
Why the Boston Celtics should avoid adding Damian Lillard
Lillard is an All-Star, and he's also one of the best offensive guards in the NBA. However, his style of play could be counterproductive for how Boston likes to approach things on the court. Lillard needs to dominate the ball to be at his best; he also needs a high-volume shot diet, averaging over 17 per game this past season. Furthermore, his defense leaves a lot to be desired, which could irk Joe Mazzulla, who likes his stars to be two-way talents.
It's for those reasons that a recent episode of "WEEI Afternoons" was dedicated to the subject of why the Celtics should resist the temptation to acquire Lillard on the free agency market. The hosts dove into a range of issues that could occur by adding the veteran ballhandler, including the fact that ball-dominant guards have seldom worked when playing next to Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
You can watch the full discussion episode by clicking on the embedded video above.
Watch the "Taylor Talks Celtics" podcast on:
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS
Website: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf
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USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
OKC Thunder Mailbag: How should Chris Paul be honored for contributions?
The calendar nears August, which means the NBA is in its driest part of the year. Rosters are mostly set as front offices head into vacation for the next couple of months before training camp starts. The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season with the hopes of being repeat NBA champions. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a 68-14 regular-season record and captured the Larry O'Brien trophy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were all signed to new contract extensions this offseason. As the Thunder basically run it back with the same roster, Thunder Wire will conduct regular mailbags to answer questions that fans have. One question being asked is about Chris Paul. The 40-year-old signed with the LA Clippers this offseason, signaling he's going for a poetic end to his Hall of Fame career. While his impending retirement isn't officially known yet, at least one fan believes the Thunder should honor Paul for his contributions when that day comes. Not just for his 2019-20 season, but for his OKC Hornets years. He spent his first two seasons from 2005-07 there as the then-Hornets temporarily relocated due to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. It was a test run to see if small-market OKC can support an NBA franchise. While Paul hasn't done enough to warrant his No. 3 jersey to get retired, maybe there's a nice middle ground. Even though he only spent one season on the Thunder, his contributions go beyond that. He helped mentor Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He gave OKC fans one of its most fun seasons ever, considering expectations. It was a much-needed bounce-back campaign by Paul, where he earned All-NBA honors. When Paul visits the Thunder on the road, he usually receives applause. Being part of the Thunder Legacy Network is the best answer. Every year, the Thunder invite over alumni players to be celebrated by fans for their time in OKC. They could also throw in his time on the Hornets, too. It'd be worth a shoutout. But once Paul hangs up his sneakers, he can be the headliner for a Thunder Legacy Network weekend in a future season. It's a program the Thunder have built up in recent years. The future Hall-of-Famer is always fond of his short time in OKC and left on good terms, which is impressive considering the immediate aftermath of being traded for franchise legend Russell Westbrook.


New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
Chris Paul returns to familiar place with Clippers but in different role: ‘I'm still in it'
The LA Clippers presented point guard Chris Paul at Intuit Dome on Monday, one week after signing the 20-year NBA veteran to a minimum contract to rejoin the franchise he led from 2011 to 2017. Paul's family, based in LA since Paul was traded to the Clippers from New Orleans in December 2011, was in the front row. While the 40-year-old Paul could choose to end his career after this season, it is not something he is committing to now. Advertisement 'Please don't,' Paul joked when asked about possibly retiring. 'I'm just in it, to tell you the truth. I'm still in it. Day in and day out, enjoying it, right?… It's been really cool to be around my family and know that the countdown hasn't started for me to leave again. So I think that's what I'm most happy and thinking about right now.' Paul's family was the biggest reason for him returning to the Clippers after spending the previous eight seasons in Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Golden State and San Antonio. But Paul also said it was a 'no-brainer' for him to come back to the Clippers, regardless of what his role was going to be. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Paul's role would be as a reserve point guard, and Paul is happy to accept it — even after starting all 82 games last season with the Spurs, becoming the first player in NBA history to do so in his 20th season. 'It's a lot of people who will try to tell your story for you,' Paul said. 'I was actually on vacation with my family, and you see all the stories (of) people saying, 'He'll only go here if he's starting' or if he is doing this. I think for me, the gratitude that I have for being able to play as long as I've had, I think the easiest decision in this is sitting right up here, right here with my family. It's getting a chance to be around them and be around a lot more. And get a chance to compete and play for a championship. 'My role on this team is obviously different than it's been the past 20 years being in the NBA. But showing up every day, if I can show some of the guys what it looks like every day to clock in and clock out, I'm excited for it,' Paul added. Paul thanked the Spurs for giving him the opportunity to play last season — particularly the Holt family, who own the team, CEO R.C. Buford, president and former head coach Gregg Popovich, head coach Mitch Johnson and Paul's teammates. 'Without this past year in San Antonio — if that doesn't happen, I don't have this opportunity to actually come back here and play this year,' Paul said Monday. 'So thank you so much to the Spurs and their organization.' Advertisement Paul mentioned that throughout the years, he 'wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary.' After the news conference, Paul was escorted to a homecoming event at the arena, where he was greeted by Clippers fans and season ticket holders. As he was introduced by broadcaster Brian Sieman, Paul was overcome with emotion. Chris Paul breaking down after @BSieman introduces him to the fans at Intuit Dome, something CP3 was not expecting — Law Murray 🎡 (@LawMurrayTheNU) July 28, 2025 'If you watch me, I play with a different type of chip on my shoulder and a passion,' Paul told the fans. 'But there's an emptiness that I was missing. And so I'm excited to really be back here and get a chance to play for the Clippers.' Paul's return to the Clippers is a full-circle moment for a franchise that never won 60 percent of its games in a season before his arrival — and now has the league's longest active streak of consecutive winning seasons, a run that began with his first in 2011-12. While Paul doesn't take credit for the Clippers becoming more of a destination franchise, he acknowledges that it is meaningful being on a team with Kawhi Leonard and former Rockets teammate James Harden, among other accomplished players. 'It's been a lot of guys here who've done a great job in shifting the culture and making it what it is now, and all the people here that played a role in this,' Paul said. 'I mean, you got to think about it: the colors are different. The logo is different. But a lot of the fans have remained the same. So I think that's what I'm most excited about, is getting here, getting a chance to play alongside Kawhi. Kawhi has been here with that culture change and all that. Bringing in James and all these different guys, so I'm excited.' Paul mentioned that this is the time for players to enjoy the offseason, and so his communication with his new teammates has been brief. He worked out with new Clippers guard Bradley Beal in Augusta, Ga., during EYBL Nike Peach Jam, which was won by Beal's team. Paul addressed his reunion with Harden after the two parted ways in 2019, when Paul was traded from the Rockets to the Thunder. Paul acknowledged clips that showed tension between the two when they were teammates during the 2018-19 season. Advertisement 'We talked about it and, you know, talked about just, you know, the history of obviously being there in Houston,' Paul said. 'And it's funny, man, because that clip or whatnot that goes around, it was a lot of stuff funnier and stuff like that than that. That was just sort of our relationship. You know, but I think that's what made that team so good. You know we got on each other in different situations. 'But that team, I can honestly say, it was one of the funnest teams I've ever been on in my career, and James is one of those guys that loves to be in the gym all day long. And so it's wild that you get this opportunity again after those two years and the success that we had, and we definitely know we had unfinished business. So we get a chance to see what's going on here.' As Paul enters next season, he realizes that much has changed, including his perspective and place in Clippers franchise history. He'll wear his number again, but much else has changed. And he appreciates what it means to play at Intuit Dome not as an opponent, but now as a representative of the organization. 'This isn't where we played, right?' Paul said. 'I've watched the building of this building. I watched, I think, the first preseason game that was played here. I've paid attention to all of this. You don't have any choice, right? All of us that really have memories and ties to this team, for most guys, I don't care where you go, if you've been with a team and you're that invested, you may go other places. But this will always be special to me.'
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chris Paul is back with the Clippers and it means so much to him
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Chris Paul walked into an empty Intuit Dome on Monday, looked up at the massive halo board and saw his name. His No. 3 jersey hung in the home locker room. Both things confirmed that Paul was back where he'd wanted to be for a long time, with the Los Angeles Clippers. He signed on last week for an off-the-bench role in the hopes of winning an NBA championship alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. 'It's kind of wild, kind of crazy, still kind of speechless,' Paul said. 'This is one of those things I kind of manifested for a long time, sort of tried to speak it into existence, but you just never know if it's really going to happen.' Last summer, Paul reached out to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and asked for a tour of Intuit Dome, which opened nearly a year ago. 'I was just sort of peeking because I didn't know if a guy on the current team was here and they were like, 'What the hell he doing here walking around?'' Paul said, smiling. "Walking around just now it's a totally different feeling.' Paul frequently glanced down at his family sitting in the first row — wife Jada, 16-year-old son Chris Jr. and 12-year-old daughter Camryn. They continued living in Los Angeles when he left the Clippers six years ago. That led to watching their father on TV and sharing quick phone conversations before school. 'I love to hoop, I love to play this game but I love my family more than any of it,' he said. He's already making up for lost time. He lifted weights with his son and recently returned from attending his daughter's AAU basketball tournament. 'To tell you the truth, my wife and my kids probably tired of me already,' he said. 'Ever since I got the news, every time we're home, I'm just jumping around talking about 'I'm home, I'm home.'' Paul left the Clippers for the Houston Rockets in 2017 because he felt it was time for a change and he wanted to compete for a championship with Harden. 'It's wild that you get this opportunity again after those two years and the success that we had,' Paul said. 'We definitely know we had unfinished business so we get a chance to see what's going on here.' After two seasons in Houston, Paul went to Oklahoma City for one season. He then spent three years with Phoenix and one with Golden State before joining the Spurs last season. They finished 13th in the Western Conference at 34-48. 'I wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary," Paul said. "I didn't even care what the team looked like, I just wanted to be home, be here with the Clippers.' Paul joins Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James as active 40-year-olds in the NBA. 'It's going to be cool,' he said. 'It's a lot of gratitude to still get a chance to play at this age.' ___ AP NBA: