Blake Griffin: Back is fine

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who pulled out of Team USA practices to allow a small fracture in his back to heal, continues to work out and expects to be ready for next season.

"It's less than a hairline, and my back is not fractured. Everything is still intact," Griffin told the Los Angeles Times. "I can still come out here, and I can do my workouts, and I can do everything I used to do. I just shouldn't be playing and practicing every day this early."

Griffin left the Team USA training camp last month after doctors advised him to allow the injury to heal. He is working out in Los Angeles with teammate DeAndre Jordan and former Laker and Clipper Sasha Vujacic.

He told the Times that he opted to rest and strengthen his back over participating in the FIBA World Cup, which doesn't end until Sept. 14.

"My whole thing is that I didn't want to go into [Clippers training] camp and put myself in a worse position," Griffin said. "It's not that my back is broken and I'm walking around with a broken back, or I'm in so much pain.

"But if I start playing basically two months earlier than everybody else and then go through all of next season and the playoffs, then I'm probably going to put myself in a bad position. I couldn't do that."