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On Thursday, Dec. 15 the Clippers introduced the superstar point guard during a 5 p.m. news conference at the team’s Playa Vista training facility.
“I believe in this organization,” said Paul, who was flanked by Head Coach Vinny Del Negro to his right and Clippers Vice President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey and President Andy Roeser to his left. “I believe in the players here and I want to win. I want to win. And I want to win now. So I’m excited about what the future holds and I can’t wait. I’m just so tired of everything else, I want to play.”
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“I think that in one move it accomplishes everything that Vinny and I have been blathering on about for the last two years which is to change the culture,” Olshey said. “And that’s what we did today. From a culture of winning, of character, of guys that compete, of an expectation of success, trying to create a model of sustainable growth and success.”
Olshey affirmed that Paul’s commitment to staying in Los Angeles beyond this season was a significant factor in continuing to pursue the deal with New Orleans.
“Chris wanted to be here and we were willing to really not give up on this and see it through to fruition because of Chris’ commitment to us. And I think it sends a message to the rest of the league that if a player like Chris Paul, who could go anywhere he wanted to and could have had his freedom four months from now, chooses to lock himself in longer and make a long-term commitment to our organization then there’s nothing we won’t do in terms of resources to put around him, guys like Chauncey, guys like Blake [Griffin].”
Overall, it was a watershed day for the Clippers, who finished 32-50 last season but led by forward Blake Griffin already boasted one of the most promising futures in the NBA. Adding Paul along with veterans Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler helps speed up that process.
How will Olshey and the rest of the Clippers organization fill out the rest of the roster?
“The same way we got the assets to acquire Chris, which is patience,” Olshey said. “We’re not going to go all in at once. We think we’re eight or nine deep right now.”
Acquiring Paul created somewhat of a logjam at point guard with Billups, Mo Williams, and Eric Bledsoe, who’s currently injured. However, Del Negro said having that many ball-handlers is a good problem to have.
For the moment, at least, it wasn’t about lineups, histories, or even alley-oops. It was about the Clippers acquiring a 26-year-old transcendent star in his prime.
When the press conference opened, Olshey briefly spoke before turning things over to Paul, calling it “Chris’ day.”
The newest Clipper responded the way anyone who knows him would expect.
“This is way too much attention, by the way. And this is not my day; it’s the Clippers’ day.”
Chris Paul on LACtv | Chris Paul and Clippers believe in each other | More photos from Chris Paul press conference
