The Clippers cutting Chris Paul amid reported clash is a bad look — even for the Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers cannot do anything right.

We have already discussed how old they are, how bad they are, and how expensive they are, and how they owe their first-round draft pick to, of all teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, in a stunning development overnight, they have released Chris Paul over reported clashes with his "leadership style."

Wait, Paul and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue were not on speaking terms "for several weeks"?

Well, at least Clippers executive Lawrence Frank delivered the news in person to Paul, though he probably could have chosen a better time to deliver the news than the middle of Tuesday night ...

Let's now go live to former Clippers guard Lou Williams, who played for Lue and Frank in L.A.

"From what I've gathered that brought an end to this abruptly was there were a few scenarios with CP holding some people accountable, from players to staff, from coaching staff up to the front office, and from what I understand there was a situation where he even addressed the team and apologized and said, 'Look, my criticisms are coming from a good place. I want us to be a good team. I want us to get this thing right.' And he was just holding guys accountable. ...

"Then, down the line there was another scenario where he was critical of the front office as well, and I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back, when he had some criticisms for the front office as well. I think that's what brought this to a head in the early hours in Atlanta. ...

"For a player who's gonna go down as a Hall of Famer, for somebody who's gonna possibly have the opportunity to be the first jersey retired ... and to be the first person to represent the Clippers in that manner, this is just a sour way to go out. It looks bad on the Clippers' part to do this in the late-night hours. It looks bad for Chris Paul. It looks bad for all parties involved."

I'm not sure how often this is mentioned, but: Well said, Lou Williams. Thank you for your reporting live from the scene in Atlanta at 3:30 in the morning. Nobody else could have fueled this rumor mill so well.

Paul, arguably one of the five greatest floor generals in NBA history, was finally holding the Clippers accountable for one of the worst stretches in history on a franchise that has never reached an NBA Finals, only recently made a conference finals and has been the butt of countless jokes throughout its 56-year history. To be the Clippers of any sport is never a good thing. It essentially means you are cursed.

Or, for a long time you had an owner, Donald Sterling, who held some abhorrent views. He led his organization with them and nearly ran it into the ground, with plenty of help over decades from an incompetent staff, a string of poorly timed injuries and pretty much anything else that could go wrong.

Paul is the greatest player in the Clippers' sordid history. He joined them — and not the crosstown rival Lakers — in a 2011 trade, instantly gave them credibility and steered them through the end of the Sterling era, serving as a bridge to Steve Ballmer, who purchased the franchise amid scandal for $2 billion in 2014.

Ballmer has also ruled the Clippers according to the one thing we know about him — that he is one of the richest men in the world. He was supposed to be a breath of fresh air, a fun-loving personality who cared about fielding a contender. Instead, Ballmer has steered them right back to where they started, as a joke.

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The Clippers are under investigation by the league office for allegations of salary cap circumvention. That seems like a big deal, and it is, as Ballmer allegedly funded a corporate sponsor, Aspiration, which then paid Kawhi Leonard roughly $50 million for a "no-show" job, according to noted finder-outer Pablo Torre.

Paul left the organization in 2017, pushing for a trade to the Houston Rockets, and ever since Ballmer has collected every big-name player he could get his hands on, no matter the risk. In one fell swoop, he signed Leonard and traded for Paul George, sending out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and every available draft pick in the process. When a partnership of oft-injured stars yielded three playoff series victories in five years, Ballmer turned to James Harden, who has made the Clippers his latest vanity project. Not in a good way.

This past summer, the Clippers traded Norman Powell for the right to acquire Bradley Beal, John Collins and Brook Lopez, each of whom is not helping in his own way. In the moment these moves are defensible.

What is not defensible: Unceremoniously cutting Chris Paul because he criticized the terrible team you have constructed. (Part of that terrible construction was signing a 40-year-old Chris Paul, but I digress.)

What's next for Paul? Who knows? I hope he plays for another team this season if that is what he wants to do. Or I hope he retires if that is what he wants to do. He has earned the right to end his career as he pleases, even if his desire to win at any cost often rubbed opponents and teammates the wrong way.

If it were up to me, and it is not, Paul would sign a series of 10-day contracts with the Hornets and each one of his old teams, ending in Oklahoma City, where he can finally secure an elusive championship ring.

What's next for the Clippers? Probably more of the same. They are, after all, the Clippers of the NBA.