Revealing the inside story of Paul's change to the bench: The seven-man meeting reached a consensus CP3 bluntly said that he didn't hate the role

This article was compiled from: The Athletic

By Anthony Slater

原标题：Chris Paul accepting bench role is tone-setting decision for Warriors: ‘It works’

On October 30, Beijing time, the Warriors defeated the Rockets 106-95 away, and Paul came off the bench for the first time in his career, contributing 8 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, with a plus/minus of +22 and the first on the team. Anthony Slater, the Athletic's Warriors team name, wrote an article revealing the inside story of Paul's switch to the bench.

The seven-member meeting reached a consensus

Before training camp began, Warriors head coach Kerr called six of the team's best players into his office for a conversation. A month later in Houston, Curry mentioned that the players who attended the meeting were Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Chris Paul. With Cole, it was seven people in attendance.

"I remember Steve (Cole's) whiteboard saying, 'Dre (Green) don't be late!'" Paul recalls with a laugh, "Draymond noticed this in a meeting. "

This meeting is very important to Cole. Last season, the Warriors didn't make it to the end, in part because of internal divisions. The split began in the preseason conflict, but it never really subsided due to constant complaints about playing times, uncertain roles, and rotation order. Kerr and Curry are determined to avoid a repeat of the mistakes this season.

This means that the six players have to face the reality of who starts? Who's going to finish the game? It depends on the situation that night. Everyone has a moment when they need to make sacrifices. But this is the message that is most specific to Paul. He's a new signing to the Warriors and has an extensive resume, including a staggering statistic: In his 19-year career, he's started 1,365 times in a row and has never played off the bench.

He has had a longer record than any other NBA player in the last 50 years, but it was Paul's record that was put to an end in this game against the Rockets. During a morning conversation at a Houston hotel, Cole and Paul quickly came to an agreement. Green is back after missing two games. Kerr told Paul that Green's return meant Paul would be deployed off the bench.

"He (Paul) just said, 'Okay,' nodded his head, and said, 'Let them go first,'" Cole said, "It's not a big deal."

Paul's first substitution was remarkable

Paul came off the bench and served as a catalyst for the second team in the Warriors' away win over the Rockets. The starters were in trouble early, with Curry being substituted when the Warriors trailed 15-18, and Curry's absence was a dangerous moment for the Warriors in the past. But by the time he got back on the court, the Warriors were 39-26 ahead. For the entire game, Paul had a plus/minus of +22.

Green praised the performance of the Warriors' bench lineup. 'In this game, the substitutes were much better and there was no doubt that Chris [Paul] was the best of them. When you talk about trading Paul for Curry, there's no better option. You replace your starting point guard and the point guard who comes on the floor is Chris Paul? It's incredible, and we're going to have that advantage all year long. ”

Obviously, the Warriors' plan is to keep Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Green and Looney as the starters, with Paul coming off the bench, and of course, injuries or form issues could change the lineup, but Kerr said it makes the most sense to be consistent with this arrangement at the moment.

'It works,' says Paul, 'and it gives us a much bigger squad and I've never played in a team with that depth. Don't get me wrong, I've been in a really good team, but not necessarily good enough to say, 'These guys can start'. I think [the Warriors'] starting five last season were the best in the league. ”

The decision process was satisfactory to Paul

After the game, Paul spent a few minutes with The Athletic discussing the shift late in his career, saying that the pre-camp meeting was crucial and led to the kind of open dialogue Paul craved, and if a decision was reasoned, shared and discussed, then he would be happy with the choice.

"Because it's a conversation, we're communicating, and we don't start by saying to somebody 'Hey, that's it,'" Paul said, "I'm an overcommunicator, I've always said that, and some people don't like it, but that's who I am." A lot of times, people are scared of conversations, but you have players who have won, players who want to win, and everybody understands what they mean to the team. ”

Concerns about Paul's willingness to take on a bench role began with that summer league interview in Las Vegas. A reporter asked Paul about the substitution, and Paul's response was, "Are you a coach?" Many in the audience saw it as a sign that Paul was reluctant to accept a substitute role, and it sparked a lot of discussion.

"It's an exaggeration, I'm telling you, it's not a problem," Paul is well aware that the media will overinterpret his reaction, having been in a similar situation when he was traded to the Thunder, "What the media said when I went to Oose, they said he wanted to be traded, he wanted to get out of there, I didn't say anything, I stayed there." ”

Paul led the Thunder to the playoffs and played seven games in the first round against the Rockets, where he developed a mentorship with Alexander, and the Thunder still talk about Paul's professionalism there.

"What did they say when I came to Houston?" Paul went on to ask, "It won't work out, but what about Phoenix?" And said that the team was too young. My whole career, though, has been about being myself. When the Warriors traded, there were still people who said it wasn't going to work. ”

Paul: I don't hate playing on the bench, the most important thing is to win

After 3 games, the Warriors are 2-1, Paul has 28 assists and only 5 turnovers, and he accepted the role of the bench without complaint.

"It's important, Paul took everything here in the first month, it's a lot like Iguodala years ago," Cole said. When a veteran, a great player, an All-Star shows that sacrifice, it sets the tone for the whole team. "Kerr doesn't easily compare the player to Iguodala, which shows how much he admires Paul.

Not just Paul, but the six people who attended the meeting were all ready to sacrifice, and in the final moments of every game, they could stay on the sidelines because of the match or the form. Wiggins, Looney, Thompson, and Green could also be the ones who won't be on the court at the last minute.

Paul admits that it will take some adjustments, that he needs to adjust the warm-up time and be ready to play midway through the first quarter, and when asked if he likes the role of a substitute, Paul replied, "Do I like it?" Who likes new things? It's not a matter of liking it or not, it's still new and I don't hate it. I like that we win and that's the most important thing. ”