How Blake Griffin's latest setback affects Detroit Pistons now and in the future

Vince Ellis | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Dwane Casey: Detroit Pistons more prepared without Blake Griffin Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey speaks to the media after shootaround on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Detroit Pistons front office prepared for the eventuality of trying to win games without Blake Griffin.

Safe to assume they didn’t expect the roster to be tested on opening night.

That’s the reality facing the Pistons, who announced Tuesday afternoon that Griffin will miss at least the first five games of the regular season, which includes Wednesday night’s season opener at the Indiana Pacers, because of hamstring and posterior soreness in his left knee.

The rest of the news release was vague, saying he would be “re-evaluated for a return to action the first week of November,” which indicates the potential for a longer absence.

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The news isn’t shocking. Given his injury history, it was safe to assume Griffin would miss time at some point this season.

Add offseason left knee surgery, his absence from the final three preseason games, his lack of practice time since the team first announced his hamstring issue and you understand Griffin’s comments after Monday’s practice.

“Just working through it,” he said. “I’ve been working with the training staff, doing what I can here. Also trying to realize it’s an 82-game schedule. I think sometimes we get a little over-hyped for that first game, so I got to be patient and listen to our training staff.

“We’ll figure it out.”

His teammates are left to navigate the coming days and the reality that without drastic improvement from young players such as Luke Kennard, Thon Maker and Bruce Brown, the roster isn’t good enough to withstand a prolonged absence from Griffin, who reached his sixth All-Star Game last season.

And on a macro level, the front office should continue pondering if the franchise should continue down the current path.

“We’re just being conservative with it,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said Wednesday morning. “With his soreness and everything, we’re used to playing without him.

“That’s the reason we went out and signed Markieff (Morris), that’s why we kept Christian Wood. Thon is available. We’re used to life without Blake. We’d like to have Blake, but we’re used to life without him.”

How will the Pistons adjust?

Griffin turned in the best season of his career in 2018-19, carrying the Pistons for most of the season. He averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists, and shot 36.2% on seven 3-point attempts per game. His 21 games with 30-plus points was the franchise's most since the 2000-01 season.

But he wore down and his performance trailed off as the season progressed.

He missed four of the final seven games and the first two games of the first-round playoff sweep by the Milwaukee Bucks.

He wore a bulky brace in front of the Little Caesars Arena crowd for Games 3 and 4.

After his offseason surgery, the front office prudently sought to upgrade the roster in order to give Griffin rest days.

Derrick Rose will provide scoring off the bench — an upgrade over Ish Smith.

Morris provides adequate production and is capable of starting — as he will Wednesday — on the nights Griffin sits.

The growth of the youngsters would help as well.

The Pistons won 19 of 32 games down the stretch behind Griffin, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Kennard.

If it is a brief absence, Casey may decide to start Kennard to give the Pistons another primary scoring option on the first unit.

Casey made this adjustment in the playoffs against the Bucks, although Brown will start against the Pacers.

Expect more Jackson-Drummond pick-and-rolls.

Small forward Tony Snell, a trade pickup in the offseason, likely will be asked to do more. He will get minutes at power forward.

“We’re a little bit better prepared this year than we were last year,” Casey said. “Of course, you’d rather have your best player.”

What does it mean for the future?

Griffin was right.

There is a heightened awareness for season openers.

If this news occurs in January, there isn’t as much scrutiny. It’s just normal wear and tear.

But Griffin’s left knee has had numerous issues that began when he starred for the Oklahoma Sooners. It cost him the entire 2009-10 season, shortly after the L.A. Clippers made him the No. 1 overall draft pick.

The offseason knee surgery delayed his workout regimen. In order to lessen his workload, he wasn’t a full participant in training camp.

Regular nights off are scheduled for this season. But he couldn’t make it to opening night. It’s fair to assume the hamstring soreness is related to the troublesome knee.

The news immediately makes critics look back to when the Pistons pulled off the blockbuster acquisition of Griffin in January 2018.

The injury history and gigantic contract (he’s owed nearly $110 million the next three seasons) brought fair questions.

The move was pulled off by the front office led by Stan Van Gundy, who is no longer in charge. The issue now must be confronted by owner Tom Gores and front office head Ed Stefanski.

Is a Griffin trade possible? Doubtful currently, given the injury news and his contract.

But there’s a reason trade speculation involving Griffin percolated last week.

With a roster with a limited ceiling, the Pistons might be moving closer to hitting the reset button.

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