Clippers: Talking Blake Griffin with Sham Mohile of Piston Powered

The Blake Griffin trade was devastating to many Los Angeles Clippers’ fans. Thus, we sought out to get a Pistons’ fan’s point of view.

In case you missed it, don’t follow the NBA or have been living under a rock the last few days, Blake Griffin was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and a future first-round draft pick.

The move was shocking, to say the least. Griffin was the face of the franchise and showed loyalty to LA when he could have walked in the summer. Just half a year later the Clippers made their intentions clear.

Here in Los Angeles, it is hard to gauge what exactly a superstar like Griffin means to a team like the Pistons. Thus, we reached out to our FanSided sister site, Piston Powered, to get their take on the deal.

Sham Mohile, who is one expert on the site alongside Braden Shackelford, and I traded five questions on the deal from both sides of the spectrum. Here is what Mohile had to say about the trade and its implications:

1. What was your initial response to the trade?

"“My initial response to the trade was absolutely shocking, but I somewhat saw this coming. Stan Van Gundy was looking for a reason to have his contract extended and placed an emphasis on winning now. A swing for the fences move was due, but I never expected it to be for Blake Griffin.”"

2. How do you feel about the trade package the Pistons sent?

"“The Clippers are going to get two good players in Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris, as well as a few assets in the picks, but the most important thing they received is cap space. For a team that’s clearly looking to rebuild, clearing out a contract was gold to the clippers. Tobias Harris will certainly be missed more. Not only has he been with the team for longer, he’s also shown drastic improvements from his initial trade from Orlando.”"

3. Where do you see the Pistons finishing this season? How far in the postseason can they go?

"“I see the Pistons finishing in the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. Having a hurt Reggie Jackson really impacts the Pistons’ ability to win games – even with Blake Griffin. They’ll have an opportunity to win a game or two in the first round, but they’ll get bounced by Boston or Cleveland. The Pistons are now built for the 18-19 season, so the result this season is a moot point.”"

4. What off-season pieces now make sense to pursue after this season?

"“If the Pistons are serious about competing this season (and maybe even next), I believe they need an upgrade from Reggie Jackson. Whether that’s a trade for Kemba Walker or another healthy pick-and-roll point guard, an acquisition needs to be made. The Pistons are as good as Jackson takes them, and he’s limited by the health of his knee and ankle.”"

5. Finally, the Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond partnership could have been much bigger than it was. Does that worry you at all about the frontcourt duo of Drummond and Griffin?

"“No. Monroe and Drummond were like oil and water while Griffin is like oil and vinegar. They go together. Both have the ability to move the basketball and get both involved, and both can be deadly in the dribble hand-off and high pick and roll. I do expect Griffin and Drummond to be staggering minutes, with Griffin being paired with a stretch 4 off the bench.”"

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Hopefully, Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley can have as big of an impact on the Clippers that they had on the Detroit Pistons. Bradley is most likely gone after this season anyway, however, Harris is a solid piece the Clippers can build around in the future. While I do not think the Clippers got the best return possible, Mohile is right about the value of Harris.

At the end of the day, nobody knows how Griffin and the Clippers will perform following their breakup until several weeks of data are in. After that, we can all begin to make judgments on the quality of the trade.

I would like to thank Sham Mohile for taking the time to answer the questions I sent him. Any Clippers’ fans looking to follow Blake Griffin outside of LA definitely should check out Piston Powered.

Next: What is next for DeAndre Jordan?

For the time being, here at LA Sports Hub, we will continue to cover why the Clippers should just strip the entire team and go for draft picks.

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