LA Clippers: A potential Chris Paul reboot is a bad idea

Running it back with Chris Paul is a bad idea for the LA Clippers.

With all due respect to the LA Clippers social media rumor mill, which seems to be salivating at the concept of the rumored potential return of Chris Paul to the LA Clippers, a trade for the former Clippers point guard is not the right move. Anyone who has ever talked basketball with me knows that I come to this conversation with a truckload of anti-CP3 bias, so I’ll just admit that up front and we can move on from there.

Setting aside the complicated trade logistics that would be required to acquire CP3, the real issue is that the former Clipper is not a good fit for the culture that the Clippers are building, and importantly, need to build in the future to grab that elusive championship. CP3 was reportedly difficult in the locker room on his last run in Los Angeles; there is no reason to suspect that he would not bring that same negative energy back with him.

On his way out the door to the Houston Rockets in 2017, CP3 talked trash about the Clippers culture and continued to do so long after his ill-fated tenure with the Rockets began. It’s hard to imagine his reasons for doing so, given that he got the trade to Houston that he wanted. As former Clippers coach Doc Rivers commented at the time, “Listen, when you leave, you should just leave. I don’t think you have to burn the house down to justify why you left.”

The song apparently remained the same in Houston, as CP3 and James Harden reportedly were completely unable to coalesce as teammates. Reporting was that their relationship was unsalvageable and that Houston star Harden went so far as to issue a “him or me” edict with regard to CP3’s future with the Rockets. We saw how that played out, as CP3 was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2019.

In this expedited off-season, in which the players may have only a matter of days to integrate new teammates into training camp, chemistry is everything. The Clippers were hampered by the limited time they had as a complete team going into the Orlando bubble, and even more so in the actual bubble games. The last thing they need is to take on the gargantuan task of incorporating a player who is reportedly difficult to integrate. It’s hard to imagine how CP3’s evidently domineering style would mesh with Kawhi Leonard’s chill, despite reports that Kawhi reached out to CP3.

As a Clippers fan, since they arrived in Los Angeles in 1984, I want an LA Clippers championship at least as much as the next guy. And if CP3 can move us substantially toward that goal, I will swallow my opinions about him and hope for the best.

I trust Jerry West, Lawrence Frank, and the front office to make solid decisions for the future of my favorite team. Just hoping that we all are taking a realistic look at the potential complications that might come with a Chris Paul reboot.