The more things change, the more they tend to stay the same. This sentence describes Chris Paul to a T. He’s on another new team, but it’s the same old dirty CP3. On the undercard of the MMA main event that broke out during Golden State’s In-Season Tournament match against Minnesota on Tuesday night, Paul was pictured trying to take out Mike Conley’s knees. Not only did Paul attempt this unnecessary move, but he managed to trip Conley over a loose ball on the floor.
Call him the Nature Boy Chris Paul because he is the dirtiest player in the game. “By any means necessary” certainly seems to be Paul’s motto whenever he takes the court. It’s funny how people will still defend this guy when he’s been a dirty player at the national level since his days at Wake Forest. And yes, it’s still brought up because he’s still in his old ways.
It can be a little wait thing. Some have John Stockton called a dirty player, but he played long before the social media and smartphone era. Isiah Thomas wasn’t exactly a favorite among peers around the association in the 1980s. Smaller players have to work harder on the court, but being dirty is not necessary.
Now this Paul is on a team with an even bigger disruptor in Green, Paul is free to act because the spotlight no longer shines brightest on him. For most of his professional and college career, he was the main man on every team. Phoenix turned things around once CP3 arrivedalthough Devin Booker has been there for years.
No one is denying Paul as one of the greatest to ever play his position, which is what makes his antics so terrifying. Maybe he needs an edge over younger players at this point to gain an advantage, but his latest victim was a player who has been around almost as long as Paul.
With Green suspended five games for choking out Rudy Gobert, Paul’s workload should get a little heavier over the next week. But it likely won’t be the last time he’s caught out seeking an undue advantage over an opponent this season. Paul can’t seem to help himself. CP3 came in a dirty player, and he will leave the NBA just like that.
