Blake Griffin feeling better after surgery, no clear timetable for return

Never trust an open-ended injury timeline.

Blake Griffin was originally expected to miss at least three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a staph infection in his right elbow on Feb. 9, but even after successful surgery and all kinds of good feelings, he has no clear timetable for a return.

The Los Angeles Clippers All-Star spoke Wednesday about the procedure for the first time, which has already cost him three games, as reported by Andrew Han of ESPN.

"Feels good," Griffin said. "It feels better. I saw the doctor yesterday and got some good news. Everything's either on track or looking better than it was. Still don't really know a great timetable, but I'm happy with how it feels."

The Clippers can afford to be patient with Griffin without any legitimate risk to their standing as a playoff team, but their hopes of hosting a series get less realistic with each game Griffin misses. The original timeline - at least three weeks - was actually reported to be a three-to-six week window, which means Griffin could be on the shelf a while longer, even with the positive outlook Wednesday.

"I honestly don't know the timetable to be honest," Griffin said, admitting he hasn't been able to do anything physical because he's not allowed to sweat yet.

In 51 games, Griffin is averaging 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists while posting a robust 23.1 PER and helping lift the Clippers play by 10.8 points per-100 possessions when he's on the floor.

His complete health will be paramount to the Clippers making a deep playoff run. As much as it may cost them a spot or two in the standings now, getting Griffin's persistently troublesome elbow right is worth being patient for.