Doc Rivers is the new man in charge of the Los Angeles Clippers and he is offering up a few bits of reality to the team's young stars. As the Clippers prepare to open their first training camp under the new head coach, Rivers had some tough first face-to-face meetings with players like Chris Paul. Rivers got the motivation started early after telling Paul he was "nothing."
Paul was the top priority of the Los Angeles Clippers. He helped Rivers become a priority as the team knew they needed a big-named coach to help secure Paul for the future. Both signed large contracts with the Clippers as a result. However, Rivers is not concerned with the size of Paul's salary or the length of his resume. In the two's first face-to-face meeting, Rivers told the All-Star he has yet to accomplish anything.
"As professional athletes, you always want someone to push you and motivate you," Paul said, via Yahoo! Sports. "The first meeting I had with Doc, he pretty much told me I wasn't anything. He told me I hadn't done anything in this league, and he was right. You don't always want somebody that's going to tell you what you want to hear."
Paul has plenty of individual accomplishments, but from a team standpoint, no one has done anything yet. Paul has never made it past the second round of the playoffs, winning only two series in his career. The point guard has flourished under these type of harsh coaching conditions in the past. While with New Orleans, Byron Scott was particularly hard on Paul, but that motivation made him a top point guard.
Re-signing Paul showed the Clippers intentions of creating a new super team like Miami or Houston. They added J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley to the roster, so Paul is expected to help lead the team to the post season and beyond. Rivers is well-aware that he has one of the best point guards in the league, but without motivation the team will go nowhere.
Rivers is confident that the Clippers can win a title this season, simply saying, "It's realistic for some teams and I believe we are in that some." The relationship between Paul and Rivers will be a key to making that happen. It appears the two are off to a good start despite the tough love from the head coach.
"I don't subscribe to the theory that they should all be treated the same. I think everyone is treated fairly, and that's how I try to coach."
