Unknowingly, the NBA is about to finish the halfway season, and there is no doubt that there are some dark horses in the NBA this season, and there are also some top teams that have fallen, which makes people unprepared. Among them, the Warriors, who have the highest expenses, and the Suns, who are in a hurry to go to the hospital, have become one of the most disappointing teams, and it just so happens that there is one player who can link the two teams: 38-year-old veteran guard Chris Paul. As a veteran who was waived by the Suns and "used" by the Warriors, Paul this season can be arguably one of the most embarrassing players. From the perspective of the Suns, Paul has been proven to be capable, but from Paul's own point of view, he can't get rid of the fact that he has become a burden to the team.
Let's start with the Suns, who have been the league's top team for the past three years, reaching the Finals and reaching the Western Conference Semifinals at their worst. And these three years happen to be Paul's three years with the Suns, before he came, the Suns missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive years, Booker was a recognized brush, and Ayton was close to being reduced to a parallel import. Paul saved Booker and Ayton to a certain extent, and under his leadership, the two young cores tasted the Finals. Now that Paul has been traded, the Suns have a dismal record, and they are about to pass the halfway point of the game, and their win rate is hovering around 50%. During Paul's tenure, the Suns had a win rate of more than 70% for two consecutive seasons, and they also ranked fourth in the West last season.
After Paul left, Booker's problems were exposed, there was no playmaker, and Booker, who wanted to transform, was found to have no organizational talent, except for passing some simple balls, he did not have the ability of Harden, Paul, and James to find opportunities that others could not find. After the blocking, he couldn't create opportunities for his teammates, he couldn't pass those master-level passes, and the Suns had a mediocre record with the Big Three, Booker returned to the state of good statistics but not winning, and was once again labeled as a brush, and Durant was also embarrassed, and it seemed that he was inevitably ridiculed by the outside world and reduced to a laughing stock. The poor form of the Suns proves Paul's ability to lead the team. However, from Paul's own point of view, should he really be at ease?
To put it mildly, the Suns' abandonment of Paul is an inevitable thing, and it is also recognized that management must do. In the 21-22 season, the Suns missed the Western Conference finals, they lost to the Mavericks, Paul was blown up by Doncic, and in fact, he had many games in the first round where he did not score a double in a single game. Paul can control the court, but he's no longer the super defender who scores when he wants to, he's not enough to do it. Last season, the Suns stopped in the Western Conference semifinals, and the embarrassing point is that the Suns vs. Nuggets, the two games they won, and Paul has nothing to do with it at all, because he is injured and sits off the court, whether it is due to Paul's absence, the Suns can still win the angle, or Paul's age and injury, the Suns will give up Paul.
Remember that before the trade, the Suns' earliest news was that they would cut Paul and then free up some salary space to sign another excellent starter-level player, that is, it was inevitable for the Suns to give up Paul, but the management was too anxious when they had the opportunity to get Beal. Or in other words, the team-building strategy with Booker and Durant as the core was originally wrong, they are like Durant Irving, Anthony Iverson like the two guns, without the premise of organizing the brain, such a combination is destined to fail. This season, Paul played for the Warriors, and he showed Warriors fans what a playmaker is, what a team brain, and what kind of pass is a creative pass.
Dream Green and Curry are far inferior to Paul at this level. Of course, this is only at the organizational level, Paul is still the same old problem, now he can't score points, although the Warriors don't need Paul to score, but Paul is not worth 30 million, this is a fact. Now he has a broken left hand and has undergone surgery, which has had a huge impact on the Warriors. To put it mildly, Paul can't realize his dream of a championship in the Warriors, and the Warriors' record is worse than that of the Suns, even worse. In fact, there is only one way Paul wants to win a championship, and that is to make sacrifices in terms of salary, either buy out or get cut.
Just imagine, if the Suns had cut Paul at the beginning, and the latter joined a team that needed a backup point guard on a mid-level contract, it would have been completely different. For example, the Clippers, replacing Wei Shao with Paul, it is estimated that Clippers fans can wake up laughing when they sleep, even if Paul is injured, what about them? They are still a top team. This is the problem of salary, Paul, who takes 30 million, occupies too much salary space, has too much impact on the team, and cannot afford the risk of injury. Paul, who takes a lower contract, is completely a super value contract, the team does not need him to score, and can control his appearance, ensure his health, and even if he falls, he has the capital to rest.