The Detroit Pistons are facing some dire straits, but they are not ready to completely punt on the season just yet.
Pistons owner Tom Gores was asked by reporters this week if the team had considered potentially shutting down star player Blake Griffin for the year.
“No, we’re not that far, and we’re just gonna assess it in the next week or so,” said Gores, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “He’s a trooper.”
Griffin, who has sat out the last two games with knee soreness to bring his total number of missed games this season to 17, has not looked right all year. The 30-year-old forward is averaging career-lows across the board with 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on a decrepit 35.2 percent from the field and 24.3 percent from deep.
The Pistons are 11th in the East at 12-23 and still owe Griffin $110 million over the next three years. They are starting to give indications of a possible rebuild, and that will make the six-time All-Star Griffin a prime shutdown candidate for the second half of the season.
