John Kim 
How does one bounce back from a season-ending injury? One can either return as a shell of his former self, approaching the game with apprehension, or explode onto the scene and dominate the above-the-rim game like Blake Griffin did. After sitting out the entire 09-10 campaign, Blake Griffin became somewhat of an afterthought due to the big free-agency movement (and the fact that the Clippers rarely get any attention). Well, Blake definitely grabbed our attention with his insane dunks, veteran-like production on the stat-sheet, and unprecedented poise and maturity, and after running the table of Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards, he officially became the league’s best rookie last night. Nike Basketball took notice during the course of the season as he was outfitted with some sweet PEs during the 2011 NBA All Star Dunk Contest, and served as a debut exhibit for the Nike Hyperdunk 2011. Blake has the Clippers back on the NBA radar, but he’s not finished there, because he’ll certainly be a force to be reckoned with for the next decade. Congratulations to Blake Griffin and a successful first season of ‘The Blake Show’!
