The conclusion of the investigation cleared the way for the organization to trade Leonard to the Raptors, bringing a much-hyped but ultimately disappointing era<\/a> to an end. It also marks the beginning of a long journey<\/a> to get out of the shadow of the cap circumvention scandal. <\/p>\n It would be fair for diehard fans to reminisce over the Lob City days rather than anticipate what the coming seasons might look like with a league-mandated draft pick drain looming like a storm cloud. And that\u2019s what bums Blake Griffin out the most, as he shared with Sports Illustrated<\/a> ahead of the Oct. 20 premiere of his new show, The Stepback With Blake Griffin<\/a>. <\/p>\n Griffin earned five All-Star selections while with Los Angeles, establishing a reputation for one of the game\u2019s greatest in-game dunkers and an elite scoring talent. Along with Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, he shepherded the franchise to its best stretch ever\u2014a streak of six consecutive playoff appearances that featured three series wins. It was an era of Clippers basketball that birthed the generation of fans who are now looking down the barrel of losing seasons without the usual cushion of first-round picks waiting at the end of a down year.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously it\u2019s a huge bummer,\u201d the longtime Clippers star said. \u201cI think the thing that I keep coming back to is, I\u2019m really bummed for Clippers fans. I\u2019m still living here in L.A. and being out and about and just running into Clippers fans all the time, like, you talk about a loyal fan base. That franchise hasn’t had a lot to really celebrate in terms of championships or huge postseason runs. I just feel bad for the fans.\u00a0 <\/p>\n \u201cBut you\u2019ll get through this next 5 years. And at the end of the day, when I got drafted by the Clippers, Donald Sterling was notoriously one of the worst owners (in the NBA) and also notoriously cheap. Some Clippers fans have experienced that end of the spectrum. <\/p>\n \u201cThen Steve (Ballmer) is coming in and revamping everything, new arena, paying maybe a little too much for players. But I mean, if you\u2019re a fan, I\u2019d want my owner doing everything possible. Within the rules, but doing everything possible (to succeed). So they get through these five years and then I hope that they get back to that place because that’s what Clippers fans deserve.\u201d <\/p>\n The franchise found itself under fire yet again shortly thereafter<\/a> when it was revealed Bradley Beal would wear the No. 3 jersey for the upcoming season\u2014the same number Paul wore during his own All-Star years with the Clippers. <\/p>\n The star point guard known as \u201cCP3\u201d was one of the best players to ever suit up for this L.A. franchise but things ended poorly between the two sides; Paul signed with the Clippers for a farewell tour of sorts last season but was suddenly sent home in December, ending his storied NBA career quite abruptly. <\/a>The Clippers were slammed for disrespecting Paul again by letting Beal wear No. 3, with many fans calling for the number to be retired instead. <\/p>\n Beal seemed to respond<\/a> to the controversy in a social media post, calling Paul a \u201clegend\u201d whose \u201cHISTORY and BRAND can\u2019t be touched, nor erased!!\u201d <\/p>\n Griffin agreed with the sentiment despite how Paul\u2019s time with Los Angeles came to an end last year. <\/p>\n \u201cHow Chris exited was obviously disappointing, I think, for him and the fans,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn’t take away from that No. 3 with Paul on the back. That’s the jersey, you know what I mean? I think a lot of fans would love to see that number retired.\u201d <\/p>\n Which begs the question: would the Clippers retire Griffin\u2019s own No. 32 jersey, one of the most iconic in the organization\u2019s history? It hasn\u2019t happened yet, but nobody has donned the number since he was traded back in 2018. For his part, Griffin said the organization hasn\u2019t indicated to him there are plans to retire a jersey, but he doesn\u2019t think he\u2019d be involved in the decision anyway. <\/p>\n \u201cTo me jersey retirements are a fan and an organization thing,\u201d the former NBA star said. \u201cMore so an organization thing, obviously, but I’m not gonna be, like, campaigning myself. I don’t plan to go outside of Intuit Dome and be like, \u2018Retire 32!\u00a0 Come on, guys. Come on, who’s with me?\u2019 Obviously it would be a huge honor, but\u2026 I think they’re figuring some stuff out.\u201d <\/p>\n Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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