Clippers Blake Griffin's flair isn't there

'Clippers' Blake Griffin's flair isn't there when he speaks

Clippers rookie attracts a lot of attention with his dunks and other abilities on the court, but as an interview subject, he's just plain boring. The columnist tries to help him out.

The Clippers have a huge problem with Blake Griffin.

When the game is over, he wraps ice packs around each knee and then sticks both feet into a bucket filled with ice and water. By the way, he wears little footsies over his toes, so he's really not that tough.

But he does all this sitting in front of his locker. And he seems to attract the media, the overflow spilling into DeAndre Jordan's locker, all this after a game in which Griffin scored an NBA season-high 47 points.

Jordan returned from a postgame shower wearing only a towel to find TNT's Craig Sager sitting in his chair. He whined about it to team officials, proving this Clippers team is indeed still young.

But now you've seen the way Sager dresses. Scary. Add a pair of alligator shoes — complete with the eye of the alligator staring back at you — and it's understandable why no one would want to go near the guy.

That left Jordan just standing there waiting for Griffin to say something interesting or colorful so all the reporters might leave. Well, that's never going to happen, so the Clippers have a problem.

To help, I suggested Jordan switch lockers with Chris Kaman, since Kaman never has the need to use it. That would make for empty space, a pretty good way to describe Kaman now that I think about it.

The only other solution is to get Griffin to say something besides clichés so the media might scatter sooner, but that's going to take a lot of work.

The kid is just 21 with limited life experiences. But he has the game of an All Star. Throw in the flair with which he plays, and there is the expectation everything he has to say later will be just as entertaining.

But "it's all about execution,'' as he will tell you, "his teammates doing a good job,'' and everyone just "taking one game at a time.'' He's not quite Nuke Laloosh, but not far removed.

As good as he is, he's going to be interviewed plenty, so for everyone's benefit I told him just how boring he comes off.

"I didn't know I was boring until I was told I was boring,'' he says with a grin.

He says he's never read his own comments in the paper, undoubtedly afraid he might dose off.

As he continues to dominate, he will become the team's top salesman on and off the court — much like Elton Brand.

"I don't try to be boring,'' he says, nodding when told it must come naturally. "I'm just kind of laid-back, talk slow and grew up listening to my dad, who uses clichés.''