"Paul put his stamp on Clippers"
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:58 pm
Paul quickly put his right arm around Sacks, watching as a handful of players went through drills for a few minutes before pulling Sacks in for a hug and walking off the court.
Sacks' name is rarely, if ever, brought up when talk of Paul's impending decision about whether to re-sign with the Clippers comes up -- but it should be. Paul passed on a chance to sign a three-year, $60 million extension with the Clippers this past summer but can sign a five-year, $110 million extension next summer and Sacks is one of the reasons the smart money may be on Paul staying in Los Angeles long-term.
When Sacks talks about Paul, he doesn't speak about him just as another player but as an extension of the front office. He views him as an extra scout, an extra coach and an extra brain he can pick when he's putting together the roster, alongside Clippers president Andy Roeser and head coach Vinny Del Negro.
"When you have a guy like Chris with the highest basketball IQ in the NBA, you'd be remiss not to listen to him and get his input," Sacks said. "If Chris is interested in a player, you'd be stupid not to listen to him.""A lot of guys would just stay in the background and let us make our moves and do what we think," Sacks said. "But to have his participation shows how invested he is and invested we are in him.""When you get guys that believe in what you're doing and they take ownership in it, you can't lose," Sacks said. "Everyone needs to be invested. If you aren't invested then you're not really part of the team. It's important."
With these moves, Paul is not only invested in the team, he is also responsible for how this season plays out. This team's successes and failures will rest not only on his ability on the court but his ability as a talent evaluator off the court.
Arash Markazi, ESPN Los Angeles
