So a different Paul may not re-sign with his team (via Bill Simmons twitter)

[celtsfan84]

He's taking his talents to South Beach

  Maybe that way he could find out what it's like to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Yeah, I've heard that multiple Hall of Fame teammates, a great coach, and a great GM can do wonders for a point guard's legacy.

  I suppose so, if "hall of fame teammates" means teammates that used to play at a hall of fame level when they were younger, but don't anymore. Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

Yeah, obivously the washed up, broken down 2012 versions of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are much worse teammates than the 2013 versions of Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom.  And Doc Rivers is much worse than Vinny Del Negro.    Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

  The fact that you think that Billups and Odom are the Clipper's equivalents of KG and PP speaks for itself.

For the record, CP3 has a better PER, higher Win Shares, better TS%, and better eFG% than Rondo in the playoffs.  All the type of stats that you quote religiously when they work in Rondo's favor.

  I rarely quote PER stats, quote win shares much less often than that and only quote TS% or eFG% when I'm talking about scoring efficiency. So, congrats on a more accurate than usual post.

Please tell me, given that Blake Griffin played only 14 minutes in Game 6 and 20 minutes in Game 5, combining for 13 points and 8 rebounds, who is the Clippers equivalent of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  I'd say they don't have equivalents to those players.  Maybe you've seen a Clippers game once or twice during breaks of your Rajon Rondo highlight reel loop.  Enlighten me.  In Game 5 and 6 of this past series, who was his Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

So CP3 scores more efficiently and passes and rebounds about as well as Rondo in the playoffs.  What exactly makes him such a terrible playoff performer?

Shed some light, beyond typical Rondo fawning and empty sarcasm.

Doc Rivers or Vinny Del Negro, your thoughts?

[BballTim]

He's taking his talents to South Beach

  Maybe that way he could find out what it's like to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Yeah, I've heard that multiple Hall of Fame teammates, a great coach, and a great GM can do wonders for a point guard's legacy.

  I suppose so, if "hall of fame teammates" means teammates that used to play at a hall of fame level when they were younger, but don't anymore. Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

Yeah, obivously the washed up, broken down 2012 versions of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are much worse teammates than the 2013 versions of Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom.  And Doc Rivers is much worse than Vinny Del Negro.    Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

  The fact that you think that Billups and Odom are the Clipper's equivalents of KG and PP speaks for itself.

For the record, CP3 has a better PER, higher Win Shares, better TS%, and better eFG% than Rondo in the playoffs.  All the type of stats that you quote religiously when they work in Rondo's favor.

  I rarely quote PER stats, quote win shares much less often than that and only quote TS% or eFG% when I'm talking about scoring efficiency. So, congrats on a more accurate than usual post.

Please tell me, given that Blake Griffin played only 14 minutes in Game 6 and 20 minutes in Game 5, combining for 13 points and 8 rebounds, who is the Clippers equivalent of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  I'd say they don't have equivalents to those players.  Maybe you've seen a Clippers game once or twice during breaks of your Rajon Rondo highlight reel loop.  Enlighten me.  In Game 5 and 6 of this past series, who was his Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

  First of all, that's only two games. Second of all, those crappy numbers from Blake are *still* probably better than either of Odom or Billups put up in those 2 games. Thirdly, go over those box scores, there are probably a handful of other players who put up bigger numbers than those two in those games. Or, just for fun, look at the numbers that all of the players were putting up over the entire series and figure out how close to the top of the list Billups and Odom are. Hint: not very.

[celtsfan84]

He's taking his talents to South Beach

  Maybe that way he could find out what it's like to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Yeah, I've heard that multiple Hall of Fame teammates, a great coach, and a great GM can do wonders for a point guard's legacy.

  I suppose so, if "hall of fame teammates" means teammates that used to play at a hall of fame level when they were younger, but don't anymore. Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

Yeah, obivously the washed up, broken down 2012 versions of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are much worse teammates than the 2013 versions of Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom.  And Doc Rivers is much worse than Vinny Del Negro.    Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

  The fact that you think that Billups and Odom are the Clipper's equivalents of KG and PP speaks for itself.

For the record, CP3 has a better PER, higher Win Shares, better TS%, and better eFG% than Rondo in the playoffs.  All the type of stats that you quote religiously when they work in Rondo's favor.

  I rarely quote PER stats, quote win shares much less often than that and only quote TS% or eFG% when I'm talking about scoring efficiency. So, congrats on a more accurate than usual post.

Please tell me, given that Blake Griffin played only 14 minutes in Game 6 and 20 minutes in Game 5, combining for 13 points and 8 rebounds, who is the Clippers equivalent of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  I'd say they don't have equivalents to those players.  Maybe you've seen a Clippers game once or twice during breaks of your Rajon Rondo highlight reel loop.  Enlighten me.  In Game 5 and 6 of this past series, who was his Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

  First of all, that's only two games. Second of all, those crappy numbers from Blake are *still* probably better than either of Odom or Billups put up in those 2 games. Thirdly, go over those box scores, there are probably a handful of other players who put up bigger numbers than those two in those games. Or, just for fun, look at the numbers that all of the players were putting up over the entire series and figure out how close to the top of the list Billups and Odom are. Hint: not very.

Those two games decided whether the Clippers advanced in the playoffs or not, which is what this conversation seems to be about.  So I guess the point you are trying to make is that Matt Barnes and DeAndre Jordan are better teammates than Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  Any way you want to slice it, Timmy, I'd take Rondo's teammates over Paul's.  Did you know KG leads the NBA in rebounds this postseason?

Anyway, bonus points still available.  Doc or Vinny Del Negro.  Take your pick.

[BballTim]

He's taking his talents to South Beach

  Maybe that way he could find out what it's like to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Yeah, I've heard that multiple Hall of Fame teammates, a great coach, and a great GM can do wonders for a point guard's legacy.

  I suppose so, if "hall of fame teammates" means teammates that used to play at a hall of fame level when they were younger, but don't anymore. Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

Yeah, obivously the washed up, broken down 2012 versions of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are much worse teammates than the 2013 versions of Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom.  And Doc Rivers is much worse than Vinny Del Negro.    Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

  The fact that you think that Billups and Odom are the Clipper's equivalents of KG and PP speaks for itself.

For the record, CP3 has a better PER, higher Win Shares, better TS%, and better eFG% than Rondo in the playoffs.  All the type of stats that you quote religiously when they work in Rondo's favor.

  I rarely quote PER stats, quote win shares much less often than that and only quote TS% or eFG% when I'm talking about scoring efficiency. So, congrats on a more accurate than usual post.

Please tell me, given that Blake Griffin played only 14 minutes in Game 6 and 20 minutes in Game 5, combining for 13 points and 8 rebounds, who is the Clippers equivalent of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  I'd say they don't have equivalents to those players.  Maybe you've seen a Clippers game once or twice during breaks of your Rajon Rondo highlight reel loop.  Enlighten me.  In Game 5 and 6 of this past series, who was his Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

  First of all, that's only two games. Second of all, those crappy numbers from Blake are *still* probably better than either of Odom or Billups put up in those 2 games. Thirdly, go over those box scores, there are probably a handful of other players who put up bigger numbers than those two in those games. Or, just for fun, look at the numbers that all of the players were putting up over the entire series and figure out how close to the top of the list Billups and Odom are. Hint: not very.

Those two games decided whether the Clippers advanced in the playoffs or not, which is what this conversation seems to be about.  So I guess the point you are trying to make is that Matt Barnes and DeAndre Jordan are better teammates than Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  Any way you want to slice it, Timmy, I'd take Rondo's teammates over Paul's.  Did you know KG leads the NBA in rebounds this postseason?

Anyway, bonus points still available.  Doc or Vinny Del Negro.  Take your pick.

  So you're claiming that 2 of the losses are why the Clips didn't advance and the other 2 losses are unrelated? It's not like the Clips had the series in hand after 4 games. If you've been following the conversation at all you'd know that the discussion isn't whether you'd take Barnes and Jordan (or Butler or Bledsoe or Crawford or Griffin) over KG and PP but whether you'd take them over Odom and Billups.

[celtsfan84]

He's taking his talents to South Beach

  Maybe that way he could find out what it's like to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Yeah, I've heard that multiple Hall of Fame teammates, a great coach, and a great GM can do wonders for a point guard's legacy.

  I suppose so, if "hall of fame teammates" means teammates that used to play at a hall of fame level when they were younger, but don't anymore. Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

Yeah, obivously the washed up, broken down 2012 versions of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are much worse teammates than the 2013 versions of Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom.  And Doc Rivers is much worse than Vinny Del Negro.    Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

  The fact that you think that Billups and Odom are the Clipper's equivalents of KG and PP speaks for itself.

For the record, CP3 has a better PER, higher Win Shares, better TS%, and better eFG% than Rondo in the playoffs.  All the type of stats that you quote religiously when they work in Rondo's favor.

  I rarely quote PER stats, quote win shares much less often than that and only quote TS% or eFG% when I'm talking about scoring efficiency. So, congrats on a more accurate than usual post.

Please tell me, given that Blake Griffin played only 14 minutes in Game 6 and 20 minutes in Game 5, combining for 13 points and 8 rebounds, who is the Clippers equivalent of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  I'd say they don't have equivalents to those players.  Maybe you've seen a Clippers game once or twice during breaks of your Rajon Rondo highlight reel loop.  Enlighten me.  In Game 5 and 6 of this past series, who was his Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

  First of all, that's only two games. Second of all, those crappy numbers from Blake are *still* probably better than either of Odom or Billups put up in those 2 games. Thirdly, go over those box scores, there are probably a handful of other players who put up bigger numbers than those two in those games. Or, just for fun, look at the numbers that all of the players were putting up over the entire series and figure out how close to the top of the list Billups and Odom are. Hint: not very.

Those two games decided whether the Clippers advanced in the playoffs or not, which is what this conversation seems to be about.  So I guess the point you are trying to make is that Matt Barnes and DeAndre Jordan are better teammates than Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  Any way you want to slice it, Timmy, I'd take Rondo's teammates over Paul's.  Did you know KG leads the NBA in rebounds this postseason?

Anyway, bonus points still available.  Doc or Vinny Del Negro.  Take your pick.

  So you're claiming that 2 of the losses are why the Clips didn't advance and the other 2 losses are unrelated? It's not like the Clips had the series in hand after 4 games. If you've been following the conversation at all you'd know that the discussion isn't whether you'd take Barnes and Jordan (or Butler or Bledsoe or Crawford or Griffin) over KG and PP but whether you'd take them over Odom and Billups.

Should I have said that 2012 Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are better than 2013 DeAndre Jordan and Matt Barnes?  Pick any Clippers you like, I prefer the Celtics, and that includes Doc Rivers over Vinny Del Negro.  To reiterate, Any way you want to slice it, Timmy, I'd take Rondo's teammates over Paul's.  Did you know KG leads the NBA in rebounds this postseason?  And perhaps more importantly to this postseason, I'd say that after Blake's injury, Memphis had 5 out of the 6 best players in the series.  Perhaps you remember a time where one player beat a team that had five out of the six best players in a playoff series?  Maybe CP3 should have guarded Zach Randolph too.

Regardless, enjoy watching the games today, since I know you watch all of the games and not just the Celtics games.

[BballTim]

He's taking his talents to South Beach

  Maybe that way he could find out what it's like to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Yeah, I've heard that multiple Hall of Fame teammates, a great coach, and a great GM can do wonders for a point guard's legacy.

  I suppose so, if "hall of fame teammates" means teammates that used to play at a hall of fame level when they were younger, but don't anymore. Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

Yeah, obivously the washed up, broken down 2012 versions of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are much worse teammates than the 2013 versions of Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom.  And Doc Rivers is much worse than Vinny Del Negro.    Not that some people can tell the difference, obviously.

  The fact that you think that Billups and Odom are the Clipper's equivalents of KG and PP speaks for itself.

For the record, CP3 has a better PER, higher Win Shares, better TS%, and better eFG% than Rondo in the playoffs.  All the type of stats that you quote religiously when they work in Rondo's favor.

  I rarely quote PER stats, quote win shares much less often than that and only quote TS% or eFG% when I'm talking about scoring efficiency. So, congrats on a more accurate than usual post.

Please tell me, given that Blake Griffin played only 14 minutes in Game 6 and 20 minutes in Game 5, combining for 13 points and 8 rebounds, who is the Clippers equivalent of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  I'd say they don't have equivalents to those players.  Maybe you've seen a Clippers game once or twice during breaks of your Rajon Rondo highlight reel loop.  Enlighten me.  In Game 5 and 6 of this past series, who was his Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

  First of all, that's only two games. Second of all, those crappy numbers from Blake are *still* probably better than either of Odom or Billups put up in those 2 games. Thirdly, go over those box scores, there are probably a handful of other players who put up bigger numbers than those two in those games. Or, just for fun, look at the numbers that all of the players were putting up over the entire series and figure out how close to the top of the list Billups and Odom are. Hint: not very.

Those two games decided whether the Clippers advanced in the playoffs or not, which is what this conversation seems to be about.  So I guess the point you are trying to make is that Matt Barnes and DeAndre Jordan are better teammates than Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?  Any way you want to slice it, Timmy, I'd take Rondo's teammates over Paul's.  Did you know KG leads the NBA in rebounds this postseason?

Anyway, bonus points still available.  Doc or Vinny Del Negro.  Take your pick.

  So you're claiming that 2 of the losses are why the Clips didn't advance and the other 2 losses are unrelated? It's not like the Clips had the series in hand after 4 games. If you've been following the conversation at all you'd know that the discussion isn't whether you'd take Barnes and Jordan (or Butler or Bledsoe or Crawford or Griffin) over KG and PP but whether you'd take them over Odom and Billups.

Should I have said that 2012 Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are better than 2013 DeAndre Jordan and Matt Barnes?  Pick any Clippers you like, I prefer the Celtics, and that includes Doc Rivers over Vinny Del Negro.  To reiterate, Any way you want to slice it, Timmy, I'd take Rondo's teammates over Paul's.  Did you know KG leads the NBA in rebounds this postseason?  And perhaps more importantly to this postseason, I'd say that after Blake's injury, Memphis had 5 out of the 6 best players in the series.  Perhaps you remember a time where one player beat a team that had five out of the six best players in a playoff series?  Maybe CP3 should have guarded Zach Randolph too.

Regardless, enjoy watching the games today, since I know you watch all of the games and not just the Celtics games.

  At least I watch enough basketball to know that KG leading the postseason in rebounding isn't exactly a state secret, or that Billups and Odom aren't even close to the best Clips besides CP and Blake.

[scaryjerry]

Chris Paul quitting on another franchise? Not shocked

[Surferdad]

I might be the only one, but when I read the title, I thought "Paul" referred to Paul Pierce.

My heart fell out, until it said "CP3." Even then, I scrolled to see if Pierce's name was there.

Come on man, gotta be more careful.

I did the same thing !   But this is a good conversation too.  Any way the C's can facilitate a trade and get something back? 

[indeedproceed]

Somebody do the math and just quickly reassure me that the Lakers can't sign Paul if they amnesty Bryant, and trade Gasol.

[BballTim]

Somebody do the math and just quickly reassure me that the Lakers can't sign Paul if they amnesty Bryant, and trade Gasol.

  If you look at the Clips with Blake, Jordan, Crawford, Butler and Bledsoe, how many realistic landing spots are in better shape than that? The Lakers with Dwight/Artest/Nash/garbage? The Mavs with Dirk/not much else?

[indeedproceed]

Paul/Dirk/Dwight is the Mavs goal I believe. After they allow all the team options to expire and OJ Mayo declines his player option, they'll have 37.2 million tied up in salaries, and some cap holds I don't understand.

So I wonder what they'll manage. Is there anyone out there with a large trade exception still? They might be willing to take Marion on in his past year if Dallas throws in their lottery pick this season.

[CelticConcourse]

Paul/Dirk/Dwight is the Mavs goal I believe. After they allow all the team options to expire and OJ Mayo declines his player option, they'll have 37.2 million tied up in salaries, and some cap holds I don't understand.

So I wonder what they'll manage. Is there anyone out there with a large trade exception still? They might be willing to take Marion on in his past year if Dallas throws in their lottery pick this season.

Marion bleeds blue. Mav for life.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Paul/Dirk/Dwight is the Mavs goal I believe. After they allow all the team options to expire and OJ Mayo declines his player option, they'll have 37.2 million tied up in salaries, and some cap holds I don't understand.

So I wonder what they'll manage. Is there anyone out there with a large trade exception still? They might be willing to take Marion on in his past year if Dallas throws in their lottery pick this season.

Marion bleeds blue. Mav for life.

And if I remember correctly, Marion refused to play for the Celtics back in 2007. Don't think that has changed.

[StartOrien]

I'm sure it'll be tough for the Clippers to part ways with legendary coach Vinny Del Negro, but they might just have to do it.

[StartOrien]

CP3, Wade, Battier, LeBron, and Bosh...now that's a complete dynasty team.

CP3, Shumpert, Melo, Amar'e, and Tyson...another scary team in the East.

Point is, eff those stacked teams lol.

Have you guys learned nothing from the Bulls?! This is a coaches league, players don't matter.