FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. reacts to Nuggets interest in Klay, Clippers push to retain Paul George

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. reacts to Nuggets interest in Klay, Clippers push to retain Paul George

the Clippers reiterated yesterday that they were very much wanting to keep Allstar Guard Paul George but that they will have to see how things play out as he approaches Saturday’s trade deadline to exercise his $ 48.8 million player option let’s take a look at what Stephen A had to say about the possibility of PG in Golden State I just don’t view him as a catch and shoot guy I view him as some body legs perk that has the potential to disrupt their Rhythm he’s better Suited for the Clippers he’s better suited for Philadelphia he would have been better suited for the New York Knicks to some degree rather than Golden State that’s just how I view it Jay Will’s back and Wendy is back Jay will I’m gonna start with you do you think that PG would be a good fit for Golden State I think it would be a tremendous fit for Golden State okay all right because I know how you look at the continuity system of how Steph likes to play yes right yeah but from some of the greatest coaches I’ve learned you build bu the system to fit the personnel and the Personnel of PG is somebody that is multiple tooled and how he can dribble shoot catch and pass right and do all these different things I do think Paul George in the right system can be a catch and shoot player he won’t be one-dimensional because he can do a lot more than just be catch and shoot but I think playing off the likes of Steph Curry and the amount of gravity that he can draw towards certain equations similar to how Kay was able to really leverage that okay I think PG could do and I also think at the end of a shot clock or when you need a bucket the most having the variety of step and PG with the skill sets they both bring also who PG is defensively he can guard the other team’s best player so if you’re telling me that the the biggest challenge is around catch and shoot I would push back on that heavily because I think the IQ of who he is can understand where to fit in certain spots but also I’m going to fit the system around the skill set of Paul George because I think he’s that special of a player and I also think at this stage of his career Steph Curry will be more open to acques in certain moments because of who PG is he’s always been adaptive to other great players that he’s had to play with i. even Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant can shake with the ball in his hands as well okay go ahead go ahead Wendy okay so first off Paul George had a great year last year he really did put up a good year and it was a healthy year for him and so you know he’s in demand I’m a little fascinated by the way the Clippers are operating here because they’re kind of calling PG’s Bluff because if PG becomes a free agent on Sunday I don’t see why the 76ers don’t offer him a full Max contract and the Clippers have to know this and so they’re operating without offering that full Max they are kind of calling the bluff that they don’t think Paul George is going to want to go to Philly so let’s that’s the one thing let me just talk about Golden State for a second we know that golden state is still looking for big fish we know this because back in February they actually tried to trade for LeBron James that was actually one of the most fascinating things I know the story sort of came and went after the trade deadline that was one of the most fascinating things that happened all last year was that they thought they might be able to get LeBron James and that’s what this Paul George thing is comes from they’re still hunting big fish to put alongside Steph Curry now today is an interesting day because today is Chris PA contract guaranteed deadline this has been a a contract that’s passed through many hands um originally signed in Phoenix traded to Washington traded to Golden State last year it could have been an option this year it’s a team option it’s for 30 million Chris Paul is an excellent player he’s going to be a Hall of Famer he’s no longer a $30 million player so you say why is he still being held on this contract because the Warriors are holding it because they still think they can trade it for a big time player maybe and yesterday Mike Dunley the their general manager was asked about this deadline day is Friday what are you going to do and he brought up the possibility that they could go to Chris Paul and extend the deadline past this weekend to push this off because they’re still leaving this out and this has nothing to not as much to do with Chris Paul as it does to do with Paul George as they’re waiting for Paul George to make a decision that’s going to happen now so the I think what’s most interesting about all this is that the Warriors are still Big Fish hunting and how it leaves Klay Thompson sitting on the tarmac Klay Thompson is out there going I’m I’m a core player my jersey is going to be up there what about worrying about taking care of this two guard and they’re out there waiting for an answer from Paul George about whether they should use Chris Paul so much that they’re trying to make a side deal with Chris Paul to give Paul George more time while Clay’s sitting there and I think this is fascinating because while they can pay clay more money than anybody um if they wanted to and you know they can go more years they very clearly are not prioritizing him or at least from my viewpoint they’re not prioritizing him and maybe they’re playing with a little bit of fire because if clay gets to Sunday night and they’re still the Warriors are still working on other big deals and they’ve pushed Chris Paul’s contract deadline past that and they keep trying to use that what sort of message does that send to Clay and that’s one of the many many fascinating things in the NBA we’re going to watch over the next 72 hours let me say this a couple of things appreciate all of that Wendy I in no way mean to imply what Paul George is in any negative fashion he’s an elite player he had a fantastic season averaged over 22 a game shot 47% from the field shot a career best what is it 41% from three-point range and oh by the way uptick his three his free throw shooting by about three points shooting 90% from the free throw line I think it’s 90.7% from the foul line to be exact the brothers big time I understand that and he’s not somebody that rest on his Laurel he clearly works on his game works on his bag all the time major props to him for that but when I look at Golden State I the priority is Steph Curry Paul George has no problem being a number two he’s shown that wherever he’s going we understand it he was number two in Oklahoma City with Russell Westbrook he was the number two in LA with kawh Leonard he gets that he he gets back on defense he’s gritty he’s one of the elite Defenders we get all of that too what I’m thinking about Jay is his move is Steph’s movement without the basketball I’m thinking about how easy it is for everybody to automatically feed him I’m thinking about a kaminga p jimsky and others and how they just you know kaminga has elevated P jimsky just arrived okay and I’m thinking about how all those pieces fit Paul George will find a way he’ll be effective the numbers won’t dissipate that’s not what I’m implying what I’m talking about with somebody like a Klay Thompson who’s a catch and shoot guy for example it feeds into Rhythm Rhythm wise what we’re accustomed to seeing Golden State do now it might be that they want to do something a little bit different now might want to slow it up a little bit might want to change a pace Steph Curry’s getting older not younger that could have something to do with it I’m aware of that but I never said it was a bad move what I said was Philadelphia is a better move because Philadelphia when you look at Maxi and what he brings to the table when you look you look at embiid and how he’s still the number one option and because he’s the guy you’re going through if you’re talking about a glue piece who can be an elite glue piece one minute he could be a three a number another minute he could be a number two option hell on certain nights he could be the number one option that flexibility that Paul George brings to you in a conference that’s not as stiff as the western conference with the Knicks having elevated with Boston having elevated if you’ve got Maxi with and be what did we lament about with Philadelphia we didn’t question Tobias Harris’s skill set what we questioned was the lack of assertiveness particularly when it’s needed we don’t accuse Paul George of such things Paul George knows when to step it up and how to he knows when to step it back and how to do so and when you’re looking at Philadelphia no matter what you see of him in Golden State it clearly works better in Philadelphia then it would work in Golden state that is why I said what I said you know what I don’t like about you know what I don’t like about you hold on CH just has a big you know what I don’t like about you there been so many times you have I’ve came on your show and I’ve answered a question different than the damn question on the screen where he said I’m sorry Mr wood what’s the question on the screen but then you get up here you answer a different damn question you answer a different it was what PG in the Warriors be a good fit yeah I understand that that’s what they put on the ticket [Music] spee now go foree foree foree fore forign speee spee spee [Music] for [Music] foree fore foree fore foree fore fore fore

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. reacts to Nuggets interest in Klay, Clippers push to retain Paul George