So much for "lifelong Clipper." Los Angeles hopped Blake Griffin would be its savior, but a rash of injuries and an arm's race in the West eventually forced them to acknowledge a harsh truth.
LOS ANGELES — The moments after a superstar defection are often filled with Comic Sans regret, and so it was that the lights dimmed at Staples Center on June 30 and the public-address announcer flashed forward in time, to Blake Griffin’s jersey retirement ceremony. “Tonight, we’re honoring a lifelong Clipper,” the P.A. announcer bellowed, as the No. 32 was lifted to the rafters. Andra Davis sang “Rise Up” with a choir that evoked the Kia Optima and the dunk contest long ago, when Griffin leapt onto the…
