Cavaliers linked to signing Chris Paul after release from Clippers

Massive news out of the NBA dropped this morning as the Los Angeles Clippers have sent home perennial All-Star and All-NBA point guard, Chris Paul. This comes as the Clippers have struggled early in the season, sitting at 5-16 and second-to-last in the Western Conference, including losing 14 of 16 and five straight games.

Paul made the announcement this morning on his Instagram page.

Now, with Paul free to sign with any team, the unregulated, offshore sportsbook "BetOnline" has the Cleveland Cavaliers as the odds-on favorites to sign Chris Paul at +300. The other teams ‘in the running,’ according to BetOnline, are the Thunder (+400), the Grizzlies (+500), and the Rockets (+600).

This would be a welcome addition, as Darius Garland has not been able to fully recover from his toe injury. News came out this week as well regarding Garland’s injured toe, saying it will need to be managed all season long, and he will likely not be performing at 100%.

Lonzo Ball, the backup point guard, has a pretty ugly injury history himself and is not much of a scorer, as much as he is a distributor.

Adding in a veteran like Chris Paul to a team that seemingly desperately needed it during last year’s playoff run would only be a plus, even if he does not play extended minutes.

Garland has played in and started in seven games this season, averaging 14.7 points and 6.9 assists per game. The concern lies in his field goal percentage. Last year it was 47.2%. This year, it is only 35.7%, nearly a full ten-point decrease.

As for Ball, he has played in 16 games, starting three of them. He is averaging a middling 5.9 points per game, but an impressive 5.1 assists per game. Ball is a great second-unit point guard, but does not seem to have what it takes anymore to be an everyday starter for a team that has expectations of making the NBA Finals.

Now for the Point God, Chris Paul. He has not started a single game this year, but played in 16. He has career lows in every category, from minutes per game (14.3) to points per game (2.9) to assists per game (3.3). This is a player in his first go around with the Clippers who was making All-NBA Defensive teams every season, was getting votes for Defensive Player of the Year and MVP, as well as making the All-Star team every year but his last.

Last year with the Spurs, CP3 played all 82 games, averaging 8.8 points per game and 7.4 assists per game. Paul still has the juice to play in the NBA; he just needs a situation that sets him up for success, which the Clippers this year did not. Kawhi has been injured, James Harden has taken a step back, and the team lost one of its best scorers in Norman Powell to the Miami Heat over the offseason.

If the Cavs do sign Paul, he will be an immediate boost at a position that desperately needs filling. It will allow Ball to focus on distributing and not scoring, and it will allow Garland to take more time to get healthy before the Cavs really need his production down the stretch.

Paul has been one of the most consistent players in the NBA since his rookie season in 2005, and this year seems to be an anomaly. He did not see eye-to-eye with Clippers coach Ty Lue, and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank had this to say about Paul being let go from the team, "Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we've struggled. We're grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise."

Chris Paul is on the market, and the Cavaliers, who have not lived up to expectations and have significant injury concerns at the position, should take a long, hard look at him to be a boost on the court and off as the team attempts to right the ship and finish atop their division and the Eastern Conference.