LeBron: Blake Griffin is no NBA rookie

LeBron James said he is a big fan of Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin, although he hardly considers Griffin a rookie. The Miami Heat forward said he can see tangible benefit of Griffin being in the league last season, even as he sat out due to a series of knee issues. “He’s not really a rookie,” James said in advance of Wednesday’s game against the Clippers at Staples Center. “When you’re around the NBA lifestyle for a year, you’re not a rookie. It’s almost like an NFL quarterback who doesn’t play his whole first year and then plays the second year.” James, who bypassed college, said it was almost as if the college game stifled Griffin during his two seasons at Oklahoma. “I think the NBA game fits him perfectly,” James said. “In college, you can play a lot of zone, you can play a lot box and one. You can do things to kind of take away someone’s athleticism.” — South Florida Sun-Sentinel