Following the Los Angeles Clippers’ 115-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, Ty Lue weighed in on the team’s shocking decision to part ways with Chris Paul in the middle of his final season in the league.
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“I just don’t think it was a good fit for what I was looking for,” Lue said. “It is what it is. Do I want to see CP end like this? No. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a friend of mine over the years. You never want to see a big exit like this. But I’m pretty sure he’ll find something because he’s a great player… I didn’t want it to end like this.”
Lue remained diplomatic in front of members of the media, but things did not go well behind the scenes. A report from ESPN’s Shams Charania suggested that Paul and Lue did not speak for several weeks.
Another report from Chris Haynes suggested that Lue recently refused to meet with Paul over allegations that the latter had a “negative presence” in the team. So clearly the relationship between coach and player was fractured.
In addition to Lue, Clippers star guard James Harden also spoke to the media about Paul’s departure.
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“I’m just as confused and shocked as you, the world,” Harden said. “It definitely surprised me. But not just Chris, it’s a lot of things we were dealing with. But that’s out of my control. I have to focus on what I have to focus on and what I can control. I guess the management felt it was the best decision for the organization.”
Star forward Kawhi Leonard also expressed surprise. “It was shocking to me,” Leonard said. “I guess they had a conversation and management made a decision.”
Paul barely played for the Clippers, so we probably won’t miss his on-court production much. The reason this is such an important story is because it’s rare to see a future Hall of Famer in his final season quit in the middle of the night. In fact, this might be the first time it’s happened.
Eventually we will get Paul’s version of the story. In the meantime, speculation about what went wrong during what should have been a celebratory season for the veteran guard will be rampant, as will speculation about what the future holds for Paul when it comes to his NBA career.