Chris Paul dismissal just the latest in a long line of blunders by the Clippers
By Gary Washburn Globe Staff,Updated December 6, 2025, 10:48 a.m.
Chris Paul never got into a groove in his second stint with the Clippers.Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
First it was the potential salary cap circumvention with the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard and some bogus business called Aspiration that paid Leonard for marketing, a speculated side deal that funneled millions to the two-time NBA Finals MVP. And there were the myriad injuries that led to a 5-16 start and a terrible on-court product this season. And now the Clippers are making headlines for their dismissal of all-time great point guard Chris Paul, who was banished during a trip to Atlanta for apparently having too many opinions and holding the organization accountable for their poor play.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, a former Celtics assistant who led Cleveland to its only championship in 2016, has been unable to catapult the team to title contention mostly because of injuries, but the dysfunction has become even more of an issue, especially considering the Clippers are still feeling the sting of the 2019 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade, the worst NBA deal since Red Auerbach swindled the Warriors into Robert Parish and the No. 3 pick (Kevin McHale) for the rights to Joe Barry Carroll45 years ago.
Lue was left to explain why the downtrodden Clippers dumped a future Hall of Famer in his farewell season.
“I don’t like it,” he said. “It just didn’t work out like we thought it would. And I don’t like it for CP, you know. But it just wasn’t a good fit. And we understood that. And so, it was an organization. They made the choice. And so moving forward we got to see what we do, so we’ll see.”
There have been reports that Lue didn’t speak with Paul in his final weeks with the team, and there are former players such as Lou Williams and DeMarcus Cousins who stated that Lue also blew off the likes of Rajon Rondo during his tenure in Los Angeles. Club officials would offer no specifics but Paul played in 16 games and turned in career lows as a little-used role player. Paul played in all 82 games last season with the Spurs.
“I don’t think it necessarily helps our team,” Lue said. “I don’t think the reason why we’re 5-16 because of CP’s play. I just think that it wasn’t a good fit for what he was looking for. And, you know, it is what it is. And so do I want to see CP go out like this? No, I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a friend of mine over the years, and he doesn’t want to see a great go out like this, but I’m pretty sure he will find something, because he’s a great player, and so I didn’t want to see it like this.”
Communication issues were reportedly in play between Rajon Rondo and coach Tyronn Lue when the guard spent a portion of the 2020-21 season with the Clippers.Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
The Clippers romped the Hawks on Wednesday to snap a five-game losing streak and perhaps take a little focus off the Paul situation. But they are still 10 games below .500 and tanking isn’t a consideration since they owe their first-round pick to the Thunder thanks to the Gilgeous-Alexander trade.
So yes, the 21-1 defending champion Thunder could have a top-five pick in next year’s draft, considered the best in decades. It could be similar to the Lakers having the No. 1 pick in 1982 after winning the championship. They chose James Worthy.
Lue is left to deal with the rubble of a franchise whose quest for championships has failed miserably. There’s no option besides moving forward and Lue emphasized the Clippers just don’t always play with fortitude or motivation.
“The best way is playing hard for 48 minutes,” Lue said. “You got to make some mistakes, and it’s a game of mistakes. We understand that, but you got to play hard for 48 minutes, and everything else will take care of itself. And so when you’re not playing well, when you’re not winning games, the number one thing you got to do is you got to play hard. And so we got to compete for 48 minutes at all five positions, a healthy Kawhi. More minutes. It’s great for us. We see when he’s on the floor, with his productivity, where we are offensively, defensively, we’re a lot better. And so just have him be able to play real minutes, consistent minutes, it’s better for us. And so we just got to continue to grow, continue to keep getting better. But with his minutes starting to go up, trend up. We are a much better team.”
The losing has taken a major toll on the players but Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has to take blame for some of his baffling roster decisions. He traded Norman Powell to the Heat for the rights to John Collins and then signed Bradley Beal to replace Powell. Collins has been a poor fit, an athletic forward who doesn’t do anything particularly well, and Beal, whose durability has been a major problem in recent years, is out for the season with a hip fracture.
“What went wrong when Kawhi got hurt and Bradley Beal got hurt the same night, and they miss 11 straight games,” Lue said. “And so that was a tough blow for us. And I know the Clipper fans, which we love, and they expect turnaround, because we’ve done it so much and so long here at the Clippers, we’ve experienced a lot of injuries, and they expect, every year for you to be able to turn around right away. And it just doesn’t happen like that all the time. And so we got young guys playing now, we’re searching for different rotations. But the hardest part I’ll say, when Bradley Beal and Kawhi got hurt, and then you have Derrick Jones to that, was tough for us. It’s been tough and been hard for us. But I give James [Harden] and [Ivica] Zubac and our veteran guys a lot of a lot of respect, not making excuses, not pointing the finger, and that’s how you get past these bad days.”
Perhaps the biggest indictment Lue had for his team is not consistently playing with fortitude and passion. Paul has nothing to do with this team underachieving.
“It’s been hard. We talked about never had a losing season, and a few guys in the locker room never had losing seasons,” Lue said. “And so it’s been tough to try to figure it out. But I still got confidence in this team. It’s frustrating at times, because you want to win. That’s the main goal, is to win. And so whether you play good or play better, and you don’t win, you don’t get the end result that you want. And so for our guys in the locker room, just tell them we just start doing things the right way for 48 minutes, and everything else will take care of itself.”
Ron Harper Jr. earned the Celtics' final two-way contract.Brandon Dill/Associated Press
LIFE IN THE G LEAGUE
It’s time well spent for Celtics’ Harper
Ron Harper Jr. is trying to stick in the NBA and he took a major step in training camp when he beat out R.J. Luis for the Celtics’ final two-way spot. He then validated that decision by averaging 29.2 points per game for G League Maine, including a 46-point performance last month against Delaware.
He’s been called up to the big club as backcourt support and is enjoying the Boston experience in addition to being healthy. Harper’s early career was dampened by a dislocated shoulder.
“It always feels good to play well. Feels better to win,” he said. “Just being able to combine those two things, that full strength, be able to contribute at a high level while contributing to winning. That’s something I pride myself off. You know, it’s been good. It’s been fun. [Maine was] a couple minutes away from five or six in a row, so just trying to keep it momentum.”
Harper looks like a completely different player than the one who spent time in Celtics camp last season, still trying to get his game and conditioning back.
“It comes with the business and just trying to contribute anywhere I can. Just stay ready, mentally, physically, just be in present in the moment,” Harper said of leaving his teammates in Maine and joining the Celtics. “Being mentally free playing with an injury, the plan coming off injuries, tough on the mental space where you just want to stay healthy, so you’re trying to avoid contact, trying to avoid any position where you feel like you’re going to compromise that specific part of your body, but just eliminating that, and just being able to go out there and play free, spread my wings, not being scared and just being fearless.”
An example that Harper gained Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla’s trust was using the swingman at point guard in preseason games. Harper was known as a scorer at Rutgers but has become a more versatile and useful player during his NBA journey.
He’s the son of NBA champion Ron Harper and his goal to is earn a full-time role. The challenge going back and forth from the NBA to the G League is unmistakable. G League games are played in mostly small cities or suburbs and in smaller arenas or even convention centers. For example, the Maine Celtics play in the Portland Exposition Building, capacity, 3,000; about 15 percent the size of TD Garden.
Portland generally sells out every Celtics game. That isn’t the case when Harper goes on the road to other G League venues.
“It’s hard to get hyped on the road,” he said. “It’s definitely different on the road. I say all the time, they got the best G League fans in Portland. They just go out there and impact the crowd. They make it exciting. They make it fun. And they’re really engaged to the game. It’s a good community that they build up there. And it’s definitely a little tougher to get out there down the road. I think what we’re about to be 2-3 on the road and undefeated at home. So, just definitely working on getting ourselves up from the road games. But Portland’s got a great atmosphere, great environment.”
Harper is motivated to make his NBA dream come true even if that means more time in the G League. Two-way contract players are allowed to play in 50 NBA games and Harper has bonded with his Celtics teammates. But going to Maine has to be viewed as another step in the right direction, a chance to make a further impression.
“You’re just kind of tapping into your roots, tap into your love for the game, tap into your heart, remember why you’re doing this, and remember why you’re there,” he said. “And just realize that God has a plan. Trust God’s plan. Eventually you end up where you’re supposed to be so I’m a firm believer in that. So at the end of the day, it’s all basketball.”
Harper’s brother is first-round pick Dylan Harper, who is experiencing his rookie season with the resurging Spurs. There is a family group chat where the brothers and dad keep in touch, joke, talk hoop, and check on each other’s journeys.
“Me and my little brother talk all the time, every day, because we feel like we understand each other, what each and one of us are going through,” Harper said. “So we kind of vent to each other when it’s like that, but we definitely have a family group chat. We laugh a lot of laughs in there.”
Joel Embiid was, in fact, on the court last Sunday for 30 minutes when the 76ers lost to the Hawks in double overtime.Chris Szagola/Associated Press
The 76ers continue to pay for their lack of or inaccurate updates on Joel Embiid’s injury status, this time being fined $100,000 by the NBA for listing Embiid as out for last Sunday’s game against the Hawks. But the big man played 30 minutes and scored 18 points in the double-overtime loss. Embiid did not play Tuesday against the Wizards and it’s uncertain when he will return with his troublesome knee. NBA teams are mandated to post injury updates and when a player is declared out, they are not allowed to play. Teams generally list players as doubtful or questionable if there is even a slight opportunity for that player to participate. Coaches also will wait until 30 minutes prior to the game, when the final injury report is released to wait to declare a player out. Very rarely is a player declared out and then that status is rescinded … Al Horford was supposed to be a remedy for the Warriors’ issues at center but Father Time is playing a major part in keeping him off the floor. Horford has already missed nine games with sciatica, the same ailment that cost LeBron James the first six weeks of the season, and his return to the floor is uncertain. Horford is playing fewer minutes per game (21.8 compared with 27.7) than last season with the Celtics and his shooting percentages have taken a considerable dip. The Warriors are 11-12 and dealing with injuries to standout players such as Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, having been one of the more disappointing teams in the league because of their emphasis on winning a title this season … As for Kristaps Porzingis, he has already missed 10 games for the Hawks, the past four with an illness. His numbers have been solid (18.7 points) but the Hawks have been mostly carried by All-Star candidate Jalen Johnson, who has flourished in the injury absence of Trae Young. The Hawks have been a better club with Johnson playing point forward, while Onyeka Okongwu has fared well in Porzingis’s starting center slot … Blessings and farewell to former NBA center Elden Campbell, who died Monday at the age of 57. He helped the Pistons to a title in 2004 and played 15 years with six different teams, including seven with the Lakers. Campbell was the starting power forward on the 1996-97 Lakers, the first team that featured Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Campbell also played with Magic Johnson as a rookie, helping the Lakers to the NBA Finals in 1991.
With Payton Pritchard scoring a season-high 42 points on Sunday, the Celtics are surging. Ben Volin admits we were too quick to write them off earlier this seas
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Vinny Natale
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Dec 7, 2025, 11:14:40 AM (7 days ago) Dec 7
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to Celticsstuff
What is the purpose of this rule? I don't think that baseball has a similar rule?
"The 76ers continue to pay for their lack of or inaccurate updates onJoel Embiid’sinjury status, this time being fined $100,000 by the NBA for listing Embiid as out for last Sunday’s game against the Hawks. But the big man played 30 minutes and scored 18 points in the double-overtime loss. Embiid did not play Tuesday against the Wizards and it’s uncertain when he will return with his troublesome knee. NBA teams are mandated to post injury updates and when a player is declared out, they are not allowed to play. Teams generally list players as doubtful or questionable if there is even a slight opportunity for that player to participate. Coaches also will wait until 30 minutes prior to the game, when the final injury report is released to wait to declare a player out. Very rarely is a player declared out and then that status is rescinded …"
Timothy Savage
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Dec 7, 2025, 4:31:09 PM (7 days ago) Dec 7
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