weeks of Griffin’s absence, losing six of their last ten games has made it abundantly clear how much they miss their All-Star power forward.
As such, it goes without saying that the Clippers are very much looking forward to the return of the high-flying offensive machine Griffin, especially as they look to tune up before the start of the playoffs on April 16.
H/T Rotoworld
