Clippers Fed Up: Chris Paul Ousted

Merlin sees Chris Paul was sent home after head coach Ty Lue and teammates grew tired of his leadership style. The Athletic reports Lue and staff were "at wit's end," and Paul was told to stop his "locker room lawyering." Paul posted he "just found out I'm being sent home." Signed as a veteran mentor, he averaged just 14.3 minutes in 16 games as L.A. sits 6-16. This matters because Paul's voice once steadied contenders; here it became a source of friction and the Clippers chose locker-room calm over tolerating a disruptive veteran. With James Harden and Kawhi Leonard now forced to carry the leadership load, Merlin senses the move buys peace but not points — smoothing chemistry is helpful, yet erasing a poor start remains a steep climb.