During a wide-ranging conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Suns point guard Chris Paul spoke about the presentation the Thunder made to him back in 2019 when they first acquired him from Houston.
As Paul explains, and as Amick has heard from sources, Oklahoma City presented CP3 with a comprehensive plan for how the team aimed to reduce his minutes and keep him healthy after he had dealt with multiple injuries as a Rocket. Although Paul listened to and appreciated the pitch, he wasn’t on board with the Thunder’s proposed approach, having made his own changes to his body, his routine, and his diet that he hoped would allow him to stay healthy without requiring a “load management” plan.
“At the end of the PowerPoint presentation, I said, ‘You know, I appreciate y’all coming out here, but one thing I just realized is y’all don’t know me. I don’t do premeditated rest and all this,'” Paul told Amick. “… They were looking out for me (because) they probably felt I was injury prone coming from Houston, you know? They were like, ‘You’ve played 56 games the past couple years,’ you know? I had already told them about the changes and all the stuff I made. But I get it. They hadn’t seen it.”
Paul ended up missing just two games during his year with the Thunder and raved about the organization on his way out. According to Amick, when Oklahoma City shopped the All-Star point guard last fall, the club was willing to send him somewhere he wanted to go, even if it meant taking a little less in return. Sources tell The Athletic that the Sixers believed they gained some traction on a possible deal, but Paul didn’t reciprocate Philadelphia’s interest and the Suns ultimately won out.
Here are a few more highlights from Amick’s conversation with Paul, which is worth checking out in full if you’re an Athletic subscriber:
On how his time with the Rockets ended:
“(Then-Rockets general manager) Daryl Morey had just told me a couple weeks before that that he wouldn’t trade me, that he wouldn’t trade me (to Oklahoma City). I think a lot of guys in this league, you play for a while and you feel like the team at least owes you a conversation, you know what I mean? Like, of course they can do whatever they want to. You’re under contract, but just to have a conversation with you is respectful enough, I feel. So when that didn’t happen in Houston, it was what it was.”
On potential offseason free agency and whether he might finish his career with the Suns:
“I mean first and foremost, I love it here. I don’t know how many years I’ve got left. I don’t really think about that either. I feel too good.
“Seriously, this summer, I have no clue. As much as I’m involved in the union and stuff like that, I don’t know what anybody’s teams are, (what their) caps are, I don’t know none of that stuff. I just play.”
On possibly playing for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics:
“Yeah, I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about it. I don’t know yet. I told (Team USA director) Jerry (Colangelo) I would get with him soon. I’d seen him the other day out here in Phoenix.”
I’d be interested in learning the changes Chris Paul made to his body and routine and all that, (but I’m too cheap to pay for a subscription to “the athletic.”) I need some of that load management myself because I’m playing heavy minutes 3 days a week at LA Fitness. Sure would love to understand his diet and workout routine as it might help me.
Guys don’t get old. It sucks. Even body parts that have never sustained an injury hurt like crazy. My shoulder hurts and my knee hurts just from chronic outdoor pavement basketball and years of grinding. But I still love to get out there with the guys and I’ll keep going as long as I can. I feel fortunate just to be able to keep on playing.
veganism + light body workout
beer + cheeseburger
Been trying beer and cheeseburgers for 20 years and it hasn’t worked. I feel the pain, especially the next day LOL.
Bill Simmons mentions Chris Paul’s
plant-based diet in 80% of his podcasts.
Visit the Ringer dot com to learn about 10 of the most savage NBA diets…you won’t believe number 6!
I’ll check it out thanks for the website. I’ve always liked Bill Simmons commentary so maybe I’ll tune in to his podcast as well. Thanks.
Don’t think I could do veganism for longer than a week. In fact I try to stay away from all the “isms” LOL. Actually been trying keto with vegetables and eggs and cheese Etc.. Dr. Berg on YouTube is the best !!
I know it won’t happen for cap space reasons, but I would love my Bulls to sign him to a two year deal to make a push with LaVine and Vooch while mentoring the young guys and especially bring a much needed change in mentality and leadership to the roster. One can dream.
Rockets fans don’t trust Rockets management
Why Chris Paul?
Yes
100% honesty is absolutely required
Chris Paul was the first player in the history of professional sports to be traded after the team told him they weren’t going to trade him, right?
Morey probably thought it wouldn’t happen and then Harden and Tillman said something. It’s ridiculous that Harden couldn’t make it work with CP3.
Chris Paul has a reputation of being very difficult to get along with.
Let me rephrase myself: it’s ridiculous that Harden wasn’t willing to do what it took to make it work with CP3. CP3 was everything they needed. I don’t care what CP3’s reputation is because before he came along, Harden failed to make it work with Dwight and after CP3 left, he failed to make it work with his buddy Wrestbrook. The Harden-Paul duo not working out is on Harden.
Chris Paul didn’t exactly help things by getting hurt in game 5.
He basically cost the team a championship when they were up 3-2.
CP3 missed 48 out of 164 regular season games with Houston, plus the two postseason games which cost them a championship. It sure would have been nice of him if he had taken better care of himself two years sooner, and who knows what would have happened then after winning the title in 2018. He deserves his share of the blame.
Saying 100% of the blame is on Harden is just a bunch of crap.
The best ability for any professional athlete is availability.
That’s the one flaw in Chris Paul’s Legacy. That hamstring would come up every year around February then he would rest it.. and it would hurt him in the playoffs. He’d come up limp grabbing that hamstring with his hand and their season would be over (Clips, Rockets.) It’s a shame because he was such an effective Fireball and team leader.
Harden cost the Rockets more than Paul did by not stepping up and be the leader Houston needed: brick, brick, brick, brick, etc. Also, you gotta blame D’Antoni more than Paul for not changing up the glame plan when it needed to be changed the most and instead had them go right back to forcing 3’s. Had he done that and Harden step up and lead Houston to a win, Paul would’ve had more time to rest for the finals. No way they lose to Cleveland. No, saying it’s 100% on Harden is not a bunch crap. CP3 was healthy the following season when they reached the playoffs. If Harden had done whatever it took to make it work, let himself be held accountable, showed up on time, etc they could’ve played as well as they did the year before and possibly beat Golden State. Harden was a giant primadonna while D’Antoni let him get away with it. That’s the biggest reason why the Chris Paul experiment didn’t work.
Your team has zero credibility. The burning of the Rockets continue
Who knows what the exact verbiage of Morey’s was, but at the end of the day—GM’s are paid to be a little slimy.
If there’s a front office guy who’s going to his players, “Hey, just FYI, but I may be shipping you to Minnesota this summer…” I’d like to know who.
Chris is a class act.
I wouldn’t go that far.
I doubt many of his former teammates would agree that he is.
Rockets – 15 – 44 Worst team in NBA
Wizards – 25 – 33 In the playoffs and fighting for 8th seed
Nets – 39 – 20 Best record in the East
Knicks – 33 – -27 4th seed in the East
Suns – 42 – 17 2nd seed in the West
CP3 says the Rockets suck cause they catered to Harden. Then Rockets got what they deserve. Rockets get a top 3 pick. It will all be over like a bad dream. Unfortunately its still going to take time to build a team.