Associated Press - June 29, 2009 8:05 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy says he plans to give No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin a "long leash" as he joins his new team.
Dunleavy says he's not afraid to play rookies, and that'll be no different with the 6-foot-10 Oklahoma product.
Griffin has already worked out twice with new teammates Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan and Mike Taylor and feels like he's fitting in.
He was introduced today to a crowd of several hundred at the Clippers' new workout facility.
Dunleavy says Griffin is "somewhere between Charles Barkley's explosiveness and ability to rebound" and "Tim Duncan's size and ballhandling skills out on the floor."
He was the first Sooners player ever to be taken with the first overall pick in the NBA draft.
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