Warriors want Chris Paul to lead team's second unit, per report
Chris Paul might be the only one confused about what his role on the Warriors will be next season.
Just a couple days after Paul was dismissive of a question about a potential bench role in Golden State, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported that the Dubs want him to do just that: lead the second unit.
"What the Warriors want from him is to keep it simple: don't turn the ball over, make assists and organize the second unit, sources said," Andrews wrote in a Tuesday report, adding that a bench role is "presumed" for Paul. On Monday, in a separate dispatch from the Las Vegas Summer League — where Paul watched the league's young guns get some run and the Warriors informally introduced him to reporters — Andrews wrote that "the Warriors wanted to acquire a player they could trust to run their second unit — be the floor general, set up their young bench and take care of the ball."
It’s not just her. Nearly every major reporter who has covered the Paul trade in one way or another has written assuming Paul’s spot on the second unit is set. SFGATE's Dennis Young wrote Monday, "When the Warriors traded for Chris Paul, his role seemed clear: replace Jordan Poole as the leader of the second unit and Steph Curry’s backup." The exception was Andscape's Marc J. Spears, who reported that Paul would be in the starting lineup, but the widespread shock of that news showed just how many believed that wouldn't be the case.
Yet when Paul was asked by a reporter over the weekend about coming off the bench and playing with the Dubs' young guns, he uttered an instantly infamous retort: "Uh, you coaching?"
It's true that nothing is official yet. Andrews’ reports cite unnamed sources, and newly minted GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. passed the buck to underlings Steve Kerr and Rick Celebrini, the Dubs' director of sports medicine, when reporters asked on Monday about Paul’s role and minutes in Golden State.
"I’ll defer the playing time to Steve. I’ll defer the load management stuff to Rick," Dunleavy said. "On our end, we feel like we got a really good player that’s going to address a lot of the stuff we were looking to do in terms of experience, taking care of the ball, decision making, ability to run pick-and-roll."
It makes sense that Paul wouldn't snag one of the Dubs' starting guard spots, given they're currently occupied by Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, whose championship window the Dubs are basing every decision on until it’s shut. Paul does come to Golden State with a Hall of Fame resume in hand — but also with questions about his health and longevity and fit with the Warriors' big three. A starting lineup with Paul alongside Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green would also put the Warriors at risk of being overwhelmed by opposing teams' size.
Paul can be incredulous all he wants to reporters, but the writing is on the wall about what he'll likely be next season: a backup. If the Point God can't see that coming, maybe it's a sign that incredible on-court vision doesn't translate off the court.
Source: SFGATE
