The Clippers will be without one of their high flying big men until after All-Star break. Blake Griffin will undergo surgery on his elbow after a staph infection developed. Staph infections are caused by bacteria found on the skin. Griffin has had problems with his right elbow for years, dealing with bursitis and needing it drained constantly.
He most recently had it drained February 2nd and struggled in the games immediately following. The Clippers training staff decided to take a look at it. You could tell when something is infected. You can just look at it,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers told ESPN. Luckily, the infection was caught early as staph infections can be deadly when it spreads in the body. Rivers continued saying, “It’s the unknown. With a sprained ankle, you know 10 days. But with infections, they’re infections, and you just have to be very careful. You cannot mess around with it.”
He is expected to be out anywhere from two to six weeks. The Clippers got blown out yesterday by Kevin Durant and the Thunder in their first game without Griffin. Griffin is Los Angeles leading scorer, averaging 22.5 points per game.