At media day, Paul was put forth as a credible voice as the franchise dealt with the fallout from a salary cap-circumvention investigation. It was precisely the type of role it seemed he'd been brought back to play.
But once Paul began playing it, the Clippers seemed to recoil. When he offered suggestions to a player about training methods, he was warned not to undermine the staff, sources said. When he'd challenge players on or off the court, or tell them how to run a play, there were complaints from both players and coaches that he was abrasive.
"That's how Chris is," one executive with another team said. "He wears you out. He's convinced he's right -- and he often is right, which kind of pisses you off -- and he'll go around to everyone until you agree with him."
All this became even more pronounced in training camp, as Paul quickly became a standout as the leader of the second unit, which was routinely beating the starters.
"We were kicking their ass," forward John Collins recently told ESPN. "Everyday we were kicking [the starters'] ass."
Paul played 19 minutes a game during the preseason, averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 assists. It was a much heartier role than had been discussed in the summer.
"I think that's where Ty went wrong," said one source close to the situation, "because that really empowered Chris and changed the expectations."
Lue liked Paul's competitive spirit, and he played well in the time he was given. And the team needed him with Leonard, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Bradley Beal nursing injuries coming into the season.
It was then, multiple sources said, that the schism began to develop.
"If all they wanted was a cheerleader," the executive said, "why did they sign Chris Paul? I mean, they had him before. They knew what he was like."
AFTER THE TEAM was blown out in its season opener against the Utah Jazz, sources said Paul attempted to get players to talk about the loss as they came into the locker room.
It was the kind of thing Paul would routinely do on other teams. But the Clippers' locker room, full of veteran players and coaches, is not particularly active, even after wins, sources said. So Paul's attempt to encourage dialogue fell flat.
A few nights later, after a win over New Orleans, Paul and his wife hosted a Halloween party for players and staffers in a club at the Intuit Dome. It was meant as a culture-building exercise, and afterward Frank and others commended Paul for doing it, despite only a handful of players attending, sources said.
Then the Clippers didn't win a game for almost two weeks.
Three of those losses (two against the Phoenix Suns, one against the Oklahoma City Thunder) came against teams Paul had recently played for, and at one point, sources said, he asked a member of the coaching staff why he hadn't been consulted on how those teams, and particularly their star players, Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, operate.
The question, or perhaps its delivery, was not thought to be constructive, sources said.
Paul was benched for the second half of a game in Phoenix on Nov. 6, despite both Harden and Leonard being out of the lineup that night.
The next morning, Paul went to the facility early to get in a workout.
The first person he encountered was Frank, and the two agreed to talk. During the meeting, sources said Paul raised concerns about the team's culture -- noting the lack of conversation in the group text chat and the lack of time the players spent together off the court.
Frank, for his part, stressed that Paul's style wasn't in line with what they needed it to be -- that his leadership was being perceived as subversive rather than helpful.
Later that day, Paul and Lue talked on the phone for 40 minutes. It was their final substantive conversation before Paul was sent home nearly a month later, on Dec. 2. (Every other interaction was short or via text, sources said).
The call began with Paul asking Lue why he'd been benched for the second half of the Clippers' game the night before, a game in which the Clippers led by three points at the half only to lose by 13.
Paul suggested having a meeting among team leaders and holding more practices on off days.
Lue told Paul he was coming across as too critical of players and coaches and needed to understand -- and own up to that.
A call that was meant to resolve festering issues and clarify roles ultimately did neither. Later that day, Lue informed Paul he would not be in the rotation for the next game.
He did not elaborate but with the team struggling defensively -- LA's top-five defense from a season ago had struggled against younger, faster offenses -- and something had to be done to change the dynamic.
The next day, Nov. 8, during the game against the Suns, tensions spread to the bench. Paul and Van Gundy somehow found themselves shoulder to shoulder on the bench. It was the first game of what would be five consecutive DNP-CDs. For a long time, neither man said a word.
Eventually Paul broke the awkward silence, snarkily asking Van Gundy if he wasn't talking to him.
Van Gundy scoffed in response, multiple sources who witnessed the exchange said, and questioned Paul's earnestness.
The next day at the facility, Paul had another long meeting with Frank, sources said. In it, he gave Paul a "final warning" about being divisive. Paul also had another tense meeting with Van Gundy that day too, trying to resolve the previous night's exchange and other issues that had caused friction between them.
Both meetings ended well enough that Paul asked and was granted permission to talk to the team. Frank also said he'd try to facilitate a meeting with Lue.
On Nov. 11, an off day after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Paul stood in front of the team and apologized if he'd come off as too negative or divisive.
WHATEVER DETENTE WAS achieved through Paul's mea culpa didn't last long.
The Clippers went just 2-13 in November, continuing to lose even after Paul returned to the rotation and Leonard returned from a foot injury.
During that stretch, on Nov. 22 Paul announced this would be his final year -- officially turning the rest of this season into a retirement tour. He had tried to inform team owner Steve Ballmer of his impending decision, before he announced anything, but sources said they didn't connect until afterward and that conversation ended up being their final one.
The Clippers wanted to honor him with a tribute video, but Paul told them it was the wrong message to highlight in the middle of a losing streak. So on Nov. 28, before what would prove to be the third to last game of his time with the Clippers, the team released a video.
The caption said Paul would "end his Hall of Fame career at home."
It took less than four days for that to prove false.
On Nov. 30, tensions between Paul and Van Gundy came to a head on the team's flight to Miami.
Van Gundy had been upset the night before that Paul had openly questioned how the coaching staff had used Leonard's limited minutes toward the end of the team's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, their seventh in eight games. Leonard was coming off a minutes restriction and was defending a red-hot Klay Thompson, known for his movement without the ball. That took a lot of energy, Paul had argued.
Van Gundy accused Paul of changing the coverage without approval.
Paul responded that he had only "suggested" switching Leonard's defensive assignment because he had bumped up against his minutes restriction.
To prove his point, Paul stood up and walked down the aisle of the plane to Leonard and Kris Dunn and asked them if he'd suggested a change or actually changed the coverage, multiple sources who witnessed the interaction said.
Both players affirmed that he'd suggested it, sources said. The interaction was brought up again to other players on the team during the flight, and sources said that subsequently got back to the coaching staff and front office.
That night, the team decided they'd finally had enough.
"He was a pain in the ass when he was a great player," another executive with a different team said. "And now he's not a great player."
Frank wanted to deliver the news to Paul in person, which meant he had to either tell him Monday before the team's game against the Heat or Tuesday in Atlanta.
Frank chose Atlanta, but the meeting got pushed back because the team's flight was delayed out of Miami by six hours, after another loss. Around 11 p.m., inside Frank's hotel room at the Four Seasons, he told Paul of the team's plans to send Paul home, adding that he hoped to work with Paul on how the statement would be announced and that he hoped the team could still retire Paul's jersey one day, sources said.
Paul was stunned, sources said, and tried to plead his case. At one point, he brought teammate Brook Lopez into the room as something of a character witness.
Lopez and Leonard were Paul's most ardent supporters on the team, sources said. Paul reminded Frank that he'd asked him to facilitate another meeting with Lue and that hadn't happened. Frank acknowledged that, but held firm. The decision had been made.
With that, it was over.
“"He wears you out. He's convinced he's right -- and he often is right, which kind of pisses you off”
Pretty funny stuff
I want to see Paul hired as the Clippers head coach next year to prove he was right
They wouldn't dare lol. He seems like he was born to coach though.
no joke i would be super fucking hyped if he came home to coach this undisciplined shithole of a team
CP3 is gonna have those Skiles/Doug Collins timelines as a coach where it works for 2-3 years...and then the team just gets tired and tunes him out and/or he fights with the FO (Doug Collins classic move) until he gets himself fired.
you mention those two while completely negating the GOAT of this...Thibs
Pretty sure the GOAT is Larry Brown. Wins everywhere he goes, can't keep a job more then 3 or 4 seasons, because he manages to piss everyone off.
Chris “the special one” Paul
This is some Corporate America shit. Middle management getting scared and pissed that their veteran IC is right. Better get rid of that IC 🤦🏻♂️
Pretty much.
Whole story reminded me just how many meetings and water-cooler talks are integral to a pro player’s job. These guys don’t just hoop around.
KD must be in hell at times.
You can be correct about things and antagonistic in a way that’s unhelpful. In fact if you’re usually correct but an asshole about it every time then you’re actively discouraging people from pushing back on you when you are wrong.
Some of the dumbest decisions are made by people who are usually correct.
[deleted]
I imagine they have to convince the person to work there instead of other places, including relocating, whereas in-house people already have their life set-up to work at the company.
What does "IC" refer to by the way when the previous poster said "veteran IC?"
Individual Contributor, aka not management
Ah, wasn't familiar with that term. Thanks.
People HATE being told what to do by someone who objectively knows better.
It's not just that. He's right AND obnoxious. It's even harder to swallow.
I find that when I'm correct and you can't see or understand what I'm saying I tend to become more obnoxious myself.
We’ve all known some people like this.
I'm people like this and it wears me out too lol
The entire piece is a great observation about American culture. You cannot stand out here too much, especially when you don’t have the numbers that back it up. Winners can be abrasive, even dickish in our culture. But otherwise you’re expected to fall in line even if what you see isn’t right or leading to results. This happens in corporate America all the time. Even had a manager get laid off over it. She called out unrealistic deadlines and ideas but management didn’t want to hear the truth. They wanted her to blindly follow no matter how terrible and full of holes the plan was.
We pride ourselves on individualism and to an extent we support that. But we definitely outcast people for the same thing. People hate hearing the truth in the US, especially if it’s around failing. They rather eliminate those folks than look in the mirror. And that big change finally only happens when they run out of people to blame.
Imagine this but like twice as worse and present in every single workplace and that’s the work culture in Asia. And we certainly wouldn’t be getting a press release about how it went down.
What you're describing is actually much worse in other cultures, compared to America. It's actually one of the top reasons cited as to why there are so many plane crashes in South Asia-- copilots deferring to the main pilot even when they know they're wrong. America is pretty middle of the road, if not leaning towards "everyone has a voice". Having a voice doesn't mean you have to be a dick, though, and CP3 is often just a dick about things. Tact matters.
It took a Miracle Over The Mojave to teach me about this
If it wasn’t for Nathan Fielder we would be starting at this problem from zero
Yea I live in South Korea and it’s way worse here.
That's why we need more Captain Allears and First Officer Blunt roleplay
Yea I think you've got it backwards. One of the only places this is acceptable is in America.
It's actually much worse in other countries, America is famous for valuing individuals who stand out. There's a whole social concept called Tall Poppy Syndrome where people in European/Asian countries are afraid to stand out from the crowd
Bench beating the starters with CP3 as the leader?
Jimmy would be proud.
CP3 does this with all the teams he’s been on in the last few years. Hes a true floor general and raises the play of anyone who’s on the floor with him. He did it when he was in OKC and SA. Yea he’s old, but he still has the basketball IQ and ability to facilitate
Chris Paul had to be watching that game between them courtside happy as fuck he played a part in raising some absolute dogs
I’m rocking my OKC Paul gear to the stadium when we play the Clippers this week.
He made a HUGE difference on a very young team.
Yeah I really don’t think it’s hyperbole to say he played a giant part in getting yall where you are today.
SGA and Dort basically got 3 years of XP from his mentorship, and I'm firmly of the opinion that their expectations, habits, and character are the foundation of the entire team.
I didn't expect us to be a playoff team when we traded russ for cp3, but that MAN came to prove he still had it and showed the young guys on okc what playoff experience was and what it needed. I was anticipating OKC to trade him before the deadline for more picks at the time but was pleasantly surprised we kept him for the remainder of the year.
Oh he is for sure like a proud dad watching his 2 former teams go at it. Immediately after that game, Wemby went over to CP3 and gave him a big hug.
CP3 should absolutely get into coaching.
There's a picture of him in Castle's ear from the sidelines. He can't help it lol
I like the idea that CP3, with every team he's been on, has brought in Brook Lopez to tell management how cool he is.
That is the hilarious part to me. Because they signed him hoping he would have this sort of effect and bring some fire as well as development. Except they didn’t want this and it looks terrible for their organization when they wanted yes men over accountability. Everyone looks bad in this though cause Kawhi and Harden easily could have thrown in their defense as the stars of the team and obviously didn’t.
Kawhi and Harden seem to hate being held accountable, so this should not be a surprise.
The article says that Kawhi was one of CP3's supporters but yeah he's never been vocal at all.
That feels like PR speak to me honestly, it's kinda just thrown in at the very end, and it goes against the events of several of the anecdotes earlier in the article, where Leonard seems either indifferent or seems to be one of the people annoyed with Chris.
Kawhi trained like a maniac. Everybody in the league knew that. Of all people, he would mostly understand the compulsive competitiveness of Paul.
They couldn’t be bothered to get back for a crucial inbounds pass. Par for the course.
I don't think cp3 and harden were on good terms at the end of their stint in houston
Chris Paul to GSW when?
they need CP
You gotta include the 3, man
Inviting a bunch of people to a party and having few show up would makes me irrationally sad lol
Not to mention the most relatable part for others in their 30s:
Always comes down to the vibes of the group chat yo
I’m sure the side chat they made without him was bumping lol
and then immediately going on a massive losing streak.
Immaculate culture
That part made me feel bad for CP3, especially as a certified hater for years. You know you’ve fucked up when even the people who don’t really like him are on his side. Clippers are a bad joke and I feel sorry for anyone who is a fan of that team
Same. I read this and I'm someone who doesn't like CP, but he is what he is and he comes off much better after reading this whole thing. What did the Clippers expect from him? It's like they're content to lose. Lue comes off awful during this.
Is it possible CP signs elsewhere this season? Hate that it ends this way, but is somewhat fitting.
Lue having this long a career is a testament to Lebrons greatness.
Similarly Doc Rivers career is a testament to how great the Boston big 3 was
Paul Pierce just told KG a similar thing happened when CP3 had hosted a charity event in LA several years ago. No teammates showed up. Pierce and KG both agreed that was a terrible sign.
It’s a good sign of the culture on that team. There is no way they turn it around this year. No one on that team, top to bottom, gives a fuck
The Bo Callahan piece
That's not irrational at all, nobody wants to put in a lot of work for a party and then have all of their "friends" ghost them, of course that would be sad
I don't think that's irrational at all.
I feel like crying and I’m not even involved, it’s like my biggest fear
this reads like a case study in leadership vs. hierarchy. CP3 wanted accountability and communication. Clippers wanted compliance. Doesn’t matter how good you are if the culture doesn’t shift, friction is inevitable.
I don’t really care what anyone says about CP3 as a leader. The Suns, Thunder and Spurs all saw their young cores achieve a lot of success partly (or completely) because of his guidance as a leader.
This is obviously a piece written with a lot of CP3s perspective, but I really struggle to see how they could rationalize the decision to get rid of him based on all the info we have.
SGA still talks about CP3 being a mentor for him, showing him how to lead, how to work, etc.
Shit, Devin Booker hasn’t won a single playoff GAME (not series, game) without Chris Paul. With Chris Paul, he went to the Finals. Without? He’s missed the playoffs entirely, or gotten swept.
The value that CP3 provides, even though I’m critical of his controlling nature and so often being injured, you can’t undervalue what he provides in leadership to these young guys.
In fairness we're also only this season starting to see if he rubbed off on Book the same way he did Shai. There's no KD to insist on deferral by existing, and I think there's something there.
This man still got CP3 coming to the crib eating dinner that’s a real relationship
If you have an old team and want to suck don't sign Chris Paul.
Why would they want to suck? They don’t own their pick.
They just want to coast. It’s a lot of old guys who have been on championship level teams, they know putting effort 120% is still a play in exit. Them boys are paid and content with their resumes.
I feel bad for Zubac though.
He’s in his prime and seemingly wants to compete.
Hopefully he gets traded to a contender. The floated Pacees trade would be excellent for him.
He’s not an ideal fit with Hali, but still a fantastic fit.
He can be an excellent pick and roll partner. He would also thrive off the easy looks around the rim that are generated by Hali, particularly in the half court setting.
No, we need Zubac on the Clippers to reduce any chances of OKC getting the #1 pick. Clippers need to do something, anything, to start winning games cause the future's bleak if their pick ends up high.
I think Kawhi wants to coast, but I think Harden does actually want to win. But from everything we've heard so far I still think this was more just CP3 vs the coaches.
I don't pretend to understand Clipper logic.
As an OKC fan you are 100% I think the bigger part was his influence on SGA’s game and development even Shai points this out
I think the quote about him being a pain in the ass even when he was a great player and now he's not is doing a lot of work right now
I mean the team is constantly losing. Expect him to be on y'all ass.
Watched this happen to my coworker in corporate. Everybody knew culture was shit and we were failing, but nobody but her wanted to call it out and do something about it. People don’t wanna hear their failings if they don’t feel like they can change it or have no intention to change it.
The problem is companies and teams hire people for the exact purpose of being cultural leaders without understanding what that really means and how to manage them.
You are exactly right. This bullshit about he’s often right and they pisses people off an he’s a pain in the ass, these anonymous sources are losers. If someone’s right and that pisses you off, then you are the one that has problems. In a healthy organization, you would be viewed as the pain in the ass
Literally as soon as I read that I was like „that‘s a YOU problem, not CP3“ lol
LOL nah clippers just doesn't want to win. You can't expect compliance after going 2-13 esp in a competitive league and championship expectations. This organization is just dumb. The argument can be had that Chris comes off as abrasive which j can see he's like Kobe/MJ.
Feels like the Clippers just underestimated CP’s competitive spirit and was really only expecting him to throw the towel in his retirement year
I mean, Paul was right. He was invested and doing his best to create a winning culture. The Clippers organization are a bunch of losers.
Yeah, can’t believe I’m siding with Chris Paul here, but what I see was one player giving a damn in the face of a truly toxic and poisoned franchise.
Clippers deserve every bad thing coming their way.
Just from this article alone. To me CP3 is doing the right thing time and time again. He even apologized to the team if it came off as negative which is something I didn’t know CP had the capacity of doing apologizing. To add CP has a massive track record of raising a teams ceiling so the Clippers are a bunch of losers and will continue to suck ass to my delight. Fuck OKC but if CP3 is on that team at least the silver lining is he gets to raise the biggest middle finger to his beloved franchise.
Yea actually reading all this makes me want to sign chris paul
He'll probably cost nothing and give us decent minutes and he'll fit right in with our culture
We got as good a chance as anyone not named OKC this year... come on down Chris
i lost a lot of respect for jvg here too. I had previously thought he was at least a half decent coach. But this whole organization is toxic from top to bottom.
Treated 2 of the best clippers in history like shit otw out
So basically Paul was trying to establish a good culture, but the Clippers were like "No, we don't want that." and booted him
"Out with your rationality!"
“Never mention winning ever again or else”
That’s the title of the Clippers team history
Lmao holding the team accountable and questioning the Culture gets you the axe
I’d understand if it was like, Jountay Porter Jr coming in hot and questioning things… but it’s fucking Chris Paul. You know who you’re getting when you sign him. Gross mismanagement.
Sub any name in for CP in this article and I take their side.
Terry Rozier? "Cmon guys, I wanna bet some overs this year!"
I’m on team accountability. The Clips are a dumpster fire. They should have met Chris halfway since they all know he was right.
They couldn‘t because that would‘ve given him too much power and they just felt threatened by him because they knew he was right. Bunch of pussies
I think you can even be on team "What did you expect from Chris Paul?"
Like, he would probably annoy me if I had to deal with him every day, but like he's been in the league for two decades and his personality and approach is very well known. There's even people in the front office who were there his first go around with the team.
Everything that comes out just reads like "Clippers are mad they signed Chris Paul and the player that showed up was in fact Chris Paul"
“Chris Paul playing better than expected is where things went wrong for the Clippers” is an incredibly messed up thing for a sports franchise to think and it tells you a lot about why the Clippers are in the state they’re in.
Almost makes you wonder if they forgot they don't control their own pick.
Like, what did they want? Why would you sign him in the first place if you didn’t want him to play or talk?
They wanted good PR in the face of all those trees they never planted.
After all this since he was sent home, I'm still on Paul's side. This is just a terrible look for the Clippers
Right like their defense is “well Chris Paul wanted us to try harder, be better teammates, and practice more”. Like yall were 5-15 lol I bet he did
Yeah he definitely could have went about it in a better way and been less obnoxious, but it sounds like he was just trying to win and was one of the few people there actually pushing the team to get better
And it brings it back to this... Why did they sign CP3 in the first place? They knew who he was, and how his personality came off. If they couldn't handle his leadership, they should've never brought him back.
Clips just come off as either idiots or villains no matter what.
My guess is they just wanted him for the publicity and feel good story of what would likely be his last season.
They didn’t realise that they’d be complete shit and that he’d be trying to stop that.
funny. once the coaches realized he was really just a coach, they got intimidated and kicked him out while their current coaching was losing every game
Monty Williams with Chris Paul (Goes to Finals).
Monty Williams without Chris Paul (Longest losing streak in NBA history).
Jeff Van Gundy being such a fucking dork is so infuriating.
Not surprising, I suppose. But infuriating.
I think they were drinking the media kool-aid and thought it wouldn’t be an issue cause they’d be good this year.
For all his faults, he knows how to win and help development. Sure, he hasn’t won a championship but he’s won a lot of games. SGA, Wemby, Dort, Booker all credit him and seem to revere him. I think the Clippers have a culture problem from the top down to Lue, Harden, and Leonard.
I mean article doesn’t even make him sound very obnoxious. Team just didn’t wanna hear what he had to say and complained to the coach. Which is crazy as a grown man.
Yeah I’m sorry if they were like 15-8 and playing really well and he was pulling this shit then I’d kinda get it a little more maybe but they’re 6-20 and have gone 3-18 in their last 21 games. Maybe it’s time to let other voices have a say
yeah after reading this post i’m on CP3’s side even more, and i don’t think that was even the intention of the report lol
Yeah, if he’s right and that’s pissing people off, if he can beat the starters with the bench, and he’s the one always apologizing or breaking the awkwardness with Jeff Van Gundy then maybe it’s the staff and leadership that’s the problem. Clippers leadership is in their 50-60s, charged with leadership and they can’t be right or be the bigger people—what’s the point of paying them?
I dunno how else they can spin it. Clippers look like trash in this situation.
Can’t help but notice that it says that “players” didn’t like Paul but also mentions that John Collins, Brook Lopez, and Kawhi Leonard were supporters of him being on the team.
If any players actually had a problem with him, than that is not being accurately portrayed in any of the stories that have come out about this situation. As of now it just seems like fluff the organization is putting out there to make CP3 look more toxic than he really was.
Yeah, sounds like Gundy, Lue, and Frank made the decision and are looking for cover. Legit seems like none of the players know
Ty Lue always has and always will be a fraud of a head coach. That man does nothing but ride coattails for a living
The player who doesn’t like cp3 is James Harden
James Harden famously never has his perspective written about in media pieces so I doubt this
Daryl Morey is a liar
When CP3 first signed with the Clippers my initial thought was “I thought CP and Harden hate each other” i remember in an interview way back after CP left the Rockets he said he doesn’t have much of a relationship with Harden.
Cp has high standards. He’s an asshole but not for no reason… if cp is getting at you he’s probably right
Makes total sense to me that Collins would like him-- he's a military raised guy and was always big on accountability when he was with the Hawks
He also probably enjoyed beating starters with CP3
I cant figure out who looks worse after this piece, Frank or Van Gundy. I think it's JVG, as a lot of the friction came from him it seems
It's definitely Van Gundy. This all stemmed from his ego being hurt and probably his voice being "diminished" by CP3's presence.
Frank is clueless though. He had no idea how to handle the matter.
Funnily enough, the only coaches' voices that CP3 wouldn't "diminish" are like Kerr and Spo level coaches. What's also funny is that those coaches would 100% be fine with CP3's input and would be more than happy to get another perspective. Maybe JVG should learn something from that.
Definitely JVG. Told his boss that his subordinate was undermining him and had his boss fire him.
After benching him despite his +/- contributions.
Not sure how accurate this report is, but if even half of this is true, then....the Clippers look and sound like a truly incompetent franchise.
I am sure that CP3 is annoying, arrogant and sometimes a real dick (just the way he is on the court), but highlighting how dead the teamchat or locker room is, how adjustments of defensive schemes to fit a player's situation might help, wanting more bonding events and such... makes complete sense and seems like a necessity. Clippers have been on a downward spiral all season and they all look like strangers to each other.
And Frank comes off as incredibly insecure and someone who wants it his way or not at all.
The only questionable suggestion is practicing on off-days. Not sure if that makes sense with such an old and injury-prone roster, but even that is coming from a place of wanting to improve.
Exactly my sentiments as well. Anyone who has had to lead a team during rough times recognizes when you need to go that extra mile to get the best out of people.
wow. Bruh CP3 really needs to be a coach after his playing career.
the entire time he was with the Spurs i was hoping he’d end up on our coaching staff eventually
He should honestly just go back to San Antonio and finish his year there. Yall treated him w so much grace and respect.
Sign with OKC, get a ring, retire, and Oklahoma should raise his jersey. The dude deserves it.
As much as I like this idea I wouldn't break up any parts of the current OKC. The way they look now they are going to the Championship again.
If they take a disabled player exception out on Topic they can sign him. OKC has so many blowouts anyway that he’ll get decent time just being a 3rd stringer.
https://i.imgur.com/IauEbsf.png
Courtside during the NBA Cup game haha
CP3 had a strong personality, but let’s be real about his outcomes. He had been a great role model and leader in San Antonio and OKC, two model franchises.
From all reports, he was a strong mentor to Shai, Wemby and Castle. Standings don’t lie, these are well run franchises with bright futures while the Clippers are drowning in their own vanity.
None of us know the backstory here, nor do we know CP3 personally. As a Spurs fan, I’m glad our young guys got a season with him to learn from a true professional.
CP3 has that same kind of “win at all costs” mentality that MJ and Kobe had. I think it resonates more with young guys who see first hand the dedication needed to succeed in the NBA.
The vets probably don’t take it as well because for all his intensity and attention to detail he never got a ring.
Vets already have $100M in the bank. Rich guys don't like being told what to do. Rich guys hate being told their wrong.
Yeah, missed opportunity by the writer (and editor) to not mention how the Thunder players have praised CP3's mentorship. The exact same thing that got him booted from the Clippers helped propel the Thunder to one championship and counting.
The post-bubble Suns team completely bought in to his leadership. He was the leader our young core needed - especially Booker and Ayton.
This is some 90210 type shit
Flashlights over spotlights
Balmer gonna sign DeAndre and shoot him in broad daylight next.
I bet he sent Pat Bev to Israel to repent too.
Balmer beside himself. Driving around downtown LOS ANGELES begging (thru texts) Jordan’s family 4 address to DeAndre’s home”
What this article highlights more than anything is the total leadership vacuum you have when your best players are Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Chris Paul immediately sensed this and the coaching staff resented him for refusing to let it go.
The end. Poverty franchise.
Coaching staff is threatened about their job security. Either they get exposed or they have to get rid of the heat. It’s a case of “don’t rock the boat” for them.
Sucks to be Paul, you want to win and make every opportunity count but the team just want to coast and just collect those salaries before the inevitable downfall
Yeah, fuck Ty Lue and Van Gundy. They should be ashamed.
Why the fuck did they pick him up then? None of this was unknown information about CP3s style and non of these issues happend last year on a losing spurs squad
Brook Lopez deserves better team vibes than he's gotten since '23
I mean he is washed tbf.
Not sure how long he has left in the league, or at least as a rotation caliber player.
he was rotation caliber last year! either giannis is a better defensive player than we thought or the clippers are just awful
Players lose steam abruptly as they get old, especially bigs. Just look at CP3. Borderline unplayable this year.
if every vet role player you sign immediately accelerates how washed they are, it's a team thing
Batums been solid at times. Don't forget they're the oldest team in the league. This isn't your average team with a couple of vet dudes in rotation. It's basically a whole team of old mfs looking for a nice spot to sail into the sunset lol
Al Horford is in pretty much the same boat with the Warriors this year. His contributions have been negligible.
Giannis made him more viable offensively, the Bucks as a whole did a lot to work the defense around him because the alternative was Bobby Portis, not Ivica Zubac
The Clippers are quietly as bad of an organization as the Kings could ever be
Quietly? I’m not sure they could be much louder about it
The Kings atleast try to do what they THINK is the right thing and just suck. The way the Clippers organization is ran is just malpractice.
I’m seething that the Clippers are taking the one thing we’re actually good at away from us
Honestly you’re still better at it than the Clips cause you’re doing it the right way. All above the board, no shenanigans like this and the Kawhi stuff
Forever grateful the Warriors got Steve Kerr instead of Jeff Van Gundy which many were pleading for at the time. That guy is locker room poison and would've continued Mark Jackson's weird instigator role.
Sources: Paul is beside himself. Walking around Four Seasons Hotel begging (thru Brook Lopez) Lawrence Frank for another chance
LAPD was called
police presence chuck??
Hello, hello police? Chris Paul try’na beat me up.
Clippers are a loser organization.
Always have been and always will be
Clippers are bombing themselves back to the Sterling Age
I wonder how Kawhi really feels about CP3 given that defensive assignment suggestion. Did he feel slighted or happy that CP3 was trying to take the responsibility off of him?
For what it’s worth, it sounds like Leonard was on Paul’s side according to the article, plus he agreed with CP3 that he only suggested switching the coverage.
As much as we mock Kawhi for his prioritization of his LA lifestyle and greed, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that (according to the article), CP’s closest supporters were him and Lopez. Both players are the only champions and winners on the team
He didn’t give a fuck I’m sure lol
As long as the check clears im sure Kawhi doesn't give af about anything else lmao. Dude is playing ball because he has to.
I just think Kawhi doesn't really feel anything. He shows up, plays basketball, and goes home. He doesn't care about the feelings or the politics. So I think he was just too neutral to do anything about this.
Im sorry, holding a supposed contender accountable is not being an asshole. Let's not act like he's somehow the only nba player that wants to win that acts like this. Literally same people talking shit about cp in this case will worship kobe as a messiah to this day Edit: of course its ramona posting this too
This is why we can't have anything nice. Because of this mentality. Why would it piss you off if he's right instead of recognizing he knows what he's talking about?
Also, hilarious to think they made a group chat or hung out without him.
The defense calls Lopez to the stand.
this changes everything, if dude is often right then you have to deal with it and listen maybe you win
The Clippers organisation sounds rightfully like a bunch of immature losers...
Yeah after this I still want him on the Cavs lol they need his attitude and to be reminded they’re supposed to be contenders
So they signed Chris Paul but didn't want him to act like Chris Paul.
Jesus what a shit show of an organisation.
Clippers did CP3 bogus
RAMONA SHELBURNE wrote this and somehow it still makes the Clippers look trashy as fuck 🤣🤣
Yikes
I'm going back to sleep......
Clippers are toxic af
Clippers are the only team in the nba that make me feel not as bad about being a bucks fan
The bucks have been awesome for the last decade, yall even won a title. What do you have to feel bad about? Greatness can’t last forever. Appreciate it while you have it.
You guys won a title and got 10+ years of elite Giannis Play. Yall had it better than 80% of the NBA in the past decade