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Om Youngmisuk
Atlanta– chris paul was not on negotiating terms with LA Clippers Ty Lue coached the veteran point guard for several weeks before abruptly firing him from the team, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Wednesday that the organization’s decision to part ways with Paul did not stem from an isolated incident, and that the parties had communicated several times before Paul was informed that he would no longer be a part of the team in Wednesday night’s surprise move.
According to sources, Paul and his leadership style clashed with Lue and the Clippers, who told Charania that the 12-time All-Star was vocal in holding management, coaches and players accountable.
Sources told Charania that the Clippers felt Paul’s style had become disruptive.
“This decision has nothing to do with one incident or one meeting that did or did not happen,” Frank said. “Some of our business will have to be respectfully kept in-house, but it won’t be limited to just one event and one meeting.
“It just wasn’t right. … We had conversations with Chris before we even started — call it the onboarding process — and all the way through. So it’s not like an isolated one-conversation decision. No, these are all fluid.”
Frank said two days ago that he had scheduled a meeting with Paul to take place when the team arrived in Atlanta on Tuesday, the day before the game against the Clippers. hawks,
But mechanical problems with the plane caused the Clippers to be delayed six hours in Miami and did not arrive in Atlanta until late. Frank said he told Paul about the team’s decision during a three-hour conversation that was emotional at times.
Paul, one of the greatest players in Clippers franchise history, posted on social media around 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday that he learned he was being sent home to Los Angeles. Shortly afterward, Frank wrote a statement to ESPN confirming that Paul would no longer be with the team.
“There’s a lot of history between Chris — not only with the franchise, but with me as well,” Frank said when asked why the conversation took so long and lasted so late into the night. “I had a lot of conversations with Chris before this. I’m a very simple person and go through all the different admirable things. Chris and I had a lot of conversations.
“So someone you care about, someone who has a huge connection to the organization – it won’t be a five-minute ‘Moneyball’ meeting. There’s a lot there, a lot of things to talk about and explain and a lot of emotions. And there’s disagreement, too. Chris sees it differently than I do. And you talk through those things, you’re not going to agree on those things, but that’s your relationship.”
Clippers coach Ty Lue was asked whether Paul’s departure would help the Clippers.
“I don’t think it would have helped our team,” Lue said before Wednesday’s game. “I mean I don’t think the reason we’re 5-16 is because of CP’s play. I just think it wasn’t a good fit for what he was looking for. Do I want to see CP go out like that? No, I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a friend of mine for years and you don’t want to see great performances like that. But I’m sure he’ll find something because he’s a great player. [But] “I didn’t want to see it end like this.”
While the Clippers have had a disappointing start, Frank said Lue will be a long-term coach.
“Because of Chris’s importance to the organization, these are very, very, very difficult decisions,” Frank said. “And ultimately it’s my job to do what’s best for the organization, what’s best for the team, even if it’s not popular.
“I just want to emphasize that we’re 5-16. I completely own it. I’m not putting it on Chris Paul at all. This is not a situation where I’m scapegoating Chris for the work that I’ve done. Chris’ legacy lives on with us, this situation is just not working at this time.”
Paul, 40, re-joined the Clippers in late July on a one-year deal with the chance to return home and finish his career with the franchise he spent six seasons with from 2011 to 2017. Sources told Charania last month that Paul is retiring at the end of this season, his 21st year in the NBA.
Paul is the Clippers franchise leader in total assists and steals per game. He started 1,314 of his 1,354 career games, including all 82 games last season. San Antonio SpursPaul’s role with the Clippers was to come off the bench, understanding that he could not play every night. He played in 16 games, averaging 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes.
This is the second time that the Clippers have faced a tough and sudden end to one of their all-time star players from the Lob City era. In July 2017, Blake Griffin signed a five-year, $171 million deal with the Clippers, but he was traded. detroit pistons Later that season in January the team decided to go in a different direction.
