Los Angeles Clippers have fell far short of expectations during the first quarter of the season. They are 6-18 and have the 23rd net rating in the league. They were 2-8 in their last 10 games and things came to a head last week when it was announced that the team would be parting ways with franchise legend and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.
It was a shocking move that is still difficult to comprehend, as Paul's harsh criticism of the team's poor start was the stated reason he is sent home while the Clippers were preparing for the game. That Atlanta Hawks on the road. Following Los Angeles' decision, a report emerged saying Paul and Clippers coach Ty Lue were we don't talk for weeks. However, on Tuesday Liu refuted this claim.
“That’s not true,” Liu said. “We talked. How will he play if I don't talk to him? There was a period when he was not going to play and dropped out of the rotation, it was difficult for him because he is a competitor. But after that it wasn’t that much.”
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Former Clippers star Blake Griffin said on NBA on Prime, Paul told him about Liu and team owner Steve Ballmer didn't apply him from the moment the decision is made. Liu confirmed that this was true.
“Yeah, I haven’t heard of him either,” Liu said.
The longtime Clippers coach also noted that he was not involved in the decision to part ways with Paul. When asked why now was the time to make this decision, Liu replied: “You have to ask [Clippers president] Lawrence [Frank]”
The Clippers' long-term plan is to work with Paul in hopes of getting traded to his preferred destination. by Jake Fisher. At the end of November, a 40-year-old security guard said that he plans to retire after this seasonit's fair to wonder if he'd call it just a career right now. But Fisher reports that Paul likely plans to finish the season with another team. It's a sad end to Paul's Hall of Fame career, especially since he signed with the Clippers specifically to finish his career with the team he had the most success with and led for many seasons.
However, this will not happen now. Finding a team willing to take Paul on could be challenging, and the veteran defenseman isn't just looking for a roster spot. Paul wants to find a place where he can make a meaningful contribution, something that hasn't happened with the Clippers this season. His minutes average was a career low despite playing all 82 games for the team. San Antonio Spurs a season ago.
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There is a world in which Paul could provide a young team with an experienced leader and still have a spot in the rotation, but the question is which team would be interested in bringing him in for the rest of the season. His strong leadership style didn't work on a Clippers team that had two superstars. Kawhi Leonard And James Hardenbut his words can have a positive impact on the young core that is still developing.
Over the summer, Paul attracted outside interest Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks And Phoenix Sunsaccording to Fisher. Of this group, the Mavericks seem like the logical ones. Paul may not start every game, especially when Kyrie Irving is coming back, but he could give advice to people like Cooper Flagg and young defender Brandon Williams And Ryan Nembhardthe latter of whom became a real star in Dallas.
But that's assuming the Mavericks or any of the teams above are still interested in Paul. However, the Clippers are now in a holding pattern until December 15th when Paul can be traded. But in the three games since the announcement, the Clippers have gone just 1-2. So sending home a franchise badge certainly didn't help.
