No. 1 pick Griffin rebuffs pressure to save Clippers

Not so much fine-tuning his game for the NBA as much as dealing with the questions all No. 1 picks must face.

Questions such as: “Can you turn this franchise around?”

Griffin, a 6-foot-10-inch, 250-pound forward from Oklahoma and college basketball’s consensus player of the year, is ready for the questions. He brushed up on the Clippers’ abysmal history. He’s aware that Danny Manning and Michael Olowokandi, the last two Clippers drafted first overall, don’t have their busts in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

But Griffin insists he didn’t come to L.A. to be a savior, even if that’s what the Clippers desperately need him to be.

“I don’t put any pressure on myself,” Griffin said. “We have players who are talented. I just need to fit in with them, work hard and help make the team better.”

Griffin will get his first taste of pro competition Monday when the Clippers play the Lakers in the NBA Summer League at 5:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. It was no accident that Griffin’s debut was scheduled in the 18,500-seat arena rather than Cox Pavilion, which seats a couple of thousand. All five of Griffin’s games this week will be at the Thomas & Mack.

His run of games here will be followed almost immediately by a five-day stint with Team USA in Las Vegas from July 21 to 25.

Griffin’s new condominium in Playa Vista in Los Angeles, close to the Clippers’ training facility, will sit unused for most of this month as he works on his game here.

“I think playing in Vegas will give me a good idea of where I’m at,” he said. “I don’t believe Vegas makes or breaks you.”

Griffin said that with Baron Davis and Al Thornton as the Clippers’ leaders, he doesn’t need to be the team’s main man. While that sounds appropriately deferential, it’s surely not what Los Angeles fans want to hear. Whether Griffin likes it or not, he’ll be expected to do more than merely fit in.

However, he might not be able to do savior-like things on the court, at least not immediately. Griffin has noticeable holes in his game, primarily his shooting. He’s a strong finisher around the rim, but isn’t likely to dominate inside in the NBA the way he did in college. He knows he has to develop a reliable midrange jump shot.

“I’ve been working on my jumper every day, and I know it’s going to get better,” he said.

Griffin has been in the gym working with Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy and assistant Kim Hughes, who will coach the Summer League team. Griffin also has spent time with assistant Fred Vinson on his shooting mechanics.

Dunleavy cautions that Griffin is a work in progress at the NBA level.

“He’s going to need time to develop like all rookies do,” Dunleavy told reporters after the Clippers drafted Griffin. “He’s got lots of talent, but it’s a different game at this level, and he’s going to go through a period of adjustment.”

Griffin understands that in a star-driven town such as Los Angeles, he has much to prove on the court before he can be mentioned with Kobe Bryant and Manny Ramirez among the city’s reigning sports celebrities.

“If I do well, the opportunities will be there,” Griffin said of his commercial value. “To go to Los Angeles, it’s a great city. I look at being a Clipper as an opportunity to move forward.”

Griffin has not been coached in political correctness, but he’s a bright young man. He didn’t need anyone to remind him to step lightly when reporters asked about the Clippers’ secondary status to the Lakers in Southern California.

“I’m very comfortable with my situation,” Griffin said. “I like Coach Dunleavy. He’s been a player himself, so I can learn a lot from him.”

Griffin also will learn what losing is like — at least for a while. The Clippers won 19 games last season and have been to the playoffs once in the last 11 years.

Even the summers have not been kind to the Clippers. In the four summers they have come to Las Vegas, they have never posted a winning record, going 2-3 each time.

If Griffin can get that turned around this week, the savior talk isn’t likely to stop.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.