Welcome back to Paul George Nati— wait, sorry, I mean Clips Nation. Yes, there’s been a lot of news surrounding Paul George lately, but after signing a mega contract extension with the LA Clippers Thursday, there’s nowhere else we can start in recapping the news.
Pen to paper. pic.twitter.com/lpEp8mcFEN
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 10, 2020
The deal could extend five years for $226 million, which should not only quiet the rumblings that the Clippers will trade George away this season, but also reinforce what’s expected of him after getting the lucrative deal.
“I owe ‘em a trophy,” he told reporters Thursday after being asked about the expectations in return. “I owe ‘em a trophy. That’s what I owe this organization. This is a window that we’re trying to capture. And my commitment and my job is to try to bring a title here.”
That’s the idea, of course. But now that the deal is sealed, time to really get to work on that title.
More news for Friday:
- PG still gets roasted: If not for the contract extension, another George-related story would have probably dominated Clippers headlines, as another clip from his interview with the “All the Smoke” show on Showtime with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson features the Clippers star referencing his “MVP season,” with many fans of other teams wondering when that happened.
Paul George on his doubters:
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) December 10, 2020
"I'm back with my trainer that I had my MVP season... I'm locked in. As locked in as you can be... I'm on motherfucker's asses."@SHOsports pic.twitter.com/GFVHeNhCtH
Gotta say, he made it easy to make fun of him in this one. At the same time, he just got paid so who’s laughing now?
- Good breakdown of his game now: One more piece of George news, as Zach Lowe really digs into PG’s game at this point in his career, the good and bad, what makes him special and where he fades, over at ESPN+. It’s a worthy read.
- Kawhi ranked Top 5 player: ESPN wrapped up their Top 100 NBA players rankings with the Top 10, and no surprise, Kawhi Leonard was ranked in the cream of the crop, at No. 5.
- Clippers G League team reportedly joining bubble: Ridiculous Upside reports the Agua Caliente Clippers are expected to participate in the G League bubble, which is believed to be taking place in Atlanta at some point, timing has not yet been announced.
- The limit (of positive COVID-19 tests in the NBA) does not exist: This is probably not surprising but still somewhat scary, in that the NBA says it has no set parameter of positive coronavirus tests or players unavailable before they’ll entertain game postponements or cancellations this season. With the pandemic worse than it’s ever been, this does not sound reassuring.
- Questions for the season ahead: The Ringer asks six big questions with preseason starting Friday.
- Oh yeah, Clippers play Lakers tonight! That’s right, basketball is back, with the Clippers facing the Lakers in the first preseason game. 7 p.m. PT, available on Prime Ticket and Spectrum SportsNet.