Speaking for the first time since he left the Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul downplayed reports of tension with Doc and Austin Rivers, saying he simply felt ready for a change.
Paul spoke exclusively to Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated about his departure from the Clippers and decision to join the Houston Rockets. He seemed to imply that the constant chatter around the Clippers was a factor, and that both parties agreed it was time to go their separate ways.
“I feel like the last six years we’ve had a great run,” Paul said. “I felt like it was not only a good time for change for me, but for the team, too. Everyone says, ‘We get killed. We can’t get there. We just can’t get over the hurdle.’ I felt like it was time for change.”
Paul didn’t offer much when asked how he broke the news to coach Doc Rivers.
“I don’t think we need to get into all that stuff,” Paul said. “We met. We talked. We both agreed it was time for a change.”
Paul added that he had spoken to Austin Rivers as well, downplaying reports that the coach’s son was a cause of tension — though he seemed to leave open to interpretation whether it had been in the past.
“No, that report wasn’t true,” Paul said. “If anything, Austin has grown up a lot and is getting better. I heard the report. It’s not worth responding to.”
Pretty much everyone involved has shot down the report, with Paul maintaining that, while he and Doc Rivers didn’t always see eye-to-eye, they still maintain mutual respect. It ultimately sounds a bit like Paul felt he had taken the Clippers as far as he could and that things had stagnated.
