AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Blake Griffin admits he was shocked by the trade that sent him from the Los Angeles Clippers to Detroit. The star forward says he wants to be with a team that wants him.Griffin, Brice Johnson and Willie Reed were introduced Wednesday by the Pistons, who acquired the trio earlier this week in a blockbuster deal with the Clippers. They should be available to play Thursday night when Detroit hosts the Memphis Grizzlies.The Pistons sent Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic and two draft picks to the Clippers. The deal came seven months after Griffin signed a $171 million, five-year contract to stay with Los Angeles.Griffin says the Pistons clearly want him, and that's the kind of organization he wants to play for.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball___Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Suddenly, the Big Three is down to one. With star guard Chris Paul in Houston and face-of-the-franchise Blake Griffin traded to the Detroit Pistons, only DeAndre Jordan is left from the power trio that propelled the Los Angeles Clippers to relevance.Jordan becomes a free agent this summer and could be gone, too, if he isn't traded by the Feb. 8 deadline. Lou Williams, leading the NBA in scoring off the bench with 22.2 points per game in his 13th season, might be trade bait, too.Griffin's stunning departure on Monday — seven months after he signed a $171 million, five-year contract — has paved the way for the Clippers to have plenty of salary-cap room next season, putting them in position to snag a big-name free agent."With the future flexibility comes great opportunity," said Lawrence Frank, executive vice president of basketball operations. "It's going to be an exciting time, not just presently but also going forward."The once-beleaguered franchise has never lured a... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — With his team in a slump that threatened to derail a once-promising season, Stan Van Gundy boldly put the Detroit Pistons on a new path.Where it will lead is anyone's guess.The trade that brought Blake Griffin to the Pistons includes plenty of risk. The 6-foot-10 forward with an All-Star pedigree has a lengthy highlight reel and an injury history to match. But in his fourth season as Detroit's coach and team president, Van Gundy wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. If healthy, Griffin is the type of player who could lift this franchise significantly — and not just this season."The hardest thing to do in this league is to get a proven star," Van Gundy said Tuesday. "You get very few opportunities to do it."Detroit has made the playoffs once under Van Gundy, but when the Pistons lost their eighth straight game Sunday, this season seemed to be slipping away. Detroit has looked lost without injured point guard Reggie Jackson, and although center Andre Drummond is signed... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — With his team in a slump that threatened to derail a once-promising season, Stan Van Gundy boldly put the Detroit Pistons on a new path.Where it will lead is anyone's guess.The trade that brought Blake Griffin to the Pistons includes plenty of risk. The 6-foot-10 forward with an All-Star pedigree has a lengthy highlight reel and an injury history to match. But in his fourth season as Detroit's coach and team president, Van Gundy wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. If healthy, Griffin is the type of player who could lift this franchise significantly — and not just this season."The hardest thing to do in this league is to get a proven star," Van Gundy said Tuesday. "You get very few opportunities to do it."Detroit has made the playoffs once under Van Gundy, but when the Pistons lost their eighth straight game Sunday, this season seemed to be slipping away. Detroit has looked lost without injured point guard Reggie Jackson, and although center Andre Drummond is signed... [More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Pistons dramatically shook their struggling roster by acquiring one of the NBA's top players in Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.The deal for the five-time All-Star forward was announced early Tuesday, giving Detroit a player who has been the face of the Clippers but whose career has been undercut by injuries.Detroit sent forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also acquired forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed."We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "Blake Griffin is one of the NBA's elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it."For the Clippers, moving Griffin is another step in a makeover of a franchise that has never made it past the second round of the playoffs.Griffin was not expected to play... [More]

The East is open for business. The West is closed until further notice.There's the takeaway from the deal where Blake Griffin got sent from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons , and it may be a theme for the next week or so until the NBA trading deadline. The Pistons see opportunity to contend in the Eastern Conference, while the Clippers know the Western Conference is out of their reach and a full reboot is needed.They're both right.Other teams are surely thinking the same way.No rational person would look at the NBA right now and see a logical scenario where the champion this season is anyone besides Golden State or Houston. What Brad Stevens has done in Boston, especially after losing Gordon Hayward on opening night, is coach-of-the-year stuff. Toronto is better than most fans may realize. Cleveland has LeBron James, still the best player alive.Yet would anyone other than Celtics, Raptors or Cavaliers fans pick those teams to beat the Warriors or Rockets in a best-of-seven?Probably... [More]

The Detroit Pistons dramatically shook their struggling roster by acquiring one of the NBA's top players in Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.The deal for the five-time All-Star forward was announced early Tuesday, giving Detroit a player who has been the face of the Clippers but whose career has been undercut by injuries.Detroit sent forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also acquired forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed."We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "Blake Griffin is one of the NBA's elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it."The Pistons did not yet say if Griffin would be available for Tuesday night's home game against Cleveland.The 28-year-old Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games... [More]

The Detroit Pistons dramatically shook their struggling roster, acquiring five-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.The Pistons announced the deal for the face of the Clippers early Tuesday. Detroit sent forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also acquired forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed."We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "Blake Griffin is one of the NBA's elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it."The 28-year-old Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and are ninth in the Western Conference standings.Detroit is scuffling as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.Last... [More]

The Detroit Pistons shook up their struggling roster in dramatic fashion, acquiring star forward Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.The Pistons announced the deal early Tuesday morning. Detroit sent forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also acquired forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed in the deal."We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "Blake Griffin is one of the NBA's elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it."Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and are ninth in the Western Conference standings.Detroit is scuffling as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.The 28-year-old Griffin... [More]

The Detroit Pistons have acquired star forward Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.The Pistons announced the deal early Tuesday morning. Detroit is sending forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also receives forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed.Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and are ninth in the Western Conference standings.Detroit is struggling as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball___Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister___AP Sports Writer Beth Harris contributed to this report.

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons were finalizing a trade Monday night to acquire star forward Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. The Pistons would send forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also would receive forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed.ESPN first reported the deal .Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and are ninth in the Western Conference standings.Detroit is struggling as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.The 28-year-old Griffin has been the face of the Clippers while playing his entire career with the team. Last July, he agreed to a $171 million, five-year deal, ending... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons were finalizing a trade Monday night to acquire star forward Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. The Pistons would send forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also would receive forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed.ESPN first reported the deal .Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and were ninth in the West standings as of Monday night.Detroit's playoff hopes have dipped as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.The 28-year-old Griffin has been the face of the Clippers while playing his entire career with the team. Last July, he agreed to a $171 million,... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal says the Detroit Pistons are finalizing a trade to acquire star forward Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers.The person spoke Monday night on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been announced. The Pistons would send forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also would receive forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed.ESPN first reported the deal .Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and were ninth in the West standings as of Monday night.Detroit's playoff hopes have dipped as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball___Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister

Houston's Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green have both been suspended for two games for entering the Los Angeles Clippers' locker room after a game earlier this week to confront another player.The NBA announced the suspensions Wednesday.Ariza and Green went into the Clippers' locker room after a game Monday night in Los Angeles, one that was marred late by on-court chippiness. Ariza had been ejected from that game in the final moments, as was the Clippers' Blake Griffin.Speaking before the suspensions were announced Wednesday, Ariza said there were a "lot of different stories about what happened, none of them which were true."Ariza has started in all 40 of his appearances with the Rockets this season. Green has been with the Rockets for 10 games, all off the bench.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Every student in the Los Angeles Unified School District who needs an eye exam and glasses will be getting them in a partnership with the L.A. Clippers Foundation.The team, along with owner Steve Ballmer and star Blake Griffin, announced Tuesday that over the next two years LAUSD students in kindergarten through 12th grade will be provided free exams and glasses.Of the district's over 600,000 students, an estimated 15 to 20 percent need glasses, but don't have them in part because their families are low income and have difficulty finding affordable vision care."I truly believe in this program," Griffin said. "If you get behind in first grade, then you're behind every grade from then on."Griffin says he was inspired to join the team's efforts because his older brother Taylor struggled with poor vision as a child. Taylor Griffin accompanied his brother to Lovelia P. Flournoy Elementary in south Los Angeles on Tuesday."I was always so jealous that he got to wear glasses... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA has spoken to Clippers star Blake Griffin as well as other players from the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles as part of its investigation into late-game and postgame incidents involving the teams.Griffin confirmed Tuesday that he had been contacted by league officials."I've spoken to them," he said after attending a L.A. Clippers Foundation event at an elementary school. "I'm sure they've talked to everybody by now. We'll see what they come up with."Tempers boiled over Monday night late in the Clippers' 113-102 victory , to the point where several security guards were needed outside the Houston locker room afterward."I wouldn't call it pretty crazy," Griffin said. "In this day and age everything kind of gets blown a little bit out of proportion."Citing anonymous NBA sources, ESPN reported several Rockets players headed toward the Clippers' locker room afterward, seeking a confrontation, but were escorted away by security before anything got physical."We were exactly... [More]

F Blake Griffin finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in his second game back from a knee injury Sunday against Charlotte.

F Blake Griffin will be a game-time decision when the Los Angeles Clippers play the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Friday. Griffin has missed the past 14 games because of a sprained left knee, which he sustained in a 120-115 victory against the Lakers on Nov. 27. He was originally expected to miss eight weeks, but has made rapid progress in his rehabilitation. Griffin is averaging 21.7 points and 9.1 rebounds in 26 career games against the Lakers. He's shooting 51.7 percent from the floor and 15 for 33 from 3-point range in those games.

F Blake Griffin (left knee) could be close to returning -- possibly as soon as Friday against the Lakers.Clippers coach Doc Rivers indicated before the team's game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night that Griffin is ahead of schedule in his comeback from a sprained left medial collateral ligament. The injury occurred Nov. 27."Will he play tonight? No," Rivers said. "Will he play the next game? He actually could. So he's that close."The Clippers' next game is Friday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

F Blake Griffin went through workouts and took shots on the Staples Center court before the Monday game. Griffin will miss at least another month due to a sprained left knee.