Earlier this offseason, the Golden State Warriors made a curious move, trading emerging stud Jordan Poole for 38-year-old future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.
People seem to be split on whether it was a good move — some seem to love it because of Paul’s great facilitating and scoring skills, while others dislike it because of his age and declining production.
Mark Willard, the host of “Willard & Dibs” on 95.7 The Game, a Bay Area radio station, says he is sick of what he calls the lovefest surrounding Paul’s arrival in Golden State.
"I don't know what happened to all of you…Talking about how Chris Paul is the greatest freakin' thing that's happened to the sport of basketball, I want to puke!!"
– @Mark_T_Willard is out on the Warriors' Chris Paul lovefest (via @WillardAndDibs) 😂 pic.twitter.com/eolhH7dI1r
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) September 26, 2023
The naysayers are down on Paul’s arrival for two reasons.
The first is his style of play, which has always involved slowing down the pace, pounding the ball for most of the shot clock and keeping the ball to himself before getting someone involved or looking to score himself.
It looks to be an awkward fit with the Warriors, who have always been a fast-breaking team that utilizes lots of ball movement and player movement when the game slows down.
The second reason is the fact that Paul appears to be in definite decline.
After averaging 16.4 points a game during the 2020-21 season, his scoring has fallen to 14.7 and 13.9 points per contest in the last two seasons.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Paul shot just 44.0 percent from the field, which was significantly below his career mark of 47.2 percent.
It is certainly possible he works out very well for the Warriors, but at least for now, it looks like they have taken a big risk in getting him and getting even older.
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