RIVERS: NO ROLE IN PAUL’S MOVE
Guard instead looks ahead to next season
Austin Rivers had heard enough.
For two days, the 24-year-old Los Angeles Clippers guard heard all the chatter about how he was to blame for Chris Paul’s exit to the Houston Rockets last month. It was easy to ignore at first, but then the media din grew louder.
ESPN. Fox Sports 1. The Los Angeles radio airwaves. Everyone was talking about the story from ESPN anchor Michael Eaves, who reported on his professional Facebook page that the dynamic between Clippers coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers and his son was a major reason for Paul deciding to orchestrate the trade.
This was hardly the first time someone had alleged that Paul and Doc Rivers didn’t see eye to eye, but the level of detail relating to Austin Rivers’ alleged role took the topic to a new level. So after Paul texted Rivers to dispute the report, Austin picked up the phone.
“I called Chris and was like, ‘Chris, what’s going on?’ ” Austin Rivers told USA TODAY Sports while in Vegas to watch NBA summer league games. “Chris is like, ‘This is the biggest bull (expletive) I’ve ever seen in my life.’ Chris was just like, ‘This is a joke.’ So I asked him, I’m like, ‘You don’t need to come out and say nothing publicly, I don’t need you to do that. It’s just going to make it even more, now they’re going to drag it out two more days. I’ll take it. I don’t care. I’ve been dealing with this (dynamic) since I was 6 (years old). I really don’t even care.’ ”
The two spoke for approximately 40 minutes, with Paul reiterating to Austin that his reasons for leaving had more to do with his desire to join James Harden’s Rockets than they did the Clippers.
A call to Paul’s agent wasn’t immediately returned.
“What do I have to do with someone else’s move?” Austin Rivers asked. “Chris wanted to move because he’d been (with the Clippers) for a while. He’s had great years there, but he wanted something new. A lot of players want that. It’s really that simple.”
All things considered, the Clippers have recovered nicely.
After netting seven players in exchange for Paul (chief among them veteran guard Patrick Beverley and sixth man Lou Williams) as well as a 2018 first-round pick, they re-signed five-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin on a five-year, $173 million deal and filled a longstanding need at small forward by adding free agent Danilo Gallinari on a three-year, $65 million deal. The losses of shooting guard J.J. Redick (via free agency to Philadelphia) and threetime Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford (to the Atlanta Hawks in the threeteam Gallinari sign-and-trade) will hurt as well, but the Clippers should still be competitive.
“We still think we’re a playoff team,” Austin Rivers said.
Still, after the Clippers won at least 60% of their games in the last six seasons and reached the second round of the playoffs three times, it’s a far cry from Doc Rivers’ stated plan heading into the summer: keeping Lob City together, with Paul and Griffin both re-signing. Instead, the Clippers go forward with a new roster and more questions.
Not only are Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, Beverley, Williams and Austin Rivers able to be free agents next summer, but stars such as LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul could be available, too.
The Clippers, who recently added Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West as a consultant and are hopeful he’ll help with their recruiting efforts, should be in the running for at least a few of the bigger names.
For Austin’s part, he’s ecstatic to spend the season alongside Beverley, 28, in the Clippers’ new backcourt. With Redick gone, Austin is expected to become a starter.
“I’ve always been a fan of Patrick Beverley,” Austin said. “I think as far as defensive backcourts, it’s really — I don’t see too many that can bring what we bring. … I do think it can be a great defensive backcourt.”
Austin and Beverley sat together courtside during the Clippers summer league game at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion on Sunday and have wasted no time building a relationship. On Monday, they were scheduled to work out in Las Vegas with new additions Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell and possibly Jordan.
“We’ve hung out here in Vegas, just trying to get acclimated,” Rivers said of Beverley. “We’re actually putting that effort forward just because we’re going to be that backcourt next year. So it’s important.
“Chris is an elite player, obviously. He’s a superstar. He’s a Hall of Famer, so losing someone like that in general hurts. But you get another great player who is continuing to get better. It seems like Patrick has gotten better every year he’s been in the league, shooting it better, and everybody knows what he does defensively. … We have a lot of bright spots.”
“He’s had great years there, but he wanted something new. A lot of players want that. It’s really that simple.” Austin Rivers, on Chris Paul leaving the Clippers and going to the Rockets