Amid a disaster of an ongoing season for the L.A. Clippers, it’ll be hard to top how they handled the end of Chris Paul’s tenure. The Clippers cut ties with the legendary future Hall of Famer earlier this month, citing his vocal (and critical) leadership style as something that wasn’t welcome or well-received by key organization leaders, including head coach Tyronn Lue.
In a new postmortem report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne about the end of Paul’s time in L.A., we now also know very clearly which Clippers players stood with Paul amid all the turmoil. In a story somewhat framed around Paul’s relationship and connection to Clippers franchise players James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, it is only Leonard who makes more than a passing appearance. This, while knowing that Harden and Paul were previously teammates on the Houston Rockets for three seasons from 2017-2019.
That is very notable. Let me explain.
First off, it’s not necessarily empirical evidence, but the word “Harden” itself only appears three total times in a story that is several thousand words long. It is essentially also used only briefly to describe what Paul was supposed to be to the Clippers — an open, vocal leader — a reputation neither Harden nor Leonard has. That’s it. By comparison, yes, the word “Leonard” technically only appears 11 times. But when the report gravitates to who stood by Paul as tension percolated behind the scenes towards the end of the copy, Leonard is specifically highlighted … three times. Again, not the former star teammate (Harden), who once made a Western Conference Finals run with Paul.
Leonard came up when Paul got into a tiff with Clippers coaches over an in-game schematic adjustment. (He defended him.) He comes up again when it’s mentioned that Leonard was one of Paul’s biggest advocates on the team on a general basis. And he comes up one more time when it’s noted that he reportedly still remains in contact with Paul. This is not the case with Harden, whose name, in fact, stops appearing around halfway through the whole report. That doesn’t feel like an accident, dearest readers.
Here are those three Leonard references, via ESPN.
First, you have Paul asking Leonard and Clippers guard Kris Dunn to back him up over an in-game strategy. They both did:
To prove his point, [Chris] Paul stood up and walked down the aisle of the plane to [Kawhi] Leonard and Kris Dunn and asked them whether he had suggested a change or actually changed the coverage, multiple sources who witnessed the interaction said.
Both players affirmed that he had suggested it, sources said. The interaction was brought up again to other players on the team during the flight, and sources said that subsequently got back to the coaching staff and front office.
Then, there’s the tidbit of Leonard being firmly in Paul’s corner:
[Brook] Lopez and [Kawhi] Leonard were [Chris] Paul’s most ardent supporters on the team, sources said.
Finally, you have the mention of Leonard still talking to Paul even though he’s no longer with the Clippers:
It’s quieter in [Chris] Paul’s world too. Many of his teammates sent messages of support to him afterward. [Kawhi] Leonard, in particular, has stayed in close touch. But he hasn’t heard from any of the men who decided to send him away.
It’s that last part about Paul not hearing from any of the men who decided to send him away, which sounds off alarm bells to me about Harden’s potential friction with the point guard. If Leonard still communicates with Paul, why wouldn’t that be the case with a similar caliber and esteem of player in Harden, who also has more of an established history with him? And why wouldn’t he be highlighted in a story with the opportunity to defend Paul?
Supposed neutrality sometimes says just as much as a definitive public stance. Harden’s silence and absence here are deafening.
Yes, Harden technically isn’t a Clippers executive or coach who ultimately makes personnel decisions. But he is an 11 and likely soon-to-be 12-time All-Star. He is still an elite offensive player, seemingly doing his best to keep the lowly Clippers afloat. It’s not unheard of for Clippers leadership to cater more to the possible whims of one of their stars than anyone else. It’s not unheard of for Harden to make a special request or just be more open about his desires. Professional sports teams do that sort of thing with their best players all the time.
Also, Harden does have a recent history of conflict. He once famously called out Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey for being a “liar” before his Philadelphia tenure flamed out in a blaze of passive-aggressiveness and unsubtle hostility all at once. He’s apparently not on speaking terms with Joel Embiid. And in a Clippers situation that arose out of Paul being critical of the Clippers’ culture and work ethic, well, that certainly sounds like something that might bother Harden, who doesn’t have the best history on that front.
I’m not saying Harden definitely complained about Paul on the Clippers. If he actually did, I’m also not saying he didn’t have a right to. I’m just connecting the dots. And the dots here say that the man known as “The Beard” was not fond of how his former 40-year-old teammate conducts himself at this stage of their respective iconic careers.