SoonerQueen
04-06-2011, 11:28 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY -- It's possible Oklahoma basketball fans enjoyed watching Blake Griffin dunk all over the Thunder Wednesday night in OKC. It might have reminded them of how things used to be at the Lloyd Noble Center.
In terms of OU's future, however, the most encouraging thing Griffin did all night was walk over to new Sooners coach Lon Kruger in pregame, shake his hand and chat him up.
If Griffin inadvertently made some icy comments after Jeff Capel was fired March 14, he's taking steps to melt them.
"I've talked to Coach Kruger several times. He's going to be great for Oklahoma," Griffin said after the Clippers' 112-108 loss. "I'm excited about having a guy that's had as much success and as much experience he's had in his career leading the reins at Oklahoma."
Griffin said Kruger called him Tuesday, the day after he was introduced as Capel's replacement.
"He said he'd like to get a chance to talk to me, and that he was going to be at the (Thunder) game," Griffin said. "It was good to hear from him."
OU's 2009 national player of the year also keeps him touch with his former coach. The two met for lunch, in fact, Wednesday.
"I've talked to him quite a bit," Griffin said. "I wish him the best. Obviously I think highly of him. He'll be fine."
Griffin let his feelings for Capel be quite clear two weeks ago, when he reacted to his coach's firing by contacting ESPN.com the day after it happened.
"What bothers me the most is that everyone is saying he did all of this when Blake Griffin was there," he said at the time. "Well to me, you say he deserves no credit when a certain player is there and then, when things go bad, throw all the blame on him. To me, they're piling it on.
"He took over the program after Kelvin Sampson and all of those sanctions and he put his faith in everyone. This is what he gets? Within two years we're in the tournament and now two years later he's fired? It's completely unfair."
Clarifying Wednesday night in the Clippers locker room, Griffin said: "Everything that was said, to me it wasn't a shot at the university. It was for Coach Capel. I have a lot of loyalty to him…
"I'll always be a Sooner, and I'll always plan to be around the program and be around the University of Oklahoma.
"It makes me feel great that (Kruger) reached out. I'm behind him 100 percent. I have no bad feelings or anything like that toward him. He's just taking a job that a lot of people would have taken."
-- Guerin Emig
In terms of OU's future, however, the most encouraging thing Griffin did all night was walk over to new Sooners coach Lon Kruger in pregame, shake his hand and chat him up.
If Griffin inadvertently made some icy comments after Jeff Capel was fired March 14, he's taking steps to melt them.
"I've talked to Coach Kruger several times. He's going to be great for Oklahoma," Griffin said after the Clippers' 112-108 loss. "I'm excited about having a guy that's had as much success and as much experience he's had in his career leading the reins at Oklahoma."
Griffin said Kruger called him Tuesday, the day after he was introduced as Capel's replacement.
"He said he'd like to get a chance to talk to me, and that he was going to be at the (Thunder) game," Griffin said. "It was good to hear from him."
OU's 2009 national player of the year also keeps him touch with his former coach. The two met for lunch, in fact, Wednesday.
"I've talked to him quite a bit," Griffin said. "I wish him the best. Obviously I think highly of him. He'll be fine."
Griffin let his feelings for Capel be quite clear two weeks ago, when he reacted to his coach's firing by contacting ESPN.com the day after it happened.
"What bothers me the most is that everyone is saying he did all of this when Blake Griffin was there," he said at the time. "Well to me, you say he deserves no credit when a certain player is there and then, when things go bad, throw all the blame on him. To me, they're piling it on.
"He took over the program after Kelvin Sampson and all of those sanctions and he put his faith in everyone. This is what he gets? Within two years we're in the tournament and now two years later he's fired? It's completely unfair."
Clarifying Wednesday night in the Clippers locker room, Griffin said: "Everything that was said, to me it wasn't a shot at the university. It was for Coach Capel. I have a lot of loyalty to him…
"I'll always be a Sooner, and I'll always plan to be around the program and be around the University of Oklahoma.
"It makes me feel great that (Kruger) reached out. I'm behind him 100 percent. I have no bad feelings or anything like that toward him. He's just taking a job that a lot of people would have taken."
-- Guerin Emig