Chris Paul Reportedly Told Steve Ballmer Doc Rivers Contributed to Clippers Exit

Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul left the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason, in part, because of head coach Doc Rivers, according to a report from Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com:

"After Paul exited for Houston, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer reached out to his former point guard. As a relatively new owner, Ballmer wanted to learn from his organization's mistakes and invited Paul to share his thoughts about the current state of the franchise and, more pointedly, his reasons for leaving. When the two met over breakfast, league sources say, Paul stated that Rivers was one of the contributing factors."

The Clippers teams with a core of Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had a reputation for locker room drama and for perhaps not liking one another.

But multiple people from the organization indicated to Arnovitz that "Rivers became as prominent a character in the workplace drama as Paul or Griffin or any other member of the roster. And as the authority in charge of managing sensitivities and arbitrating disagreements, Rivers increasingly grew entangled with the rest of the egos."

The piece paints Rivers as something of a locker room politician who had "a tendency to placate a player by telling him what he wanted to hear" or even critiquing a player behind his back to another.

While a level of politicking is normal in any locker room, many Clippers reportedly saw Rivers as somewhat fake, a reputation that was perhaps solidified this offseason, per Arnovitz:

"Some cited a statement by Rivers to ESPN's Zach Lowe this past fall that J.J. Redick was 'begging' to return to the Clippers, a declaration that rang so false to anyone who knows Redick that there was a collective bewilderment that Rivers would even say it aloud in polite conversation. For several of his players, it was further proof Rivers had a willingness to peddle mistruths in an effort to spin perception to his liking."

Rivers was long considered a players' coach, but Arnovitz argued, "He's been overrated as a manager of relationships and egos, and quite underrated as a practitioner of X's and O's with a practical sensibility and a creative flair."

Various coaches and executives around the league reportedly agreed with that sentiment.

Paul has thrived in Houston and Rivers did one of his best coaching jobs in years in 2017-18, leading a team devoid of Paul and Griffin—and beset by injuries—to a 42-39 record. While it wasn't enough to lead the Clippers to the postseason, it's proof they can perhaps retool rather than undergo a full rebuild after trading away two stars this year.

And further changes may be coming. Jordan has a $24.1 million option for the 2018-19 season, and should he opt out, it's questionable whether he'd return. It's also questionable if he'll get that type of money on the market, but the final piece of the Big Three era for the Clippers may be gone this summer.

However, that may be the perfect situation for Rivers. As Arnovitz wrote, "Doc Rivers might not, in fact, be the ideal coach for a team of strong veteran personalities. Doc Rivers might be the perfect coach for a team in extreme transition."