The terrible season for the Los Angeles Clippers reached a new low when they sent home veteran point guard Chris Paul. Many fans believe Paul is the greatest player in franchise history for his previous stellar tenure with the franchise. Blake Griffin is another all-time great Clipper and had the chance to give his opinion on the situation via his Amazon Prime analyst role.
Griffin shared the following, via Yahoo:
“I’m just disappointed, to be honest. I can’t really think of another word. Obviously shocked at first, but disappointed. I’m disappointed for Chris Paul, but I’m disappointed in the Clippers organization. Chris Paul is a guy who came to the Clippers when DeAndre [Jordan] and I were first- and second-year guys. He brought a winning culture. He taught us how to operate in the NBA.”
Paul and Griffin are the two names most responsible for the Clippers’ run in the 2010s as a playoff threat. Even though they never made it to the NBA Finals, the duo had an otherwise irrelevant franchise contending for many seasons. Griffin opted to show respect to his teammate, but it didn’t stop there.
Blake Griffin Calls Out Ty Lue
A shocking element of the Clippers sending Paul home comes from his relationship with the coach souring. Reports indicated that Paul and head coach Ty Lue had not said any words to each other in weeks. Lue clearly felt Paul’s presence was a negative for the team to pull such a drastic move, and Griffin called out the coach.
“I think the biggest reason I’m disappointed is what Chris said,” Griffin shared on Amazon. “No communication with Ty Lue. And, even more than that, no communication — I talked to CP Wednesday, I talked to him yesterday, I talked to him today — no communication with Steve Ballmer. And that’s the disappointing thing for me.”
Clippers owner Ballmer not communicating with Paul is another bad look for the franchise already getting judged for their handling of the situation. Griffin revealed that the Clippers essentially ghosted Paul and had the General Manager Lawrence Frank inform him as the only mode of communication.
Blake Griffin Had Similar Clippers Issue
Griffin had his own falling out with the Clippers during his playing career that put them at odds for years. The Clippers promised Griffin he’d retire a franchise legend if he re-signed with them during one of his free agent stints. Ballmer even had a mock presentation of Griffin’s jersey getting retired to win him over.
The Clippers traded Griffin one season into the deal due to his injuries hurting their record. Griffin refused to shake hands with Ballmer in his return game and held a grudge for getting treated with little loyalty after he re-signed. The two sides have mended fences since then, but Griffin is siding with Paul over Ballmer for good reason.
Griffin and Paul also had their fair share of issues in the past that caused some friction. The two have become friends again, with Griffin sharing that Paul reached out to him and DeAndre Jordan after the news. Every side of the story ends with the Clippers’ organization looking terrible for such a controversial move.
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