Blake “The Fake” Griffin

If the USA men’s soccer team had qualified for this summers Olympics in London, Blake Griffin would have made a great addition to the roster.

Every soccer team has a “flopper”. A flopper is someone who is overly dramatic when confronted with physical contact. They will fall to the ground as if they were just run over by a cement truck. They may even pretend to have been hit by an opposing player to get the attention of nearby referees.

Griffin would have been perfect for that role.

For someone who thinks so highly of himself after every one of his rim-rattling dunks, he sure does act like a sissy sometimes on the court.

I don’t respect athletes who flop. I’m sure Blake wouldn’t admit to being a flopper, but he certainly is one.

Want some proof?

vs Jason Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCgbek1qKFc

The hit dished out by Jason Smith was worthy of a “Monday Night Football” game. While the tackle was unwarranted, Blake sure did milk that for all it was worth. The man is 6’9 and 250 pounds but he still managed to lay on the court as if he were just thrown out of a moving car. Suck it up.

vs Eddie House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0UhJIFbNM&feature=related

Eddie House? Really? Don’t tell me it was the momentum that knocked him over so frivolously. Eddie House is half his size and even that is pushing it. Griffin sure did fly though. Unbelievable flopping.

vs Kevin Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyXeeHcaGR0

Did I miss something there? Where exactly was the push by Love? “There’s no way I did that” said Kevin. He was right. I suppose Blake just really enjoys falling to the ground.

Blake’s most recent trip into the world of sympathetic flopping came at the hands (no pun intended) of a “poke to the eye” by Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.

From the angle we saw, I would safely bet that Cousins hand did not touch Griffin at all. I also would assume that if Griffin hadn’t covered his face as he did, no foul call would have been made. The ref originally didn’t see anything wrong with that play and he had the best angle of all. I suppose it worked in the end.

“He’s babied,” Cousins told SI.com. “He’s the poster child of the league. He sells tickets, but he’s babied. Bottom line.”

Babied by whom, Cousins was asked.

“The refs, the league — period,” he continued. “He gets away with [everything]. He taunts players. Nothing is done. He’s babied.”

Thats the beautiful thing about being an all-star player in this league. No matter how big or small the contact, you will always get the call to go in your favour.

Flopping doesn’t get you respect. It may get you sympathy from the occasional fan or referee, but opposing players certainly don’t think highly of those who attempt to gain calls in that manner. It’s things like this that could certainly hurt his reputation around the league.

Blake Griffin is known around the NBA for his spectacular dunking ability and his showmanship on and off the court. That’s fine and all, but I seriously doubt he wants to add the labels of “soft” and “flopper” to that skill-set. He’s a nice guy, but for a man of his stature and athletic ability, he sure needs to step it up on the toughness scale. He’s a target.

No one wants to be the next highlight reel on ESPN courtesy of a Griffin dunk. He’s going to be pushed around night in and night out.

If he wants to continue gaining the respect of his peers rather than losing it, he needs to start acting as more of an aggressor and less of a victim.

Christopher Walder is a sports blogger and lead editor for Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter @WalderSports