Latest Clippers Report Highlights Embarrassing Handling of the Chris Paul Situation

ESPN's exposé of how the Clippers dealt with Chris Paul paints an incompetent organization.

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Even though it has been two weeks since the LA Clippers sent Chris Paul away from the team, its reverberations are ever-present. The Clippers haven't been able to turn things around and are a miserable 6-20. They haven't resolved the situation, either, as CP3 remains a Clippers player even after he became trade-eligible on Monday. The way the Clippers treated a franchise icon has been understandably criticized, but the latest details from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN make the organization look even worse.

There are plenty of juicy details in the exposé, and all point to a complete mishandling of the situation by the Clippers' top brass.

Paul is one of the most vocal leaders in the NBA. In his career spanning two decades, he has made a name for himself as a fierce competitor who isn't afraid to speak up. When he was signed as a 40-year-old backup, it was natural for him to expect that he would have a role as a locker room leader and mentor for a team that had severely lacked it over the years.

ESPN's Clippers Report Highlights Massive Chris Paul Blunder by Front Office

Yet, as Shelburne points out, the front office and coaching staff were regularly made uncomfortable with Paul's leadership. Per Shelburne, "when [Paul] offered suggestions to a player about training methods, he was warned not to undermine the staff," and when he challenged players, "there were complaints from players and coaches that he was abrasive."

Paul reportedly once asked a coach why he wasn't consulted on how to guard his former teams, the Phoenix Suns and the OKC Thunder, and this wasn't appreciated. Paul also tried to hold a meeting after their blowout loss to the Jazz in the season-opener, but the "attempt to encourage dialogue fell flat."

This was brought up to Lawrence Frank and Ty Lue, both of whom told Paul that his leadership style wasn't a good fit for the rest of the group. After this conversation with Lue, Paul lost his spot in the rotation, which didn't help the tensions. Leading to more conversations and meetings with the coaching staff and the front office, Paul was eventually asked to go home. Despite his pleas to stay with the team, Frank was adamant in his decision.

These types of decisions are obviously the prerogative of the head coach and the GM. They are free to do whatever they think gives the team the best chance to win.

Yet, some questions need to be asked: What did the Clippers really think was going to happen when they signed Chris Paul? Did they expect him to quietly ride the bench while the team kept losing games?

When a team signs an older veteran who was a former star, there is a widespread expectation that he will play a role as a locker room leader. They generally act as an extension of the coaching staff. This is especially the case when said veteran is arguably the greatest player in franchise history. The fact that the Clippers weren't welcoming Paul's input, especially as the team was in a tailspin, is an unacceptable miscalculation by the front office.

The Clippers haven't been able to turn things around since Paul's departure. The coaching staff hasn't been able to identify or solve any of the problems that have been ailing them since the start of the season. The defense, which was used as a reason for Paul's benching, according to Shelburne, has only regressed. The Clippers now have the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA.

This was obviously never about Paul. Nothing has changed since the Clippers sent him home. Paul was scapegoated by the incompetent leadership of the organization, and every loss further proves it.