Tuesday 22 September 2020 10:12, UK
Paul George's pleas for players to remain committed and return to the franchise next season reportedly did not go down well with all of his Los Angeles Clippers team-mates.
George made his comments inside the locker room following the loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semi-finals last Tuesday.
This came after the Clippers' third straight setback during an alarming collapse after they took a 3-1 series lead.
According to a report by The Athletic, some of George's team-mates were bewildered and began rolling their eyes as he spoke. The overall feeling was that George's actions in the series did not line up with his post-game vows.
The remarks also came immediately after George scored just 10 points on four-of-16 shooting in the decisive contest. It was the second time he tallied just 10 in the series after averaging 21.5 on the season.
It was reported that multiple team-mates had verbal incidents with George throughout the post-season, with some charging that George was operating with a lack of accountability.
Once the locker room opened after Game 7, veteran guard Lou Williams cited the team's chemistry as a sore spot.
"We came up short," Williams said. "We did have championship expectations. We had the talent to do it. I don't think we had the chemistry to do it and it showed."
George and Kawhi Leonard were in their first seasons with the franchise, and things appeared to be lining up for the team to make a deep post-season run.
But perhaps all that time together in the NBA bubble near Orlando led weak relationships to fracture further.
Among the players the Clippers could lose this off-season is Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell, who will become a free agent and is ready for a bigger role. Mid-season acquisition Marcus Morris also will become a free agent.
