Getty Image
Chris Paul has managed to earn a reputation as a dirty player thanks to the questionable tactics he’s routinely deployed over the course of his time in the NBA, and now, the guard has once again found himself at the center of controversy thanks to what unfolded during a showdown between the Warriors and the Timberwolves on Sunday night.
There’s no denying Chris Paul is a talented player, as there’s a reason he’s currently in the midst of his 19th season in the NBA. The 12-time All-Star has been a valuable contributor for the six different teams he’s suited up for, although plenty of his fellow players have accused him of crossing the line to gain a competitive edge.
The point guard signed with the Golden State Warriors prior to the start of the 2023-24 campaign, and the veteran had a pretty quiet night on the stat sheet in the 22 minutes he played in his team’s 116-110 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With that said, he still managed to catch Minnesota’s attention thanks to what transpired in the closing minutes of the second quarter during a battle for a loose ball.
Paul was trying to track down the rock after it was knocked out of the hands of Karl-Anthony Towns, and while he was able to recover it on the ensuing scramble, he appeared to go out of his way to make contact with Mike Conley, who could be seen clutching his knee after falling onto the court as a result of the collision.
If the NBA actually cares about player safety, they would call this a Flagrant 2 with a massive fine attached pic.twitter.com/wsxN22hRZg
— Canis Hoopus (@canishoopus) November 13, 2023
Conley was actually called for a foul on the play in question, but according to Timberwolves beat writer Jon Krawczynski, the team was “quietly, very unhappy with this in the locker room after the game,” adding there’s a chance Minnesota asks the league to take another look at the collision it believes warrants some punishment.
You could argue there was only so much Paul could do to control his body during the bang-bang play, but based on previous history, it’s a bit hard to give him the benefit of the doubt.