Has the Blake Griffin Era Begun?

The NBA has given us many lessons over the years. The emphasis of individual over team is one that is repeatedly forced onto the basketball fan time and again. It began the celebrated star era with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, although the teams they played on had other Hall of Fame players. In the NBA's search for the next 'it guy' and leading jersey seller in order to fuel the star system, the current era has become muddied.

Is the Kobe Bryant era winding down? Is LeBron's just starting now that he has Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to help him pursue a championship? Did Tim Duncan ever get his due? Will he? Has the Kevin Durant and Chris Paul era begun? Has the Carmelo Anthony era begun or is the NBA waiting for him to join the Knicks? Or is the current era all of the above?

One fact seems to be certain: Blake Griffin is now being talked about as though his era has begun. Fans may begin to ask, however, is it too soon? He has yet to finish his rookie season or what is being called his rookie season, which is really his second year in the NBA. The answer is simple: in NBA time, it is never too early to start an era, anoint a chosen one, and the hype can never be too great when it comes to NBA stars.

Blake Griffin has now entered the stratosphere of NBA superstardom. He warrants his own ticker lines that announce he will participate in the dunk contest. His dunks and highlights are featured during shows like "Pardon the Interruption," "Around the Horn," and other non-"SportsCenter" programming. He also has his own section of merchandise on the Los Angeles Clippers online NBA store.

He has entered the rarified air of being the newest Michael Jordan heir apparent. Kobe was Jordan's heir apparent because he won and was ruthless on the court. Kevin Durant's all-around game recently made him Jordan's heir apparent and as a bonus, he is a nice guy off the court who says and does all the right things. NBA fans have been told repeatedly that Durant is a throwback to Jordan's kinder and gentler NBA superstar.

But Blake Griffin is now Jordan's "air apparent." Griffin's slam dunks, we have been told, will bring back memories of Jordan during the NBA All-Star Game and make the slam dunk contest not only relevant again, but an event worth watching.

Griffin has developed a complete game and his statistics show that he is more than a slam dunking machine. Griffin is 18th in the NBA in field goal percentage at .520, which is second among rookies, 15th in scoring with 21.7 points per game, is tied for third in the NBA with 12.7 rebounds per game, and is averaging 3 assists per game.

It may be time to begin to ask if Blake Griffin will deliver on the all of the hype. Will he make the Clippers relevant? Is it possible that the Clippers can be talked about as a franchise with a viable basketball future? Is there basketball in Los Angeles past the Lakers?

The Clippers Suddenly Have a Future

It is extraordinary to think the Los Angeles Clippers have become relevant in sports. Especially when their record indicates they are wining at a .300 clip. The fact the Clippers started 1-13 makes the attention given to them — more specifically Griffin — all the more amazing.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets are winning at a more blistering .400 pace, but don't receive half of the headlines. The Detroit Pistons also have a .300 percentage, but the story in Motown is more about who will own the team and not any individual player or team potential. The Toronto Raptors are another team with a .300 winning percentage, but are virtually invisible on the NBA landscape. Can one player make a difference in one of the worst franchises in its respective league?

Some franchises just know how to lose and become irrelevant over time. The owners know how to make money and put a horrible product on the field of play. When the phrases "worst run" franchise and "worst winning percentage" of any franchise in recent years are discussed, generally two teams come to the forefront and dominate the conversation — the Los Angeles Clippers and the Detroit Lions. The title of worst franchise is traded between the teams like the New England Patriots trade for draft picks.

The Lions delivered a Clipper-like .375 winning percentage this year, but were often called the best "worst" team in the NFL. The player on the Lions who commanded the media's attention and was talked about most was Ndamukong Suh. Blake Griffin has become the NBA's Suh and the hope for the fans of another beleaguered sports franchise. Griffin's dunking, like Suh's sacks, has garnered the most attention. It is however, Suh's and Griffin's complete games that will keep them relevant for years to come.

Blake Griffin's emergence shouldn't come as much of a surprise because of his long and extensive college resume. He won 14 2008-2009 National Player of the Year awards. The list includes the Naismith, Wooden, AP Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, and FOXSports.com Player of the Year awards. He averaged 22.7 points in his last season at Oklahoma and looked like a man among boys throughout his last collegiate season. The injury in his first year clearly forced him off the radar, but his second rookie campaign has solidified him as an emerging superstar.

All of the collegiate accolades meant nothing when Griffin missed his first campaign because of knee surgery. The Clippers appeared as though they were going to force another college star into oblivion like Danny Manning. Griffin, however, has forced the Clippers faithful to have a short memory and his second campaign has proven to be incredibly successful.