Clippers' Recent Success Proving Lawrence Frank's Chris Paul Decision Right

The Los Angeles Clippers have looked much better without Chris Paul.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers made the controversial decision to send Chris Paul home from an East Coast road trip on December 3. At the time, the Clippers were 5-16, and it felt like the organization was unfairly scapegoating Paul, who had a small role off the bench. Initially, the results didn't change much, increasing the sense among Clippers fans that the front office had done a franchise legend dirty. Over the last month, however, the Clippers have looked better than ever, proving Lawrence Frank and his decision right.

Since CP3 was abruptly sent home, the Clippers are 12-7 and tied with the Memphis Grizzlies, who are in the play-in picture as the tenth seed. LA has a +4.9 net rating and is the fifth-best offense and the 13th-best defense since December 3.

In the last month, the numbers are even starker. Over the last 30 days, the Clippers are 11-3 and have the third-best offense and the eighth-best defense.

Clippers' Win Streak Is Helping Lawrence Frank Redeem Himself

While Paul's departure is obviously not the sole reason for this turnaround, it has to be assumed that it has made an impact. Paul's leadership style has seemingly clashed with the coaching staff, who didn't appreciate how vocal the 40-year-old point guard was. This reportedly added to the poor locker room atmosphere, which must have hurt the team on the court.

The blame, however, still needs to be on the front office. When the Clips signed Paul in the offseason, they should have set clear expectations and should have seen this coming. Paul's competitive side and vocal presence have been well-documented in his two decades in the NBA. If they didn't want CP3 to chime in and express his opinions about the team, why even add him at this stage of his career? It's not like this team needed more aging veterans with experience.

The way the Clippers handled the situation was still shameful. Letting Paul know behind the scenes and finding a solution without throwing him under the bus publicly is not the way to treat a franchise icon. This type of public feud and messy divorce between a franchise and its best player of all-time is not how classy organizations act.

At the same time, the front office deserves some credit for making the bold decision to send Paul home, which clearly paid dividends. Clippers fans have every right to criticize Lawrence Frank's handling of things, but the last month and a half has proven him correct in this particular instance. Whether his redemption arc will continue in the second half of the season remains to be seen.