CP3 Cornerstone of Clippers’ Revival

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LOS ANGELES — In Clippers lore, which is no longer a comedy routine, much of the credit for this season’s rise to No. 2 in the West — eight games ahead of the Lakers entering Saturday — goes to a makeshift committee of Coach Vinny Del Negro; the team president, Andy Roeser; and the assistant personnel director, Gary Sacks, who jumped in after their vice president for basketball operations bolted on the eve of last summer’s N.B.A. free-agent signing period. On their own, they acquired Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes and Grant Hill.

 

One unofficial, uncredited member of the committee, point guard Chris Paul, was the makeover’s driving force. Paul will be a free agent at the end of this season, and the Clippers are doing whatever they can to keep him happy. Or, as a Clippers official with knowledge of last summer’s activity put it, “This is Chris’s roster.” “I’m just happy because we really have a complete team.” - Paul said recently when asked about his role.

 

Complete it definitely seems to be, with the team entering Saturday enjoying a 21-6 record — second in the N.B.A. only to Oklahoma City — and a franchise-record 13-game winning streak. And with that success has come increasing recognition.

NY Times

 

Two things really stood out to me:

 

• "Paul wanted to know if the Clippers would match Golden State’s four-year, $43 million offer sheet to center DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers did, and kept him."
  
• “Everybody who knows me knows I get invested into things very, very quickly,” Paul said. “I’m all Clippers now and I’ve loved every minute of it, and we’re going to keep this thing going.”