He can take a buyout at a deep discount if he wants to play for them so bad. If that happens I wish him nothing but the best.
Looks like they have a mutual understanding. He's just chilling giving spotlight to the young guys while waiting to be traded.
10 games in CP looks like the superior player to WB. Shooting more efficiently from the field, shooting WAYYY better from 3, better assist to turnover ratio, better assist rate, better defensively, higher steal %, better net ratting, and CP3 has a lower USG ratting. So far 10 games into this season, the only thing WB has done better than CP3 is rebound, and CP3 is still a pretty solid rebounder for a point guard (especially a 6'0 34-year-old).
For the first time as a professional basketball player, Paul is living without family close by. They returned to Los Angeles after Paul was blindsided by the trade. Only his longtime security guard, Gene Escamilla, is a full-time presence with him in Oklahoma City. Paul learned he enjoys playing basketball his way more than he enjoys playing basketball after his two-year partnership in Houston with James Harden, which dissolved during their second season together. Paul equates “point guard” with an orchestra conductor, so watching Harden continuously dribble and meticulously pick apart defenses wasn’t easy. It’s impossible to not think about that when he talks about the reasons why he’s happy with Oklahoma City, reasons that extend beyond being a big brother to the Thunder’s young players. “I don’t look at myself as just a mentor to the guys. I hoop, you know what I mean? I think that’s the biggest thing too. I’m playing at the same time,” Paul said. “I’m not at that point of my career. I’m going to hoop always, but it’s also understanding the privilege of getting to play. That’s the thing. I love to hoop.”
Thanks for posting that bit. It makes sense that Chris Paul....to his core....likes orchestrating an offense. Harden likes doing the same. It is not that they CANT play together. They can. It is just that what they ENJOY is both doing the same thing. So they can work, but perhaps there isn't as much joy. And that probably started to wear on CP. And that tension probably would have built up some. Not to the point of *blow up* but it might have permeated in the locker room. *Less Joy.*
